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Editor’s Note
Hi from all the editors at the Yeti. The Yeti is a student made, student funded progressive magazine at Florida State University. We hope to be a clearinghouse for progressive news, views, commentary, poetry, art, and laughter! We are really excited to be up and running. The support from the FSU progressive community has been overwhelming. We received more material than we could even afford to publish! Please submit your thoughts, articles, or rants to fsuyeti@hotmail.com. We love to hear from you!
Directions to Benefit Party for the Yeti: 1650 Sharkey Rd. (Fri, Sept 2nd, 10pm)
From Lake Bradford at Gaines St: After turning onto Lake Bradford from Gaines, make your second right onto Airport, make your second left onto Mayhew, and then your first right onto Sharky Rd., there is no street sign. The house is on the right. From Lipona at Pensacola St: Take Lipona south, cross over Bellevue Way and Jackson Bluff, make your first left onto Mayhew, then make your fourth left onto Sharkey. The house will be down a little ways on your left.
Contents:
page
News in Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 News Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) Update: WE JOINED! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 Poem: Day of Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 Recently Passed Oil Bill May Lead to Drilling in Gulf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .03 Athletics Over Academics: All Hail Coach Bowden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .04 Heritage Grove: How the University Spent $4 million on a New Frat Row . . . . . .05 Middle East Update: Israel/Palestine, Iran, and Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .07 High Crimes in the Whitehouse, again... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .08 Is MySpace TheirSpace: NewsCorp/FOX Buys MySpace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 09 Corporate Takeover of an Independent Movie Theater: Regal Buys Miracle 5 . . . 10 Sex & Campus: Do Cosmo and Feminism Mix? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Music Review: Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Matt Davis Anna Apostolou Brett Ader Sarah Stinard-Kiel Alex Joyce Christian Nialls Fallon Hodge Parker Dority Ryan Brody JP Eason Kelsey Visser Cassie Smith Jen Toth Alan Wells Dan Clifton
News in Brief Gas prices reach record highs; oil companies report record profits; the average American gets poorer.
National protest against the war. Saturday, September 24th, tens of thousands of vets, students and mom’s (like Sheehan) will be marching on the Whitehouse to demand and end to the Iraq war. fsustudentsunitedforpeace@hotmail.com www.UnitedforPeace.org
Fox News gives out street address of Orange County “terrorist” -- where a perfectly innocent family of 5 lives. “We should divert some of the big bucks we’re wasting in Iraq to help Israelis and Palestinians. Very importantly, that price tag wouldn’t include the young bodies we’re throwing at the Iraq tragedy,” writes Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today.
A Minnesota family blames “total incompetence” of military leadership on the death of their son. Bush’s approval ratings fall to all time lows. According to a recent Harris Interactive poll, only 40% of Americans think Bush is doing a good job, while nearly 60% feel he is doing a bad job.
Iraqi legislators fail to reach agreement on a new constitution. Not one, not two, but three deadlines have come and gone with no agreement. The primary issues are the rights (or restrictions) for women and how much influence Islam will have in establishing law. Sunni negotiators predict that no agreement will be reached, and several prominent clerics are debating whether to encourage their followers to vote against the constitution. In other words, shit ain’t going so well in Iraq.
CEOs make 431 times what the average worker makes. That is up from 301-to-1 in 2003. That’s just disgusting. Bush’s Harvard economics professor remembers him: “He showed pathological lying habits and was in denial when challenged on his prejudices and biases. He would even deny saying something he just said 30 seconds ago. He was famous for that.”
Gunmen kill 8 of the Iraq president’s bodyguards.
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News Highlights
4-year Campaign to Join the WRC - A Success!
What Would Jesus Do? Probably Smite Pat Robertson…
The Campaign For the past four years, students have been in a struggle to convince the administration at FSU to join the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC). The WRC is a non-profit organizatoin that monitors factories world-wide in which university apparel is produced. They create in-depth reports and perform investigatoins when complaints are filed relating to worker right’s violations, child labor, abuse, health hazards, low wages, and other forms of discrimination, harrasment, and sweatshop working conditions. The WRC’s goal is to put an end to these inhumane practices, while working closely with the universities, factory owners, managers, and workers.
So the Reverend Pat Robertson called for the assassination of the democratically elected president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. “If he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it,” said Robertson on Monday. “It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war… We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability,” he said. “We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one strongarm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.” In response, Chavez demanded Pat Robertson, who is part of a highly influential and wealthy circle of rightwing evangelical “Christians,” be investigated for terrorism under the Patriot Act. Chavez, who is very popular among poor Venezuelans because of his extensive social programs, said he wanted to find some way to sell cheap oil to poor Americans by cutting out the huge American oil companies who are making billions in profits. Now, who seems more like Jesus to you?
Where We Stand Now This past summer, the administration agreed to join the WRC, ending the several year campaign on campus. The Yeti would like to thank President T.K. Wetherell and Vice President Mary Coburn for listening to the concerns of faculty and students. Thank you, also, Terry Coonan at the Center for Advancement of Human Rights, Val Richardson, Jim Cobb and the Faculty Senate, Louis Dilbert and the Student Senate, and to the hundreds of students who made this campaign a success!
Cindy Sheehan Returns to Crawford, Texas to Demand Answers from Bush Our hearts go out to Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier who died in the Iraq War. Cindy has been camped with hundreds of other protestors outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas for weeks. Sheehan and the angry Americans with her want to know the truth about why our sons, daughters, brother and sisters are dying in Iraq. The Bush Administration is squirming under the pressure of a simple question, “why?” Cindy Sheehan vows to follow Bush to Washington
Day of Red by thunder cunt
don’t want to get out of bed. there’s a pounding deep inside my head, don’t want to say these words, shouldn’t be said(but!) my body feels dead. out my pussy- red, red, red. _______
D.C. next month.
been reading books in bed. these words a’swirlin round my head. these words of others, and mine, they saidtoo many bodies out there, dead. (while) out my pussy comes red red red. ________
Bush’s Supreme Court Nominee, John Roberts, is a Rightwing Ideologue
He is against a woman’s right to choose, he doesn’t think citizens should be allowed to sue under the Endangered Species Act, and he hates it when uppity workers try to organize a union. In fact, Judge Roberts once upheld the arrest of a 12-year-old girl for eating a French fry in a subway. He said it would teach her a lesson. Whoa?!
now that clock propels me out of bed. need more painkillers, shove inside me head. i’ll respond to the words i (shouldn’t have) saidmy body feels like it, but ain’t yet! dead. so, i’ll celebrate my pussy, red red red.
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recently passed energy bill may lead to drilling in gulf The recently passed Bush energy bill contains many things that should worry environmentally conscious citizens. It does frighteningly little to promote the longterm strategies such as conservation and the development of alternative solutions to our energy problem. It instead subsidizes the already highly profitable oil industry (handing an estimated $85 billion of taxpayer money to the oil, coal, and natural gas industries, also giving tax cuts to some of the wealthiest corporations in the US), while opening up environmentally fragile areas to further oil drilling.
The effects of further oil drilling may hit Florida sooner than many of us realize. In one provision of the bill, the Department of the Interior has been called upon to conduct an inventory of oil and natural gas deposits in the outer continental shelf, located in the Gulf of Mexico. Currently there is a moratorium against oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, and Florida lawmakers overwhelmingly support this ban. The initial Bush energy bill included a provision that would greenlight drilling near the Florida panhandle, but this provision was removed when Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL.) threatened to filibuster the energy bill if this provision was included. Florida’s other Senator, Mel Martinez (R) also opposes drilling in Florida’s waters, and should be praised for breaking with the Republican Party in an attempt to protect Florida’s vital ecosystem. Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico endangers the ecosystem of the Gulf, the US’ ability to conduct Navy and Air Force training operations in the region, and also could endanger the multi-billion dollar Florida tourism industry. While the moratorium against drilling in the Gulf stands currently, the exploration provision of the energy bill places the safety and future of the Gulf of Mexico in a dangerous limbo. • by Ryan Brody
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In the spring of 2004, the newest edition to Florida State’s University Center was completed. In both the planning and construction phases, it was billed as FSU’s “New Communications Building.” At its completion, the building appeared very much like the picture released with the Spring 2004 Registration Guide General Bulletin. Gradually, however, in the months that followed, any sign that this was in fact meant to be the new Communications facility, or an academic building of any kind, began to disappear. Signs were removed, it was given a new name, and the athletic department officially took over; the elevator registration is the only official document where the building remains listed as a “Communication” building. It was not surprising, since “the new building was designed primarily with the student-athlete in mind and is the centerpiece of Athletics’ Facilities Master Plan,” according to the Florida State Times. The Coyle E. Moore Athletic Center, as it is now known, houses a sports museum, the sports medicine program, a state of the art weight training facility for athletes only, a three story atrium showcasing giants sports posters, a cafeteria, and the accounting and financing departments for sports programs. Of the Bowden statue with more than 163,000 square Sprint headset feet available, the center allocates less than 10,000 to the media production wing of the Communication department. Most of this space is occupied by the Department of Athletics and Seminole Productions, an auxiliary of the College of Communication, which produces programs exclusively for athletics, such as coaches’ videos and shows, and highlight shows. “We’re delighted to be part of that building,” said John Mayo, dean of Communication. Since the college still lacks resources, most of the college’s advanced production courses are taught at WFSU, the local PBS affiliate. While the new facilities provided by the Moore Center will certainly enhance the program, their emphasis on sports programming forces students within the program to essentially work for Seminole Productions for free, even if they have no plans to pursue a career in this field. Lugging heavy equipment around and wasting countless hours watching a meaningless sporting event are great experience if you want to work for ESPN, but it seems doubtful many students apply to the program to learn how to become lackeys for a media conglomerate.
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According to a source inside the university, the $33.4 million building was constructed from funds collected by the FSU Connect Campaign. The Major Gifts Trust Fund, a program designated by Florida Legislature to match privately raised funds for public universities looking to enhance their academic programs, supplied more than $12 million to the project. Since enhancing athletics programs does not qualify for state matched funding, pursuing the project under the guise of a new academic building was an easy way to sidestep the rules until construction was complete. The Florida State Facilities Planning and Construction department holds no available records of any new athletics building; a recently completed Communications building is listed, however. The building has now taken on the appearance of what can only be described as a shrine dedicated to FSU football coach Bobby Bowden. During last year’s FSU/Florida game, the school dedicated the playing field to him, as well as a threestory stained-glass window. The 30-by-20-foot window was installed over the front entrance of the Athletic Center, and is among the five largest stained glass windows in America. Since neither of these is enough to memorialize an old man who is contractually obligated to wear Nike and drink CocaCola, a 9 foot bronze statue of his likeness was constructed below the 8,500 piece window. Bowden proudly points his finger toward the football team’s fleet of luxury automobiles while donning large Sprint and Nike Swoosh logos. With rapidly increasing tuition and sub par faculty funding, it is ludicrous that the athletics program, which generates $40 million a year in revenue on top of countless corporate sponsorship deals, would take advantage of an extremely limited fund designed to enhance academics. That deceit like this is happening on such a blatant level is almost as offensive as having to take classes in a building that is essentially the church of Bowden, constantly occupied by athletes and errand Bowden statue in Nikes boys obsessed with a sport that long ago traded in its innocence for a business suit and an endorsement deal. •
Heritage Grove: How the University Spent $4 Million of Your Tuition Dollars on a New Frat Row... In order to justify spending $4 million dollars in University funds on a brand spankin’ new “fraternity row,” the Administration has to pretend that Heritage Grove is “open to all students.” But let’s be honest, it’s pretty obvious who’s meant to live there. All of the ‘official’ descriptions of Heritage Grove go something like this, ‘A student housing project designed for members of the Greek community, and the rest of the student body.’ Perhaps most obvious was FSU President TK Wetherell’s 2003 State of the University Address. “For our fraternities, a new home at Heritage Grove is becoming a reality. We have broken ground on the property on Ocala Road and hope to house at least 13 fraternities in their own houses,” he said with a smile. How come only the Greek kids get a brand new nonprofit apartment complex with cheap rents? For college kids trying to manage the ballooning cost of a college education, rent is a huge and ever growing expense. Hell, we don’t even get free printing in the computer labs anymore! The Administration says they can’t afford the expense, yet somehow they were able to cough up $4 million for the frats... (cont. next pg) 5
A Typical Response from the Administration: Reporter: Why did Florida State spend $4-million dollars to finance the new 37-acre “frat row” called Heritage Grove? University: Heritage Grove is open to all students. Reporter: Have you seen this picture before? University: Yes, it’s an architectural sketch of the Heritage Grove property. Reporter: Did you notice the Greek lettering on top of all the apartment buildings? University: well, um (clears his throat)..... Heritage Grove is open to all students.
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(cont. from pg 5) How did this happen, you ask. FSU owned the Ocala Road property for a number of years before deciding what to do with it. Several ideas were batted around, including the construction of an “international village,” where international students and foreign language students could immerse themselves in the cultures of the world. But when a group of well-connected fraternity alumni said they wanted the site to be used “to help out the frats,” the University handed it over.
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So the good ol’ white boy club triumphs again! The interests of FSU students are routinely dismissed because well-connected alumni stomp their feet and demand things be done their way; take the construction of the University Center for example [see Athletics Over Academics, pg 4]. FSU should be working to ensure ALL students have affordable housing, not handing over 37 acres and $4 million to “help out the frats.” So here it is folks: Florida State and Leon County used a combined $27 million in public funds to build a non-profit apartment complex for fraternities. And since the project used money from a public bond sale, they pay no taxes and got a very low interest rate. This in turn allows Heritage Grove to (theoretically at least) offer cheap rents, forever. So the kids who drive BMWs to class get the affordable housing? Something is wrong with this picture. Heritage Grove is a slap in the face to every non-Greek student out there trying to pay rent. And to add insult to injury, President Wetherell scoffed at the notion of more campus housing in a recent speech to the Capital Tiger Bay Club. ‘Think of the impact on apartment revenues across the area,’ he said. It’s comforting to know TK cares more about some absentee landlord making a profit than how badly we students are getting screwed in rent.
These are cynical times. Times when opening our nation’s forests to logging and oil drilling is called “Healthy Forests.” Times when allowing more pollutants into the air is called “Clear Skies.” Times when “a university community for all students,” consists of 13 fraternity houses. But it does not have to be this way. If good people like you and me seize the reigns of power, we can use government to protect and promote the common good (like building affordable housing for all students). So come on folks, it’s time to take the shit over! • 6
Middle East Update
and a CIA operative in Iran. According to the agent, “the CIA sent an operative to teach interrogation methods to SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police, [and] the training included instructions in torture, […] the techniques were copied from the Nazis.” We also supported a nuclear program under the Shah.
Israel / Palestine:
Ariel Sharon’s plan to withdraw civilian settlers from the Gaza Strip is proceeding. Anti-pullout protestors are engaged in daily acts of protest and civil disobedience, and have chosen to wear the color orange as a signifier of resistance to the government’s plan. Meanwhile, some peace groups are rallying behind Sharon’s plan. The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported Sunday, July 24, “scores of people launched a cross-country rally” to argue that “Leaving Gaza” would be “Returning to Zionism.”
This all is worth mentioning because it shows the hypocritical way we differentiate the standards applied to allies as opposed to foes. Right now, our support for Israel’s monopoly on nuclear weapons in the Middle East betrays this same hypocrisy. If we are for nuclear nonproliferation, it must be across the board.
In actuality, as was admitted by Dov Weisglass, one of the planners of the pullout, the “plan makes it possible for Israel to park conveniently in an interim situation that distances us as far as possible from political pressure. It legitimizes our contention that there is no negotiating with the Palestinians,” and legitimizes large settlements in the West Bank long considered illegal. Meanwhile, the separations walls/fences that surround and bisect Palestinian towns have created a de facto situation of imprisonment for millions of Palestinians.
Iraq:
The administration continues to doublespeak about the situation in Iraq, and both major parties continue to ignore the fact that our troops are the catalyst for the ongoing uprising there. Commanders on the ground have recently switched to a policy of negotiating with certain groups of insurgents, in an attempt to drive a wedge between local ‘nationalist’ insurgents and foreign ‘terrorists’. The easiest way to differentiate between these two groups would be to withdraw our troops, at which time masses of ‘nationalist’ forces would have no more reason to fight.
Iran:
One of the major questions after the Iranian election was whether the president-elect had been involved in the 1979 hostage situation (although the vice president definitely was). While this is an important consideration, we should also examine our own past involvement in Iran if we want to question people’s credibility. On June 11 1979, the New York Times published an article, which detailed a conversation between a journalist
On July 22, 15,000 Southern Oil Company workers went on strike, closing off most oil exports from the south of Iraq, and demanding that revenues be invested in local infrastructure. Their sewage systems, electrical grids and medical services are still not up to pre-war capacity. Substantial portions of the country remain stuck in urban guerilla warfare, while Iraqi legislators are seriously considering basing their constitution on Sharia law. The Iraqis have not been liberated, but the entire Middle East has been radicalized by our shortsighted, ignorant invasion. •
The Near-East Region
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High Crimes in the Whitehouse, again...
In 2002, Ambassador Wilson was sent to Niger by the CIA to investigate claims that Iraq was trying to buy uranium (for ‘nucular’ weapons). Wilson found no evidence to support the claim. But that didn’t stop Bush from stating that “Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa,” in his 2003 State of the Union Address (only the most important speech a president makes). When Wilson questioned the Administration’s use of the faulty intelligence, Bush sent out the attack dogs. Karl Rove took revenge on Ambassador Wilson by leaking his wife’s identity as a CIA agent (a federal crime). Karl Rove committed treason and, in so doing, threatened America’s national security. But perhaps more disturbing, Rove put someone’s life in danger for political gain, and that is simply immoral. Rove must be held accountable.
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One More Lie on the Heap
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Documents released by TIME Magazine reveal that Bush’s top adviser, Karl Rove, is responsible for leaking Mrs. Plame’s identity. Karl Rove blew Mrs. Plame’s cover in order to threaten her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.
ssado ilson rW
Two years ago, President Bush promised to fire anyone in his administration found guilty of leaking the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame. Well, Mr. President, the time has come to make good on your promise.
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The Bush Administration repeatedly lied to us in order to invade Iraq. The President’s State of the Union Address is just one example. Let’s review: there were no WMDs, no connection to 9-11, no connections between Iraq and Al-Qaeda (at least not until our invasion), and no uranium from Niger. Lie, after lie, after lie. For what? Simply put, Bush and his buddies in the oil industry want more influence in the Middle East and lots of cheap oil. Now our brothers and sisters are dying. For too many kids, joining the military represents the only way out of poverty. And just like in Vietnam, poor kids are fighting the rich man’s war.
There are no good options for resolving the horrifying mess Bush et al have plunged us into. We should never have invaded Iraq in the first place. But now that we’re in this quagmire, we need to work through the United Nations to help Iraqis establish their own free country, or else the current cycle of bloodshed is sure to continue. • by Alex Joyce
What you can do:
- Sign the MoveOn.org petition to fire Karl Rove: http://www.moveonpac.org/firerove/ - March on the Whitehouse with Iraqi Vets Against the War et al: Saturday, September 24th -> contact Students United for Peace & Justice for more info: fsustudentsunitedforpeace@hotmail.com 8
The sound of someone dropping change in the market place might have been heard when 47 percent of Intermix Media was recently bought by the global media group News Corp. So what would a News Corporation owned by Rupert Murdoch and home of Fox News, 20th Century Fox Film Studios, and the Fox television network want with this website operator? This deal comes shortly after News Corp.’s announcement of an internet division to hold the company’s news, sports and entertainment sites. About three months ago, Murdoch spoke to American Society of Newspaper Editors in Washington DC, admitting News Corp. hadn’t properly engaged the online world. Now with the establishment of Fox Interactive Media and the purchase of Intermix Media, it seems he might be on his way to attempt just that.
“The thing about MySpace is that it’s a growing audience,” said Jupiter Research analyst David Card. “Its users are pretty loyal. They get a lot of time spent on their pages. And the personal information they get from users is pretty reliable because they want to meet people. One would think this information would be pretty useful to advertisers.”
“For a company with a market capitalization of over $50 billion and $6 billion in revenue last quarter to pay $580 million for the fifth most widely viewed domain, that strikes me as reasonable,” said Natexis Bleichroeder analyst Alan Gould.
This buy out leaves us wondering what kind information News Corporation is gaining, and if it will lead to the further commoditization of what is labeled as news. The thought of someone going through your MySpace profile with a fine toothed comb and working that into an equation of what word choice Fox News can use to better appeal to you is unsettling. That’s not why you listed what things about life you most enjoy, or what books you like to read, but it’s very likely how they will be used. Given the accusations against Intermix for bundling hidden spyware (settled out of court in June for $7.9 million), it’s probably only reasonable to assume business has the interests of web communities in mind. Oh well, who cares who is making advertising dollars each time you post a comment to your friend’s blog? • by Hodge
Conservatives insist Myspace is a candy store for pedophiles and hope that Mr. Murdoch will “clean it up.” The kind of reaction this would get from an online community that relies so heavily on free speech and association will not be positive. Internet companies claim they will protect the uncensored site, whatever reassurance that might offer.
Interestingly enough, this fifth most widely used domain operates about 30 websites, its most popular being the social networking website Myspace.com, a site that seems particularly appealing amongst the local college population. It’s no secret to any major corporation how much money and information lies within such blossoming online communities, nor has all this online attention gone unnoticed, as evidenced by advertisements on every page of Myspace.
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C©rporate Takeover of an Independent Movie Theatre By Sarah Stinard-Kiel This summer has been a dismal season for movies. The theatres are filled with a myriad of films lacking substance and originality. Bewitched, War of the Worlds, The Longest Yard, Herbie, Fully Loaded, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bad News Bears, and the Dukes of Hazard are just a few of summer’s stale remakes. Many disillusioned movie goers have turned to independent and alternative filmmakers. The new Todd Solondz film, Palindromes, released this summer, offers a satirical look at suburbia and conservative Christianity. Also, Hayao Miyazaki, director of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, delivered the beautiful anti-war film, Howl’s Moving Castle. While these films may not play at major theatres, Tallahassians have been able to see them at the Miracle Five Theatre. However, Eastern Federal Corporation, the previous owner of the Miracle Five just announced a buy out by the corporate giant Regal Entertainment Group (REG).
a current manager at the Miracle Five, expects to continue to work at the Miracle Five after the takeover, which should be completed in September. Black is confident the theatre programming will not change. REG has also come under scrutiny for aggressive commercialization and poor labor practices. Regal movie-goers are bombarded with “The Twenty,” which is 20 minutes of obnoxious movie and television advertisements that run prior to the movie. In the past, major unions have boycotted REG because of their unfair practices. Former Regal employee and FSU student, Erin Wilson experienced those practices firsthand. “I worked there for two years and was only given a $.60 raise,” Wilson says. When she came back to work this summer, Wilson lost her raise and started again at minimum wage. As a theatre patron and concerned consumer, I find myself in a very difficult situation. Sadly, Regal is here to stay; but as customers, we can force them to play the movies we want to see. We should send them the message that we don’t want to watch films with senseless violence, bad dialogue, or recycled ideas. Also, FSU students should take advantage of on-campus options. Student Life Cinema plays films almost every night of the week, many of them interesting, off beat, and eye-opening. Student organizations also play films and documentaries all year round on campus. And all those options are free! Let’s use our power as consumers to assure that Miracle Five continues to offer alternatives to the stale Hollywood agenda promoted by theatre giants like Regal. •
According to www.regalcinemas.com, “Regal Entertainment Group is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world” with 558 locations in 40 states. This acquisition expands their presence in the South and provides their first Tallahassee theatre. Regal is known for its huge theatres, offering mostly lousy, generic movie choices. One concern for the Miracle Five audience is whether Regal will continue to play independent films. Carter Meiselman, the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Federal Corporation, was unavailable for comment. A REG representative assured me that programming at the Miracle Five would not change. “We have resources devoted to our ‘cinema art’ films,” he said, acknowledging the college market. Sheldon Black,
Miracle 5 Theatre on Thomasville Road (850) 224-2617
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FSU Student Life Building Theatre http://www.fsu.edu/~slb/
Sex and Campus:
Personally, I love Cosmo. I see no problem with being pretty and sexy and still favoring feminism and feminist ideals. I can enjoy sex with men but not look to men (or sex) as my only source of happiness. I am “fun, fearless [and] female.” I am flirty and still a feminist. I am a Cosmo girl. Happy 40th to you, baby. • by Cassie Smith
Do Cosmo and Feminism Mix? I am a regular reader of Cosmopolitan. I won’t lie, I love its kinky sex tips, its cute boys and its whoda-thunk-it ideas and articles. September’s Cosmo recently showed up in my mailbox with an interesting little note at the top. Right next to Scarlett Jo’s lovely head it said that Cosmo was turning forty. Wow. With a global circulation of sixty million readers a month, Cosmo proves forty is indeed still fabulous and shows no sign of stopping. Inside the history of Cosmo is outlined; it is both astonishing and interesting.
Music Review Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise Illinoise is part two of Sufjan Steven’s attempt to musically chronicle every state of the union. A project like this might cause some discerning listeners to cast the very idea off as some sort of ridiculous jingoistic exercise, but the albums themselves come off more like Zinn’s “A Peoples History of the US” than something Sean Hannity might write.. Musically this is a fantastic album, with lush instrumentation that sometimes threatens to go completely over-the-top, but almost always stays within the boundaries of good taste.
Cosmo began in the sixties by Helen Gurley Brown, author of the 1962 best-selling Sex and the Single Girl (hmmm, sound familiar?), a book that openly encouraged women to embrace the sexual revolution without guilt and to not need men to be happy. It spoke for and directly to the blossoming new breed of single girls -- previously uncharted literary territory. Brown, floored by the response to the book, sought to broaden her ideas into a magazine. Revamping an old, failing Hearst publication, Cosmopolitan, in September 1965 she published the first issue, including an in-depth report on the Pill, new and un-talked about at the time. Cosmo pushed its boundaries and put female sexuality in the grocery stores and in people’s faces like never before. Brown was met by opposition not only from “prudes and conservatives,” but from “hard-core feminists” as well. Feminists disapproved of Cosmo’s “emphasis on beauty and man pleasing.” In response to this Brown describes Cosmo as a “gentler brand of feminism,” one that knows “women are just as smart and capable as men” but also knows that “the Cosmo girl LOVES men!” Another interesting Cosmo tidbit: it is often filled with discrete liberal views (echoing Brown’s original ideas and intentions). Last November, for example, there was an indepth article encouraging women, especially low income and ethnic women, to go vote. This included a small article about Bush and Kerry, with major emphasis on Bush TAKING our right to choose and about not feeling forced to vote the way mommy and daddy do (attention girlies from conservative families). In this newest issue there is a “close-up look at conservative crack-downs.” The article details the unnecessarily aggressive conservative influence being forced on us today. It touches on Florida law banning accidental (or not, I suppose) thong showings, our rights to the Pill being denied, and unavailability of sex ed and emergency contraceptives to rape victims.
The album is also impressive in it’s unabashed ambitiousness. Track three, “Come on Feel The Illinoise Pt’s 1+2” is a song that celebrates the unrivaled optimism that overcame the Midwest during the Columbian Exposition and the second industrial revolution, whilst contrasting this optimism with the somber attitude of the gilded age and the poetry of Carl Sandburg. Other aspects of the state that are touched on with surprising tact are the infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy, the film Night of the Living Dead, as well as such musically familiar topics such as love, religion, death, and the freedom of the open road. Sufjan Stevens has established himself as one of the more talented and intelligent songwriters of this decade, and wonderful albums such as this one leave this reviewer only asking one question “How long will it be until he gets to Florida?” • by Ryan Brody 11