issue 10

The SUNY Oneonta wom-en’s soccer season has come to an end after a 2-1 loss against William Smith Col-lege in the third round of the NCAA tournament. With all the ladies’ shin guards put away for the season, the Lady Red Dragons still have much to be proud of. They ended their season with an overall record of 17-5-2, which is an improvement from last sea-son’s 12-6-3 performance.Over the last four years un-

der Head Coach Liz McGrail, the Red Dragons have made four appearances in the NCAA tournament. Their success can be attributed to

superior coaching skills, vet-eran leadership and young talent, although it won’t be McGrail who’ll say that. When asked what her secret to suc-cess was, she replied, “I don’t believe there is a secret. This program was built on hard work and I am doing the best that I can to keep the success going. I preach to my players that there are two things you can always control; effort and attitude.”One young talent is fresh-

man Karly DiSimone. Start-ing 20 of the 21 regular sea-son games, Karly DiSimone faced a lot of pressure. “I was expected to play up to

not only my coach’s expecta-tions, but my teammates’ as well,” said Karly DiSimone, noting that she played a position new to her this year. “There is a lot to learn and change when starting with a new team, and that was probably my biggest obsta-cle.”McGrail expects nothing but

the best from her players. As a graduate of Oneonta, she once held the all-time scor-ing record for both men and women’s soccer. With her expertise, it is no wonder that her team has been, and con-tinues to be, successful. Senior Nha Wright ended

the 2010 season with nine goals. She was the second

The StateTimesWomen’s Soccer Ends on High Note

Kara Olney

Staff Writer

Keeping Up With The Times

Volume 87. Issue 10. December 8, 2010

T h e S t a t e T i m e sIssue 10 Dec. 8

SUNY Oneonta’s Student Newspaper

photo courtesy of Oneonta Athletics

BIG CLEATS TO FILL: Freshman Karly DiSimone plans to lead the team next year.

CampusNews


FOUR YEARS LATER: Senior Nha Wright played her last season this year, leaving as lead scorer.


MOVING ON UP: Junior Dana DiSimone currently leads the team as the top scorer.

Giving Back On-Campus Residents Help Local Children for Holidays

Brianne Galli

News Editor

For years, Salva-tion Army’s Angel Tree program has given hope to chil-dren and seniors at Christmas time who might not expect the hap-piest of holidays. Residence halls at SUNY Oneonta have aided in this effort, support-ing the program’s cause and giving back to those in need. As a Resident Ad-

visor in Matteson Hall, Savannah Sleicher, has taken part in the An-gel Tree program for the past three years. Sleicher said that the hall raises money each year for the program in order to buy gifts for the family chosen. “We raised $150 through penny wars and all of that went to

the family,” said Sleicher. “Our hall government president, Joy Segreto, donated $50 of her own money and a few other

LocalNews

photo by Brianne GalliTHE GIVING TREE: The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree, located in Oneonta’s Hannaford grocery store, still has unclaimed children’s angels.

Continued on pg. 3

Continued on pg.9

Notice AnythingDifferent?Have we caught your eye? Did you do a doubletake? Good.

We’re glad to hear it. The State Times has a new layout and we’re piloting it in this

issue. After four years of using the same format, we decided it’s time to keep up with the times and try something new.You’ll notice our new font, Museo, as well as our redesigned

section headings. Each section is now broken into sub-sections and you’ll find a sneak peek into the issue at the top of this page instead of at the bottom.

As well as breaking ground with our print edi-tion, we’ve also taken a big step in our online content.That’s right—you guessed it, we finally have a

website for The State Times! Check out www.oneontastatetimes.com for our new online ver-sion.

If you’re not a fan of us on Facebook yet, be sure you do so! We have exclusive content as well as up-to-the-day news.And if 140 character messages are your thing,

be sure to follow us on Twitter (@statetimes) for links to our content.We hope these new changes make our content

more accessible, so be sure to spread the love. After all, we’re just trying to keep up with the times.

Editor’sNote

Goodnight and Good Luck

Editor in Chief Juliette Price pens her last goodbye

pg.6

Terps Goes On TourRead the review of this semester’s Terps dance show

pg.11

Adderall As A Study ToolHave prescription drugs become an accessory to A’s?

pg.18

News

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange finds himself in trouble yet again. His website, which uncovers and reports on various sensitive government documents made another attention-grabbing release. Wikileak’s main mission is to provide the public with otherwise secret infor-mation to make informed decisions. The website accepts anonymous contribu-tions from around the world and pro-duces original essays on various political topics. Pay-

Pal recently closed the site’s ac-count after Wikileaks obtained thousands of pages of top-secret documents that detail the United States’ deal-ings with other nations. The site has also released information concerning the war in Afghanistan. It is not presently known who supplied the information in this most recent release, which has led to both criticism and support for the website. Most notably, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the release embar-rassing and awkward, but ultimately harmless. On November 28, Wikileaks released

251,287 U.S. embassy cables. This is the largest such release of information into the public domain. The cables cover a period of time from 1966 to February of this year and come from 274 separate American embassies of which 15,652 are classified. According to Wikileaks, the cables illustrate the extent to which the U.S. spies on its allies, its willingness to ignore United Nations corruption and the degree to which its ambassadors lobby for American corporations abroad, as well as a lot of name calling directed at world leaders. Much of this is already common knowledge or is already part of the public domain.

This Week in the NFL:

NFC West debate heats up

After week 13, most NFL teams are fight-ing for a playoff birth. This includes 10 teams in the NFC and 12 teams in AFC.This week, NFL analyst Howie Long talked

about the unusual playoff picture on Fox’s pre-game show, explaining how the NFC West has stirred up some controversy. Cur-rently, the St. Louis Rams lead the division with a record of 6-6, a low percentage for a leading team. The Seattle Seahawks are at 6-6 and the San Francisco 49ers are at 4-8 putting in contention to win the NFC West. Six teams in each conference are eligible

to go to the playoffs. This includes four division winners and two wild card teams from each side. With the NFC West being the weakest division in football, a 7-9 team has the potential to top the division as well as gain home field advantage for their first round game. Many believe that it is un-fair for a sub-.500 team to make it into the playoffs, beating out wildcard teams with significantly better records. This issue has been brought to top NFL officials.The big question is whether or not com-

missioner Roger Goodell should allow this to happen. The NFL cannot change its rules mid-season, but it’s something the league has discussed. The discussion consists of sub-.500 teams being awarded home field advantage, or a playoff spot in general. Long believes that these teams should be allowed a playoff birth, but the home team should be the one with a stronger season standing. The NFL is taking all of this into consideration and will continue to discuss this in the off-season.This year, fans could see the 7-9 Rams

or Seahawks beating out teams for a play-off spot such as the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers, both of which currently have 8-4 records. The thought of this does not sit well with a number of NFL fans, and the next few weeks will determine if this could be reality. Right now, 22 teams are in the hunt. The rest of the season should be intriguing.

T h e S t a t e T i m e s Issue 10

Wikileaks Founder in Hot Water

Assange defends his actions by call-ing them a vital public service. He be-lieves strongly that the people have an absolute right to information and that traditional media is not satisfying that right. Since we are a government of the people, he says that the people need to know what their government does. Wikileaks is an international organiza-

tion focused on transparent govern-ment. Much of the website’s informa-tion comes via anonymous sources, on which Wikileaks states that it places an extremely high priority. The web-site then distributes the information to

various main-stream media outlets, with its ultimate mission being to expose gov-ernment cor-ruption wher-ever it may be. Contrary to his view of his actions, many question As-sange’s mo-tives.Since this

most recent release, Wikileaks and As-sange have drawn condemnation from both sides of the political spectrum. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both criticized the release and fear damage to the reputation of the U.S. as a result of the leak. However, Clinton recently toned down her criti-cism. John McCain also voiced criticism of the release, calling it stupid. Potential 2012 presidential candidate Mike Huck-abee believes that the party that leaked the information to Assange deserves execution while Sarah Palin called the release treasonous. It bears mentioning that Assange is not and never has been a U.S. citizen. In fact, he is Australian. The exact impact of this release is

difficult to discern. While the informa-tion may be embarrassing to the U.S., it does not contain any secrets that could threaten American lives. Most reports indicate that the information is already public, while a large portion of the leaked information is inter-office gossip. Ultimately, the most interesting part of this story is how mundane it truly is.

Dec. 8

T h e S t a t e T i m e s

wMexico- Bryan Minkyu Martin, a petty officer, is being investigated under the Espionage Act for offering to sell top-secret documents to an undercover agent. This is the same act under which the source of documents released through Wikileaks is being investigated. Martin has yet to be charged, but his parents home in Mexico, NY has been searched, with specific items being taken.

Buffalo- This past weekend, motorists on I-90 between exits 50 and 55 were stranded due to heavy snowfall. The highway was closed around 3 p.m. on Dec. 2 after a lake-effect snow storm brought 19 inches to the area. The number of stranded motorists was unknown.

News AroundNew York State

Binghamton- Fire investigators have found that the fire that killed three family members in their home on Saturday morning was sparked by unattended candles. Investigators found that the home did not have smoke detectors and have ruled it as accidental.

Camden- On Dec. 7, three survivors of Pearl Harbor gathered at the American Legion to hold a ceremony in remem-berance of the tragedy that occurred 69 years ago. The survivors and attendees held a moment of silence for those that lost their lives that day and plan to continue the ceremonies annually.

Plattsburgh- Josh Bombardier, 19, was convicted on Monday of three counts of second-degree manslaughter, third-degree assault, second-degree reck-less endangerment and driving under the influence of alcohol. The crash, occurring in 2009, killed three people and seriously injured another.

Erik Braghirol

Staff WriterWorldNews

photo courtesy of tehranreview.net

SportsEthan Feldstein

Staff Writer

News

Derek Jeter is a professional baseball player. In an era in which professional athletes have begun to represent less and less the etiquette revered of a role model, he remains a class act. As opposed to many other modern athletes, you won’t see him causing trouble in a local night-club. You won’t hear about him injecting steroids into his body. You won’t see sto-ries on the news about his scandals with various women.Where will you see him? Leading the

New York Yankees to victory time and time again with his bat, glove, athleticism and, more importantly, his presence on the field.Jeter has been the captain of the Yankees

since 2003, the first player to hold such an honor since Don Mattingly retired in 1995. He is the all-time hit leader of the Yankees, passing Lou Gehrig in 2009 with 2,926 regular season hits. He has won five World Series Championships, is an 11 time all-star, five time gold glove winner and holds an impressive career batting aver-age of .317. During his 14 year career with the Yankees, there has been only one oc-casion, in the 2008 season, that they have missed the playoffs.And now the time has come to re-sign

one of the greatest Yankees of all-time.Coming off the worst year of his career,

the Yankees reportedly offered Jeter a three-year, $45 million deal, with Jeter and agent Casey Close looking for a four to five year deal, at $22 to $24 million a year. While this may sound like a ridiculous

contract request from a 36 year old short-stop that batted only .270 last year, Jeter offers more to the team than simple sta-tistics. His presence on the diamond is invaluable and the etiquette and class he brings to the Yankees sets a precedent for other players; he is their leader.When facing elimination against the

Oakland Athletics in the 2001 Divisional Series, Jeter made “Baseball Weekly’s” seventh “Most Amazing Play of All Time” to reverse the momentum of the se-ries in favor of the Yankees, a series they would ultimately win. With Jason Giambi on first base, Oakland right fielder Ter-rance Long doubled off Mike Mussina in the right-field corner. Yankees outfielder Shane Spencer fielded the ball, yet missed cut-off man Tino Martinez. As the ball rolled down the first base line and Gi-

Magazine Industry Under New Rule

The slow financial descent of print media is not a new topic of discussion. The New Yorker reported last year that, since 1990, “a quarter of all American newspaper jobs have disappeared...the dwindling number of Americans who buy and read a daily paper are spending less time with it; the average is down to less than 15 hours a month. Only 19 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 claim to look at a daily newspaper. The average age of the American newspaper reader is 55 and rising.” However, next year will mark a change in

leadership at four major American magazine companies. Hearst, Meredith, Conde’ Nast and Time Inc. are all handing off the presi-dent’s seat to someone new. The big ques-tion on everyone’s mind is: what does this mean for the future of American magazines? The future is certainly rocky, but also shows some promise. Jack Griffin, who will be taking the execu-

tive seat at Time Inc., wants to reduce adver-tising and charge a fair price for the consum-er. Over at Conde’ Nast, Robert A. Sauerberg plans on offering what he calls a “12 course content meal.” This would allow access to multiple Conde’ Nast magazines delivered by print, tablet, mobile and Internet, as well as invitations to magazine-sponsored events. Hearst and Meredith magazines seem to be

less affected by recent trends. However, one change David Carey at Hearst is looking to implement is the combination of print media with web media. Meredith magazine seems to be the least

affected. Tom Harty at Meredith does not have any dramatic plans, but instead is look-ing into expanding the company’s licensed products. Meredith’s Better Homes and Gar-dens magazine is the target for these licensed products. Harty plans on selling plants and bulbs marketed under the Better Homes and Garden name, which will be sold at chain retail locations such as Walmart. Print media is going to need radical reform.

It is clear that the executives of American magazine companies have some ideas. The success of these actions will have to be ana-lyzed in the coming year.

T h e S t a t e T i m e sIssue 10

Derek Jeter Contract Negotiation Continues

ambi rounded third, the Yankees season seemed to be dwindling away. Then, out of nowhere, Jeter came from the other side of the field to grab the ball and flip it to catcher Jorge Posada, who tagged Giambi out with no time to spare. Seeing this moment live was one of the most in-tense moments fans have ever witnessed in professional sports. Jeter had no busi-ness being anywhere near the play, yet his heads-up knowledge of the game of baseball saved the season for the Yankees.This is something you cannot put a price

on. A player like Jeter deserves every dol-lar he earns, and should not be scrutinized in the media for asking the wealthiest team in baseball for a hefty contract. Not to mention the revenue that his presence on the Yankees has accrued for the orga-nization itself through ticket sales, memo-rabilia and athletic apparel. The Yankees are by far the wealthiest

organization in Major League Baseball, and are reported to be worth $1.2 billion by Forbes Magazine. The team is valued more than the Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Florida Marlins and Pitts-burgh Pirates combined. Money is not an issue for the Yankees.This is not even to say I like the New York

Yankees. I have been a die-hard Mets fan my entire life while witnessing the Yan-kees win pennant after pennant. Then, my one glimmer of hope arrives in the 2000 World Series and who is there to crush my dreams? Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees. As a fan to the game, I should by all means hate Jeter and the team he represents. Yet, I respect the game over the endeavors of my favorite team. Jeter has been a gift to the game of baseball, and is a player that only comes along once in a lifetime.Jeter may not have the best statistics in

the game. He may not bat .300 again in his career. He may not steal 25 bases next season. But he will continue to lead the New York Yankees to victory. Jeter represents a standard that all future

New York Yankees will have to live up to, and his knowledge of the game of baseball cannot bear a price tag. Even if Jeter and the Yankees do come to an agreement, it should not have been handled this way. Derek Jeter has been the face of the Yan-kees for 14 years and he should be taken care of accordingly.If I were Jeter, after all he has done for

the organization, I would be repeating an all too familiar catch phrase to General Manager Brian Cashman: Show me the money.

Dec. 8


Matthew DeSantis

Contributing WriterMarcello Iaboni

Staff WriterBusiness Sports

angels with information on the fami-lies’ children regarding their ages and what types of items they need or want for the holidays. “We bought the kids some winter

items since they don’t usually have basic things like boots and coats,” said Sleicher, adding that most of the other items the halls buy don’t require elec-tricity since it may not always be avail-able to the families. “We also buy them

items like cleaning products and things to keep them warm like blankets and towels.” The program, founded by the Sal-

vation Army, is a national effort that allows people to “adopt” a child to pro-vide them with gifts for the holidays. Trees with available angels are found in various retail stores, and the program has recently expanded to an online version to make it accessible to those that may not have an Angel Tree in their area. People can adopt more than one an-

gel, as most residence halls at Oneonta have done. Sleicher noted that many students in the hall take part in the Angel Tree program, but there is always room for more participation. “I would encourage students to get

involved with their hall governments a little more around the holiday season,” said Sleicher. “I would urge groups on

campus to sponsor a child or family too.” The individual students don’t receive

recognition for their donations to An-gel Tree, but Sleicher does not feel this discourages participants. “Christmas isn’t about recognition

and getting gifts,” said Sleicher. “Simply knowing you’ve affected someone’s life in a positive way is what Christmas is all about, and Angel Tree really exem-plifies that.” Though students have already

dropped off their donations to Angel Tree, it’s not too late to get involved. The deadline for adopting and shop-ping for an angel is December 10, and the deadline to purchase a gift card through JCPenney for angels is De-cember 14. For more information re-garding the Salvation Army’s programs, visit www.salvationarmyusa.org.

Angel Tree Gives BackContinued from Pg. 1

photo courtesy of nyt.com

State Times State Times December 8, 2010

Cruelty to animals is a violent crime that often goes

unnoticed. A foundation that is helping furry creatures find safety is the American Society for the

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). ASPCA was the first humane

society established in North America. The not-for-profit foundation founded by Henry Bergh in 1866, was modeled after the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in the United Kingdom. It was also incorporated as a special act of the New York State legislature. Bergh pleaded for the rights of animals and had people sign his Declaration of the Rights of Animals to gain support and

Lend a Helping Hand:Spotlight on Charities

With the holiday season approaching, it’s time to give back. Take some time out during the winter break to help out a charity or foundation in their efforts to bet-

ter the lives of others. Take a look at some foundations, how they got started, their main goals and how you can be part of their mission.

One of the biggest issues the world faces today is the lack of proper

nourishment for a huge number of individuals. From citizens of third world countries to those living in the U.S., the problem faces us all. One of the many foundations fighting against world hunger is The Hunger Project.Joan Holmes founded The Hunger

Project in 1977 as a result of a debate on world hunger triggered by the first World Food Conference. From 1977 to 1989, they carried out the world’s largest public education and advocacy campaign on the issue of hunger. They also mustered international support to stop famines in Cambodia, Somalia and across the entire African continent. From there, the organization has created an approach known as Strategic Planning in Action (SPIA) implemented in 21,000 villages in Asia, Africa and Latin America, empowering people to achieve lasting improvements in health, education, nutrition and family income. The Hunger Project launched the African Woman Food Farmer Initiative in 1999 to help develop and demonstrate

With a mission to advance cures and means of prevention

for catastrophic pediatric diseases through research and treatment, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is well on its way to improving the lives of cancer patients around the world. Danny

Thomas founded St. Jude’s on February 4, 1962 in Memphis, Tenn. Thomas was an American nightclub comedian, television and film actor. After struggling as an actor for some time, Thomas knelt before a St. Jude statue in Detroit, imploring it to “help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.” He made a vow that if he ever found success, he would open a hospital dedicated to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. In the beginning stages of St.

Jude’s development, it had an annual budget of $1 million and 125 employees with a focus on pediatric cancer. St. Jude’s now has an annual budget of more than $400 million, boasting 3,400 employees and a continued focus on pediatric

attention. By 1888, 37 out of the 38 states in the union enacted anti-cruelty laws. In 1977, the ASPCA and the New York City Department of Health entered into an agreement to receive municipal funding to operate a shelter system. As a result of ASPCA efforts, animal hospitals were created in 1912 and have led to major discoveries in medicine and technology for animals.Today, they push their mission

forward by providing local and national leadership in three key areas: caring for pet parents and pets, providing positive outcomes for at-risk animals and serving victims of animal cruelty. All animal lovers

who want to help aid the protection of animals can donate money to ASPCA. It can be a one-time donation or you can become a member of the organization. You can also go out in your community to your local shelter and lend a helping hand. [NB]

cancer and its complications. It has added a focus on gene therapy, which is the insertion or removal of genes within individual cells and biological tissues to treat disease.

Its staff currently has an 80 percent cure rate for acute lymphocytic leukemia. To assist St. Jude’s in

achieving success you can donate money, buy gifts from their gift shop or send out St. Jude’s memorial and honor cards to someone

special. An effective

way to help out is the Partner in Hope program that includes a donation of $19 a month to help treat children battling cancer and conduct

research that may one day lead to a cure. You will be helping to ensure that a child receives treatment and isn’t turned away due to their family’s inability to pay. Going out and volunteering to support the local St. Jude’s in your community is one of the greatest gifts you can make. [NB]

an effective large-scale program of training for African women. In 2000, they launched an initiative that provided leadership to 75,000 elected women, building networks of support and mobilizing the media for public support. The most recent major accomplishment the organization has made was in 2009 at the G8 Summit in July, where world leaders made an unparalleled financial commitment to end world hunger. The Hunger Project developed a strategic plan to expand their scope with three priorities in mind: partnership, advocacy and impact.The mission behind this non-profit

foundation is to mobilize village clusters at the grassroots level to build self-reliance, empower women as key change agents and forge effective partnerships with local governments.The Hunger Project operates with the

help of donations, which can be given once or on a monthly basis. Better yet, you can host a Hunger Project event or volunteer as the foundation continues to grow and thrive in the fight to end world hunger. [NB]

The Hunger Project

ASPCA

Layout by Nicole BarreseArticles by Nicole Barrese

Illustrations by Aaron Hochman

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Opinion

The 4 a.m. nights. The cups of cof-fee. The endless amounts of writing, editing, rewrit-ing. More coffee. The calls to the printer promising them pages would be coming in “just a few more minutes.” Another few cups of coffee.The State Times has come to mean

more than just a newspaper to me in the past three and a half years.As a shy and slightly awkward college

freshman, I walked into the newsroom, not expecting these four walls to define the next few years of my life.The truth is that what you delicately

hold in your hands is the product of a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Not just mine, but many who came before me and many who will follow. Churning out a weekly newspaper is

not just an accomplishment each week, it’s in its own right a feat. The number of hours collectively put into the paper easily topples over into the hundreds, as each editor does their best each day to provide the best, most informative, most entertaining coverage.But it is not because of this that I have

so enjoyed working here. It is rather because over the course of dozens of is-sues and countless issues, I’ve begun to see the world for what it really is; a very big, very scary, very confusing place.Too often we attempt to frame conver-

sations of politics, religion or society as Us versus Them. WE are right because WE feel that we are. WE know what WE want because WE feel it. THEY aren’t right. THEY don’t understand. THEY aren’t as good as WE are. Republicans versus Democrats, Chris-

tians versus Muslims, Men versus Wom-en, Majorities versus Minorities, Public versus Private. We shove everyone we don’t see eye to eye with into small corners so we can feel powerful enough to tower over them and yell louder than them until our lungs hurt and we feel better about our own measly existence.The question is, at the end of the day,

does this make the world a better place? Underneath all the yelling, there’s an entire planet full of people, just like you and I, who are just trying to get by. Get-ting to work, putting dinner on the table and getting enough sleep at night is an accomplishment, so when it comes to discussing the issues closest and dear-est to our hearts, we seem to throw the civility we offer our neighbors, school teachers and baristas and hide behind our blogs and our cable news networks in order to legitimize the rage we ex-press.Shoving us-versus-them arguments

down each other’s throats has only gotten us to a darker place, where we refuse to see the humanity in those we disagree with to such an extent we lose our own humanity.How does this relate to newspapers?

Well consider this—if you choose to educate yourself by reading newspa-pers, magazines and (credible) websites, you will begin to rise above the bullshit.

T h e S t a t e T i m e s Issue 10Pg.6

Editorials Politics Social Issues Letters to the Editor

The World Ain’t Easy, Neither Is Changing It

You’ll begin to see that the couple at-tempting to raise a mosque several blocks away from Ground Zero aren’t American-hating Muslim extremists, but a pair of progressive thinkers, one of whom grew up on Long Island. You’ll begin to see that the Republicans you bash so readily are struggling just as much to make sense of the economic recession that you yourself find so con-fusing and frightening. You’ll begin to see that homosexual love is no different than heterosexual love and that by ban-ning same-sex marriage you’re denying others a right that you so enjoy.Being informed keeps us from draw-

ing imaginary lines around people and ideas that keep us from understanding each other. It bridges the gaps of under-standing we so eagerly build by assert-ing our own ideas, beliefs and values and scoffing at those unlike ours.Providing good journalism; thought-

provoking, intelligent, unaltered and uncensored journalism, aids this pro-cess.So when I tell people that I want to be

a journalist and majored in Anthropol-ogy, they cock their heads in confusion, I spare no one in explaining why. Our history, as individuals, as a people,

as a society and as a generation, is ours to write. It is ours to observe, to under-stand and to create. Without under-standing where we have come from, how can we see where we are going? Without understanding the stories of the people around us, how can we un-derstand the hectic, messy and some-times dark world we live in?But more importantly, how can we

progress if we don’t know where we are?I know that sometimes the world can

feel too big, too scary and too intimidat-ing. But I promise you that it isn’t. And to let the sheer scale of the challenge before you intimidate you is to let the status quo win.To give up in the face of darkness is to

deny yourself the right to ask for a bet-ter, brighter future. Sure, we aren’t in the pre-Civil War era of slavery, the non-existance of women’s rights and limited political participation, but we haven’t reached the promise land just yet. Gays are not allowed to openly serve in our nation’s volunteer army, we are en-gaged in two foreign conflicts with no end in sight, same sex couples are de-nied the right to marry, blatant racism still reigns free, the cleavages between rich and poor continues to grow, re-ligious extremism continues to fuel hatred for those different than us and women still haven’t shattered the glass ceiling. To make the world a better place you

need to first understand what kind of a place it is. And then comes action, then comes change.So if you want to change the world,

you’d better be informed. You’d bet-ter have researched all the facts, heard all the stories and walked a mile in the shoes of the person whom you’re criti-cisizing.I won’t take your seriously until you do.And if anyone wants to hurt me for

that, or dismiss me for that, then I say do it, do it you motherfuckers, finally, finally, finally.Finally.

Dec. 8

Juliette PriceEditor-in-Chief

The StateTimes

Since 1945

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief: Juliette Price Managing Editor: Katrina Steier News Editor: Ari Saati and Bri

Galli Arts Editor: Lizz Yourman Culture Editor: Emily Greenberg

and Whitney Bashaw

Centerspread Editor:Nicole Barrese Copy Editor: Sam Spokony Photography Editor:Bobby Hamilton Social Media Coordinator: Kara Olney Social Media Staff: Karina DelaineAdvertising Manager: Blake Collazo Layout Created by: Juliette Price,

Nicole Barrese, Ari Saati (2010)

Advisor: Dr. Janet Day

Editorial StaffReporters: Molly Babcock, Alexandrea Biermann, Erik Braghirol, Matthew Brandi, Michael Bonnani, Kristina Bourassa, Justin Cotton, Kelly Deegan, Kristen Dibble, Kaitlin Edwards, Court-ney Ehrenhofler, Ethan Feldstein, Katherine Finn, Alice Fonfa, Crystal Fraioli, Brittany Greco, Rick Heil, Au-gust Johnson, Catherine Johnson, Samantha Katz, Josh Krzyston, Joe Lindberg, Valessia Locke, Amanda Lowe, Christine Miller, Tara Miner, Margaret Morgan, Jean Nielson, Re-becca Speiser

Photographers: Bobby Hamilton, Ju-liette Price, Ari Saati, Emily Greenberg, Whitney Bashaw

Illustrator: Aaron Hochman

Columnists: Willis Patenaude, Kyle Hill, Brent O’Hanlon, Rick Heil, Erik Braghirol

The State Times has office hours five days a week and material is always accepted.For editorial matters, call (607) 436-2546 or

email [email protected]. For advertising information, call (607) 436-

2492 or email [email protected]. Deadline for all material is Thursday at 12 p.m.

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Editorial

Opinion

After surviving two years of President Obama, a few things are painfully clear. First, being a community organizer and African-American are not sufficient qualifications for being president. Sure, it was historical, but that’s not an ade-quate justification for electing someone who is woefully inexperienced, temper-amentally immature and precariously naïve. Second, Obama harbors a deep-seated

animus towards America, denying its exceptionalism and maliciously deni-grating the country around the world. He despises America’s success, loathes the fundamental principles the nation was founded on and deplores any citi-zen who dares to disagree. He is a race-card playing, Christian bashing “we are the world” sophist. A pseudo-intellectu-al when in truth, he is only as smart as the teleprompter he’s reading from. Third, he is a reminder that liberal

policies are a tribute to the relentless

Either Get On the Train or Out of the Way

More and more, I find myself thinking about the title of How-ard Zinn’s memoir, “You Can’t be Neutral on a Moving Train,” the moving train being a metaphor for our society and the times in which we live. Zinn dedicated much of his life to the belief that all people should take part in the world around them. It is not enough to vote every two years, especially if you have no real sense of why. Politics do not end with an election; it is something we have to engage in every day if we want real change. We also cannot expect any single leader to solve all of our problems, no matter how awesome we think they are. If we paid closer attention, we would be mad as hell, but we aren’t. Consequently, we continue to accept the status quo.Given all of this, I cannot help but feel a sense of disappoint-

ment in my generation. All too often, we rarely even think about politics during non-election years. The vast majority of political discourse on this campus is limited to the standard Republican versus Democrat talking points. Even these vapid shouting matches are better than the attitude of the average student. When I tell someone that I’m a Political Science major they usually tell me that they hate politics, but know very little about them. The other typical response is that they wish they knew more about politics. The common thread seems to be a lack of knowledge. My friends, just so you know, none of this information is secret! There are countless media outlets dedi-cated soley to politics, including three T.V. channels. Granted, they are the low-hanging fruit of political journalism. My point is that information regarding specific issues is readily available from a number of sources. Anyway, I believe that T.V. is partially to blame for our gen-

eration’s apathy. Why watch a Presidential debate when you can watch American Idol? Who cares if any of us will find jobs once we graduate? Glee is on! And wouldn’t you rather watch Jersey Shore than find out whether or not the Jersey Shore will be under 30 feet of water in forty years? If we want things to

T h e S t a t e T i m e sIssue 10 Page 7

2 Years of Obama, And Nothing to Show

power of self-denial. There is a deter-mination to lead America towards eco-nomic oblivion and citizens who refuse to assist in America’s suicide are stupid racists. The real prejudice however, is a liberal one, against facts and logic. Obama’s economic policies had been

tried before with disastrous results. Henry Morgenthau, Secretary of the Treasury under Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work.” The continued idiocy of pursuing repu-diated policies is an endemic epidemic for this White House. Does it matter to liberals if their policies work? Nope! Liberals don’t worry about the details, so in love with themselves, they will just blame everyone else for failing. There is an excess of self-admiration

among liberals as they linger in the land of make-believe. “We can change the world,” they proclaim. All we need to do is bow down, apologize and destroy every last vestige of a country that brave men fought and died for. With liberals in charge, America is a rudderless skiff made of paper trapped in a perfect storm sinking in Obama’s egocentricity which is perilously detached from reality. It is evident that voters were duped

by grandiose talk of utopias that only exist in Hollywood. The fact is, Obama

Dec. 8


Willis PatenaudeColumnist

White House With

Willis

Erik BraghirolColumnist

Erik Examines the Issues

change for the better, we must first choose information over entertainment. These shows exist not due to some massive conspiracy on the part of The Man, they are rather the product of our own narcissism, apathy and general avoidant behav-ior. How else can one explain the popularity of a show that is essentially a group of greasy meatheads doing what we all do every weekend? Information is only the beginning of meaningful change.We

must turn that knowledge into action beyond voting if any-thing is going to improve. I’m a super senior and in my time here there has only been one anti-war protest. A chapter of N.O.R.M.L. is just now forming. Most of us only collect food or clothing around the holidays. Many that do are motivated by building their resume, as opposed to true altruism. To be fair, I include myself in this section. As Gandhi said, “We must be the change we want to see in the world.” Generally, I donate to many causes and sign a lot of change.org petitions, but actual activism is time consuming. I’m sure that many of you feel the same way, but we as a generation cannot afford to make ex-cuses anymore.Regular readers of this column know that I have no great af-

fection for the baby boomers. Back in the day, they had a real chance to change the world. Instead, they threw their opportu-nity away by doing drugs to get high. Now their combination of unenlightened self-indulgence and grassroots activism ex-perience have mutated into the Tea Party. Nonetheless, we can learn something from them. Whatever they want, they seem to get it and they always have. If we follow the better aspects of their example, we too can become a legitimate political force. Remember, we are the second largest age group, after them.This means we have a considerable amount of potential power if we harness it correctly. It is now painfully obvious that the change we need is not

going to come from the president or the rest of the Democrats. The Republicans were never even in contention. If we want real and meaningful change, we have to do it ourselves. We must organize and start small. A few signs that we, as a gen-eration care more about creating a better world than getting wasted will go a long way toward our political credibility. If we all spend one day of the weekend doing either community ser-vice or protesting something, the boomers will start to respect us. What ever you do, stop listening to your parents regarding politics. Do not blindly take my advice. Seek out your own rela-tively objective sources and act on that information. If we want to be taken seriously as a generation, these are the

steps we must take. It will not be easy, it will not always be fun. You may even get in trouble, but the rewards far outweigh the costs. We have the opportunity to succeed where our parents failed. We may fall short as well, but we owe it to ourselves and to future generations to at least try. This is not about politics, it is about doing the right thing. It is time for us to stop being neutral on this moving train.

was a phony, wrapped in the illusions of a well-crafted spectacle of celeb-rity worship. He was a “rock star” bet-ter suited for American Idol than the Oval Office. But, he made legs shiver, hearts quiver and tears flow with self-indulgent speeches that never actually said anything, but they sure sounded nice. By the time the rapture ended, the American people realized they’d elected a Picasso, with policies that looked good from afar, but got ugly up close and the Tea Party revolt was on. Did the new post-partisan president listen? Nope! He cracked infantile tea bag jokes. Did the new post-racial president treat everyone equally? Nope! Whites became “bitter” racists and the Black Panthers got away with voter intimidation. All of this ex-plains the burgeoning incivility of po-litical discourse. Even though Obama has proven to be

a false prophet, a modern day Simon Magus with an exaggerated sense of self-importance, the idol worship has not subsided. He cannot cure world hunger, stop rising oceans or prevent terrorism. He really can’t do much of anything other than brag about mini-mal accomplishments while blaming everyone else for failures. Being so insulated from reality, he has developed a corrosive narcissism consumed by shallow values, hidden behind an arti-ficial persona. He won the presidency, not because he deserved it, but because of a well choreographed campaign built on Machiavellian manipulations. As 2012 looms, it will be time to ad-

mit a mistake was made and make a change.

News


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leading scorer on her team, right be-hind junior Dana DiSimone, sister to the promising rookie, who had 13 goals. Wright and her teammates were happy with how their season played out, both on and off the field.“Hosting SUNYACs was an amaz-

ing experience. Home field advantage definitely boosted our confidence,” said Wright. “I was very pleased and happy with how the team performed and how we’ve come together.”Becoming SUNYAC champions and

making it to the NCAA tournament were two main goals set by the team at the beginning of their fall season. “[Winning SUNYACs] was a nice re-

ward for all of the hard work through-

out the season,” said Karly DiSimone.When asked if there was one thing

she would have done differently in the NCAA tournament game against Wil-liam Smith, Coach McGrail was humble.“Every coach drives themselves crazy

after a loss with the ‘should of’ and the ‘could of.’ I have to give William Smith the credit; they were the better team that day.”As in all sports, team chemistry played

a key role. “Our team chemistry on and off the

field helped in our success. I’ve never been so close to a team before,” said Wright.Along with Wright, the Lady Dragons

will lose seniors Caitlin Burke and Erin Boyle next season. Boyle started all 22 season games and was named the SUNYAC tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Burke started 20 of her 21 games played and was All Conference Third Team.“We will miss them and each of their

Soccer reflects on 2010 seasonContinued from Pg. 1

Following the release of an autopsy report, Oneonta resident William A. Sprague III, 27, was freed from jail on Nov. 19. He was being held as the sole suspect in the murder of 26 year-old Sonja N. Ridge.The autopsy revealed Ridge’s cause of

death to be a ruptured brain aneurysm, which can strike at any time without warning. Sprague along with his friend, Robert

Riley, 29, were allegedly seen carrying a barely clothed and unresponsive Ridge into Riley’s River Street apartment in the early hours of Saturday Nov. 13. The three had spent the night drink-ing downtown together before Sprague and Ridge left in Ridge’s car, while Ri-ley left in a taxi.Riley cooperated with the investiga-

tion and was not a suspect in the case.“I no longer had enough evidence

to hold Mr. Sprague,” Ostego County District Attorney John Muehl said in

Autopsy Report StirsMurder Investigation

an interview with the Daily Star. “The charges are still pending. The investi-gation is continuing.”The cause of her aneurysm is still un-

disclosed. Aneurysms generally stem from a bulging of blood vessels in the brain that can come as a result of pre-existing ailments or blunt trauma to the head, as well as other causes. The Oneonta Police Department is

claiming in a felony complaint that Sprague caused the aneurysm by deliv-ering blunt force trauma to her head in an attempt to rape Ridge.“Without getting into specifics on the

new evidence....I am not in complete agreement with the district attorney decision to release Mr. Sprague,” Police Chief Joseph Redmond told the Daily Star. DNA results from the state police

crime lab as well as additional tests to follow up the autopsy report are ex-pected to be released in time for the Dec. 13 felony hearing for Sprague.Muehl is planning on presenting the

case to a grand jury regardless of the outcome in Oneonta City Court.

Ari Saati

News Editor

Local News

unique qualities they bring to the team. They have done a great job in prepar-ing this young team to take the next big step,” said McGrail.With the loss of seasoned talent, the

question remains if the team will re-main as strong.“Being a year older, I plan on being

a leader for the incoming freshmen, knowing how difficult it is to adapt to a college program. I plan to start prepar-ing much sooner and training much harder, now knowing what is in front of me,” said Karly DiSimone.“The returners know what to expect

and what needs to be done to go one step further next year,” added McGrail. Wright admitted she’ll be sad to go,

but knows that the incoming team will carry the legacy of excellence onwards.“Anything is possible if you set your

mind to it. You’ve got to want it and believe it,” said Wright.

News

Peyton Hillis; #40Sport: FootballTeam: Cleveland BrownsPosition: Running Back

In his breakout season, Peyton Hillis is doing for the Browns what Josh Cribbs did for them last year–a lot. Hopefully Hillis can stay healthy as in-juries have limited Cribbs’ production this year. Through 11 games, Hillis has 199 carries for 905 yards and 46 recep-tions for 414 yards, making the stats for his first two seasons in Denver seem like a bad dream. The best part about the Hillis story, though, is how he was traded from Denver last sea-son for quarterback Brady Quinn and a couple draft picks. Hillis turned out to be the steal of the off-season, and Quinn, well– not so much. Hillis is the shoe the Browns are wearing as the struggling team takes a step forward and is definitely a player you should know.

Steve Johnson; #13Sport: FootballTeam: Buffalo BillsPosition: Wide Receiver

You can imagine how hard it is to stand out with a name like “Steve Johnson,” but this guy is making a name for himself on one of the worst teams in the NFL. While the Bills got off to a slow start this season and continue to move at a sluggish pace, Johnson allows Bills fans to remain optimistic for next season. Since the buy week in Buffalo, Johnson has put up three games of 130 plus receiv-ing yards, including one game with 150 plus yards. His 796 total yards for this season include nine touchdowns, and if it weren’t for a dropped pass in the end zone during overtime against the Steelers, he would have 10 touch-downs, giving the Bills their third win of the season. It was after that dropped pass that Johnson really got his name out there, receiving more media at-tention for his Twitter account than his athletic ability. All tweets aside, Johnson is showing a lot of potential and is surely a name to remember.

More Sleep, Less Coffee

As the semester comes to an end and we spend hours upon hours in the library staying up late, writ-ing our final papers, preparing our final presentations and getting ready for finals week, (I’m surprised you even have time to read this column) many students like to rekindle their love for the psychoac-tive stimulant we all know by the name of caffeine. That’s right, caffeine is in fact a drug and that’s why it should be consumed in moderation. A safe amount of caffeine is anywhere

between 200 mg and 300 mg, equating to about two to four cups of coffee through-out the day. This amount will have a lim-ited affect on the body but when caffeine consumption increases to 500 mg or 600 mg, about four to seven cups of coffee, it can cause a variety of symptoms includ-ing, insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, gastrointestinal issues, quick-ened or irregular heartbeat, muscle tremors, headaches and anxiety. No one wants to experience anymore anxiety, nervousness, insomnia or irritability than finals already brings us, do we?Caffeine is not the answer to the stress

and lack of sleep we are enduring in these two weeks of the semester. You should be focusing more on ensuring that you are getting adequate sleep to prepare yourself for the hard work ahead of us. Many people don’t realize that sleep loss is cumulative. That means even a small amount of sleep for just a couple of days will start taking a toll. Now imagine what kind of effect stay-ing up until three in the morning writing a paper is going have on your ability to study for your upcoming final. Many of us will resort to coffee and lots of it, but this is not the wisest choice. Caffeine can perpetuate sleep loss when

it is used to purposefully keep you awake. When you stay up late and then use cof-fee to keep you from taking a nap on your keyboard the next day, you will likely end up having more difficulty falling asleep when you actually want to. Falling into this vicious cycle is a horrible way to end the semester. So how do you break out of it and avoid

this trap? Manage your time wisely. It’s the end of the semester and I’m sure there are quite a few of you who would like to hit me for that statement, but it’s true. Even if you feel you are already playing catch-up, don’t waste what little time there is left and start studying now so you don’t have to pull all-nighters. If you are already well into the caf-feine-sleep deprivation cycle, I have some ideas to help. First, pick a bed time and don’t drink any caffeine eight hours before that time. It takes a while for the effects of caf-feine to wear off. This will also help you stay awake in the day and fall asleep at night. Don’t forget this includes tea, iced tea and soda. Keep track of how many caffeinated beverages you are consuming and try to drink one less each day until you are down to a healthier amount of two to four. An-other trick is to switch to tea. Most tea has less caffeine than coffee. For even less caf-feine take the tea bag out sooner. It is im-portant to check out the over-the-counter pain relievers you are using. Some of them contain up to 130 mg of caffeine.I hope this helps everyone sleep well and

study hard in our remaining week of the semester.


Players You Should Know

Russell West-brook; #0Sport: BasketballTeam: Okla-homa City ThunderPosition: Point Guard

Coming off a gold medal performance at the FIBA World Cham-pionship in Turkey, Russell Westbrook is making the case that he can play for the U.S. in a tourna-ment people actually care about. What’s great about Westbrook is that he’s co-starring on a team with bonafide superstar Kevin Durant, his FIBA World teammate and tour-nament MVP. While the popular-ity of Durant seems to overshadow the rest of his team, the potential for Westbrook is definitely there as he was the fourth overall pick three years ago in the NBA draft. West-brook got the chance to showcase his talents to college sportswriters nationwide when an injury benched the “Durantula” for four games. Westbrook was a key factor in beat-ing three out of the four teams: the New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics. Averaging the sixth most assists per game in the league right now with 8.5, West-brook’s seventh in the league in scoring with 24.4 points per game. If that’s not enough, Westbrook is awesome to watch. Despite his size (6’2”), this guy is not afraid to dunk on anyone. He’s just as important to his team as the player that fans ex-pect to be the MVP this season. Keep Westbrook in mind, I guarantee that he and Durant will go on to accom-plish great things for the Thunder.

Blake Grif-fin; #32Sport:BasketballTeam: Los Angeles ClippersPosition: Power Forward

And now we come to the reason I wrote this article. When-ever I talk about Blake Griffin I end up sounding like a tween girl with Bieber Fever. In his rookie season, Griffin is averaging over 20 points and 11 rebounds per game. But stats don’t do it for Grif-fin. To really appreciate the pure awesomeness of this guy you have to watch him play; in fact, do your-self a favor and search, “Blake Grif-fin dunks.” Griffin also has an older brother, Taylor, who was drafted but was cut after last season and now plays basketball in Europe. Grif-fin’s explosiveness gives a reason to watch L.A.’s “other” basketball team despite the lack of winning the team seems to do. Hopefully, Griffin will stay healthy for many years to come and “do it dirty” every step of the way.

Dec. 8


David Goodman

Contributing Writer

Kyle Hill

Columnist

SportsHealth

photo courtesy of vancou-verbasketball.ca

photo courtesy of zimbo.com

photo courtesy of hoopsordie.com

photo courtesy of broncotalk.net

ArtsThe Terps World Tour 2010 wel-

comed the audience with lights up and music playing. The house was packed, which was no surprise, due to the dance company’s outstanding reputation. The show opened with a funny video, introducing the execu-tive board as a band. The second and third video also depicted the execu-tive board in the same way and while it offered entertainment, the theme was a little fuzzy.It was not until the fourth act that

the hosts, Wallace and Isogee, took the stage. They cleared up the the-matic confusion, explained that the executive board members were playing a famous band that was on their world tour and that each dance was a different stop on the tour. The hosts had good chemistry, but it was Wallace that stole the spotlight. He seemed to belong on stage and was fully expressive. While Isogee was funny, more commitment would have sold the act considerably.

The showcase covered every dance category. Ballet, modern, tap and hip-hop were the genres that stood out to the untrained eye. Each dance left the audience feeling some type of emotion whether they wanted to bust a move to Missy Elliot’s “Pass That Dutch” during “Missy Elliot Mega Mix,” reminisce on some child-hood memories with the “Throwback Dance” or shed a tear for a soldier during “United We Stand.” The au-dience was engaged and enjoying every minute of the performances.The focus of the show was clearly

the dancers. The use of props was minimal, fake knives during “West Side Story: Our Way” and a ladder during “Endangered Species” were the only things I can recall. The cos-tumes were simple, mostly different colors and a few button ups, but they matched the themes of the songs well and also added a playful element to the stage. The backdrop alter-nated between colors, which added intensity when it was pulsating with red during “Crawl,” and added ac-tion during “I’ll Be Your Commander” with flashing lights, strobe lights and a disco ball.The audience was lively but re-

spectful, clapping along during “Free Fallin’,” sung by Hooked on Tonics,


Music Theater Movies Television Dance Visual Art

Terps World Tour Rocks Goodrich

after the dancers introduced the beat during the choreography and they clapped to the “Friends” theme song during the video introducing the Throwback Dance. The choice of music was perfect.

While some songs like “Crawl,” “Bri-elle” and the songs from the West Side Story soundtrack told a story, others like “Party Like a Rockstar,” “Drop it Low” and “Dynamite” made the college crowd want to dance. Songs such as “It’s Raining Men,” “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Smooth Criminal”spoke to the older generation, which was a nice touch considering the amount of families in the audience.Someone may have worried when they heard the beats to Christina Aguilera’s “Dirty” and Sir Mix A Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” but choreographer Sara Riegger kept it classy and suitable.Ten dances were performed during

Act I. Out of these ten, “Missy Elliot Mega Mix,” “It’s Raining Men” and “Throwback Dance” stood out. These dances contained the most energy, playfulness and use of the stage. The slightly confusing “West Side Story: Our Way,” transitioned from separate girls and boy dances, to a fighting scene, to partner dances. It is a great concept, as “West Side Story” is a classic movie, but the chaotic rythem

made it hard to follow.A total of

seven acts were per-formed dur-ing Act II. “Candyland” opened the act with a tap-dancing bang, pro-ducing a great rhythm, featuring cute cos-

tumes and high energy, which the crowd really enjoyed. Right after “Candyland,” another dance that stood out was “United We Stand.” The video introduced the dance with a heartfelt message from a sol-dier overseas and was followed by pictures of some dancers with their fathers, brothers or boyfriends who have fought or are fighting over-seas. It made the whole audience teary-eyed. The song was touch-ing and the choice of real uniforms worn by the men being contrasted by the white flowing dresses of the women was genius, forming an un-

Dec. 8

Crystal Fraioli

Staff Writer

derlying theme of innocence being taken away. These dancers showed the most emotion out of any dance in the show. “Rock and Roll Divas” truly engaged the audience due to the music choice and cute rock ‘n roll outfits. The dance included great formations and had major attitude. “The Final Stop” video was a bit

confusing. It was hard to tell if it was the devil driving the train or a red dragon, but the dance that followed was a strong way to end the show. The executive board combined each dance style performed and summed up the show perfectly.There were a few difficulties dur-

ing the show. In some of the dances the timing was off for a short period of time, but it was fixed quickly. Some-times, it was hard to tell what sec-tions were rippled and what sec-tions were just off cue. It seemed some danc-ers were more com-mitted than others and it would have been nice to see more emotion and attitude through facial expressions. The hosts were consistently puzzling; dur-ing the second act Wallace returned with a low volume microphone and a different male host, whose name was never announced. The two men seemed more natural together, which made the act funnier, but the hosts are not even mentioned in the pro-gram. Overall, the show was a success. It

was apparent to the whole audience that the executive board choreogra-phers and dancers were all commit-ted to this production. They thought about everything from the moves, to the costumes, to the music, to the lights. Bringing Hooked on Tonics to sing was a great touch, as it was nice to see two campus organizations symbiotically to create something beautiful. With impressive perfor-mances, first time Terps attendees are sure to attend each semester to witness the talent of the choreogra-phers and dancers.

Dance

photographs by Lizz Yourman

Arts

As some may recall, Wednesday, November 17 was a cold, rainy night in Oneonta. This did not stop fans of Third Eye Blind though, as many gathered in Hartwick College’s Lam-bros Arena to hear the sounds of their beloved band. The opening act for the show was

The Uprising, who has joined Third Eye Blind’s current tour. The band played a half hour set and succeeded in preparing the audience for the show to come. While it appeared that many fans were unfamiliar with the band and their music, The Uprising did their best to remedy this by cov-ering the well-known tune, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” By the time the band finished, the Lambros Arena had begun to fill with fans from all over.After a 15 minute setup, Third Eye

Blind took the stage amid cheers and chants from the crowd. As soon as lead singer Stephen Jenkins stepped up to the mic, the band launched into “Losing a Whole Year,” starting the show on a high note. Though the sound seemed to be a little off at first, making it somewhat difficult to un-derstand Jenkins, the band continued

on into “Can You Take Me,” which was in-troduced by a long instru-mental interlude. The band

kept the upbeat tempo go-ing with “Gradu-ate,”

which was well received by audience members. As Jenkins danced along to the song, audience members sang with him. Once he got more into the songs, Jenkins shed his black jacket and prepared to take the beat down a notch for, a special acoustic rendition of “Crystal Baller,” as Jenkins sat on stage with his guitar. After a few vers-es, the band jumped in once again to complete the song, picking the pace back up.The next song started off with a

long guitar solo from guitarist Kryz Reid, which eventually turned into the popular hit, “Never Let You Go.” It was after this song that Jenkins be-gan to converse with audience mem-bers more, asking them “How you be doin’?” After this, the band launched into “Wounded,” a much mellower song compared to the previous ones of the night. Here he also brought out his famous top hat, something true Third Eye Blind fans recognized and appreciated.One of the best songs of the night,

however, may have been the band’s rendition of the crowd favorite, “Mo-torcycle Drive By.” It was here that the lights were used to aid the show and to get the crowd going. Despite playing an acoustic version, Jenkins utilized the energy within the arena

COMM207 Creates Holiday Hope

On December 1, Hunt Union Ball-room was filled with music and hope when the Communicating Through Public Relations class put on the event “Hope for the Holidays.” Proceeds from the event went to two different chari-ties—Cash for Connor, which sup-ports a 6 year-old boy who was the victim of a car accident and now has limited responsiveness and mobility, and Opportunities for Otsego, a local organization that works to bring pro-grams and opportunities to the under-privileged. By the end of the night, the event had raised $573 for both chari-ties. Throughout the evening there were

musical performances by Hooked on Tonics, the campus co-ed a capella group and local band Kris Cambria and the Homecoming Kings. Both bands volunteered to perform, playing a variety of songs. Hooked on Tonics opened the eve-

ning with songs including “Two Weeks,” “Helplessly Hoping” and “Un-der the Bridge.” Then, Kris Cambria and the Homecoming Kings per-formed a mix of covers, including “Ocean Avenue” and “Misery Business,” as well as original songs like “The Bottom and Tragedies and Dreams.” Hooked on Tonics closed out the night with a medley of Christmas songs to get everyone into the holiday spirit. The evening was a culmination of

everything that the public relations class had been working toward since September, said class member Nicole Barrese. The entire class put together every aspect of the event, from getting donations for raffle prizes to contact-ing the charities to find out if they would like to participate and finding performers to volunteer their time. “For us, the big goal was to put public

relations in action and see some tan-gible good for Connor and for Oppor-tunities for Otsego,” said Dawn Sohns, the professor of the public relations classThe event certainly raised awareness

as well as funds. Class member Scott Schleiff summed it up by saying “Our class worked hard. It paid off and we had a great time.”

T h e S t a t e T i m e s Issue 10Page 12

Don’t Believe a Word: Third Eye Blind Rocked

as he got the crowd to sing along with him. At one point, as he sang the words “I’ve never been so alive,” the lights lifted in the house, showing the entire audiance. The rest of the night consisted of

songs such as “Water Landing,” “Don’t Believe a Word,” and finally, the be-loved “Semi-Charmed Life.” It was here that the audience really showed its appreciation of the band, as almost everyone could not help but sing along to the words they knew so well. The fact that the band also mixed in “Ride With Me” by Nelly also seemed to boost audience member’s enthusi-asm. Before the final song of the show,

Jenkins screamed “This is the best f*cking band I’ve played with in my life!” He then played another acoustic song, a soft version of “Slow Motion.” After leaving the stage for a bit, the

band returned amidst many chants from the crowd for an encore perfor-mance. The encore featured a new song from the band, one which had a beat and was loved by the fans. While it was hard to hear the vocals in the song, it did seem to have the typical feel of a Third Eye Blind song. After the new song, “Jumper” was

next and it literally got the crowd jumping in the arena. Once the song concluded, Jenkins introduced the rest of the band and then launched into “Monotov’s Private Opera,” dur-ing which Jenkins told everyone to “dance with your hands up.” The house lights were shut off and Jen-kins used glow sticks to conduct the band, eventually throwing them into the audience. The band promised one more song,

and played “God of Wine,” which end-ed the evening on a subdued note. As the band left the stage, Jenkins an-nounced that fans should expect a new album next spring. One thing to be said about most of

the fans in the audience was how courteous they appeared. Many of them were kind enough to ask those around them if they had any prob-lems seeing the stage. If one was at loss for a song title, they were willing to chime in right away. With this in mind, it would appear that Third Eye Blind has the ability to unite fans.

Dec. 8


Katherine Finn

Staff Writer

Courtney Ehrenhofler

Staff Writer

Music

Music

photographs by Lizz Yourman

photographs by Courtney Ehrenhofler

Arts

These days, a popular thing for young artists to do is to attempt to start a musical revolution. “I’m original! Watch me subvert

authority with my fresh jams!”With this in mind, it’s safe to say

that debut albums of any genre are sometimes bogged down with self-conscious or overly philosophical sensibilities, which often turn out to be musically incomplete or poorly recycled. Maybe it was all the sweet, fresh air in upstate New York, but when Arleigh Kincheloe decided to start writing songs, she didn’t have that problem. With a debut that was recorded in one

night, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds create a modern-day wall of sound that wouldn’t seem out of place on a 60s or 70s soul/funk vinyl. It’s dominated by Kincheloe’s genuine vocal intensity and a rhythm section that manages to stay firmly in the pocket while giving the 12 tunes a sense of motion, dance-ability and grittiness that allows them to shine both within and without that “old-school” idiom. An airtight horn section thickens out

every track, bouncing off Kincheloe’s phrases with responses that add support, not tackiness, and work well against the wails of her brother Jackson’s harmonica. The sheer size and strength of this band can turn a simple form into a bluesy orchestration: a fat, choral body swelling and falling around the beating heart of a 22 year-old girl. The most interesting thing that

Kincheloe brings to this recording, other than hot air, is her lyrical sense. She sings some raucous blues, but it doesn’t stop her from sharing some natural vulnerability along the way. Aided by a mournful horn pulse, she

communicates a real sense of loss through “Eddy” as she sings: “Well I woke up one morning with my makeup still on/I looked to my left and my man was gone/With no memory of the past night unfolding/I knew at last it wasn’t me he was holding on to.” Even at her most tender moments,

Kincheloe shows a sense of humor, as she adds in the chorus of “Just My Eyes,” “my feelings don’t get compromised/I guess I’ll go to the optometrist/and get a look inside/Oh because it ain’t me crying baby.”This is a band that understands what

works, one that knows how to put together wildly expressive tunes that still make real, relatable sense. Kincheloe and her birds aren’t stretching any musical boundaries, but who says that they have to? Sister Sparrow is music for music, and these days, that’s what really counts.Writer Sam Spokony (SS) had the

chance to sit down with Arleigh Kincheloe (AK), of Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds (SSDB) and discuss her age, influence and sound.SS: This is a nine-piece band that’s

one-third Kincheloe. What was the musical life at home like when you were kids? Did all those sibling dinner table fights end up having a sweet, dominant to tonic resolution? AK: My biggest issue was always

“there’s no singing at the dinner table.” The one rule I flagrantly disobeyed. Don’t play awesome music during dinner if you don’t want us to sing! I suppose that only lasted a few years. Our parents are the reason why we’re


Dirty Birds Flock to Oneonta

musicians. And really, music was never forced or discouraged. We were exposed to brilliant musicians and their work everyday, so we were naturally attracted to the art. And the fights...well, let’s just say we chose our weapons carefully. My drumstick battle-axe against your cowbell shield. Aggressive jamboree. Always encouraged. SS: At 22, you seem to have a pretty

good idea of how you want to present yourself vocally. What was the mix of training, exposure to past performers and other motivating influences that gave you a sense of what kind of sound you wanted to grow into?

AK: Actually I’ve just recently (three weeks ago) begun my first formal training. So I’ve been going from my gut all these years. My mom has been my biggest influence. Between her own style and the singers she loved listening to (Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, Sam Cooke, among others), I extracted my sound. Of course I gravitated towards the soul/blues end of the spectrum, but not entirely consciously. How calculated can an 11 year old get? I just opened up, and something came out. SS: As a vocalist, what kind of

dynamics do leading such a big band create for you? How does having so many other tonal voices around you affect the way you write and perform with SSDB? Is this your favorite setting in which to sing, or have you worked with smaller groups as well?AK: The Dirty Birds are my nest, my

perch. They simultaneously protect and project me sonically. It happens very naturally—the balance of voices is seldom a problem. When I inhale, they exhale. I always envisioned a big band, but never anticipated it would be so easy. So, yeah! This is my favorite setting possible. I’ve worked with smaller groups, as well as solo. Couldn’t get my rocks off that way. And now there’s no going back. No way.SS: The audio production and physical

layout of your album booklet/case are both fantastic. Describe your relationship with Modern Vintage Recordings (MVR). Was it your first experience with a record label?AK: Recording was easy. We recorded

these 12 tracks in one night at Avatar Studios here in the city [SSDB is based in Brooklyn]. Boom. But this album

Dec. 8


Sam Spokony

Staff Writer

went through a few different stages of mixing. We pressed a promo version a few months back that we all agreed needed tweaking. To get it ready for the official release, we spent hours in the studio together. At that point we knew exactly how we wanted each track to sound, and the MVR guys were very responsive and patient with us. The booklet process was relatively painfree—we have great photographer friends who were champions during that time. The band had most of the creative control over the artwork. But yes, this is our first label experience. We’re all learning together and have come a long way. Our relationship is great, we’re in constant communication and that’s the benefit of working with a smaller label.SS: So much of what SSDB is doing

on this album seems to recall the bass and rhythm—heavy sound that dominated the development of soul, funk and R&B, which includes using the blues as a staple of its framework. How do you give the blues, in a world of political correctness and digital interconnectedness, the same meaning or power that it did half a century ago?AK: It’s the blues, man. I don’t care if

you’re a mechanical chicken—you can still feel the blues. All pop music stems from it, right? So what we’re doing leans into it pretty strongly because, to me, it’s the purest and most effective way to express what I need to express. Simply put. People are going to get it because we’re feeling it.SS: You’re a Robert Heinlein “(Stranger

In a Strange Land)” fan. For me, it’s tough to do a whole lot better than that for a first impression. Do your influences as a singer and songwriter stretch beyond the musical world into that of crazy authors like Heinlein, artistic figures of other media or everyday people and relationships?AK: Of course. I could be considered

a “crazy author” myself: just listen to “Baby From Space” [on SSDB’s self-titled debut]…ha. But yeah, I’m a sponge. I’m taking in everything I can and spitting it back out with a Sparrow hue. I’m equally inspired by Aretha Franklin, the work of Peter Beard and the noisy school kids on the subway.SS: You’re originally from Halcotsville

and, as Arien, your PR and Marketing Director, told me, the show on December 11, at the Oneonta Theater is somewhat of a homecoming for you. After immersing yourself in city life, what’s changed about the girl from upstate? What have you gained, and what have you never lost?AK: Don’t be fooled by the birds that

I’ve got, because I can still climb a tree and hop an electric fence with the best of ‘em. I’ve gained an even deeper appreciation for that world now, being so removed from the cow pasture here in Brooklyn. Not much has changed about me, though I am now really good at dancing all night in a pair of heels, while wrangling a certain group of rowdy musicians…that’s what New York City has taught me. The one thing I’ve never lost here in the city...hmm. My brother? My appetite? Yeah. I’m gonna go get a sandwich.

MusicSister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds(self-titled)November 23, 2010Modern Vintage Recordings

Arleigh Kincheloe—VocalsJackson Kincheloe—HarmonicaBram Kincheloe—DrumsAidan Carroll—BassSasha Brown—GuitarRyan Snow—TromboneJJ Byars—Alto SaxJohnny Butler—Baritone SaxCole Kamen-Green—Trumpet

photo courtesy of Amazon.com

photo courtesy of sister-sparrow.com

Arts

It was a night of music, delicious food and fascinating dances. It was Next Stop Africa, an event hosted by the International Students Organiza-tion (ISO), held on Friday night, De-cember 4, in the Hunt Union Ballroom.Everyone who went found that there

were many things to do, see and eat. There was face and hand paint-ing—exotic animal prints were just a few of the designs people were sport-ing on their hands, arms and faces. A slide show of many African countries played on a screen, which provided a visual delight. Tables were set up with animal print balloons tied to the chairs and party favors such as toy animals and binoculars set around. African music played loudly in the back-ground. One of the first acts was the African

drummers and stilt walkers. These performers really let people feel what Africa was all about. Not only was there a singing and dancing act by SUNY Oneonta students, but a poetry reading about Africa as well. The en-

It Begins Again for the Black Eyed Peas

Having a good time is exactly what the Black Eyed Peas want people to be do-ing while listening to their latest album, “The Beginning.” The lead single “The Time (Dirty Bit)” definitely epitomizes that feeling. The follow-up to 2009’s double platinum “The E.N.D.” takes the once under-

ground hip-hop band even further into the exploration of Techno Dance and Electronic music. Hip-hop peabodies will definitely feel neglected as the Peas take on singing duties and heavier use of voice alteration software instead of spitting raw, catchy verses. Without trying to recreate the success that defined “I Gotta Feeling,” David Guetta rejoins the dance train on “The Best One Yet (The Boy).” The standout track is reminiscent of what was loved about the Guetta collaborations from “The E.N.D.”Despite “The Beginning’s” lyrical con-

tent, or lack there of, the Peas manage to make silly nonsensical phrases mem-orable throughout the album. “Do It Like This” is a perfect example in which Will.i.am finds himself rapping, “Girls al-ways talk about I ain’t no groupie/I ain’t stupie/I know what the truth be,” on the album’s most hip-hop influenced cut.Vocally “The Beginning” changes the group.

Apl.de.ap’s voice manages to be heard more prominently on this album. Pos-sibly as a result, there is obviously less of defining member Fergie, and an un-necessary amount of Will.i.am vocals featured throughout “The Beginning.” Taboo’s vocals are either not featured much or highly processed to the point-where one could easily confuse them with Will’s.By then end of “The Beginning,” it’s

clear that the Black Eyed Peas wanted to create a sequential album full of nonstop dance tunes that could sur-prise listeners if not looking at the track number. “The Beginning” shows it’s not the end, but only the beginning of the Peas transformation into the future of Pop music. The bold group, unafraid of losing core fans, is content with em-bracing the electronic music trends and taking the creativity to future mindsets. Let’s just hope this journey doesn’t allow the Black Eyed Peas to abandon their awkward likeableness that the commer-cially successful group has exploited so well during the past decade.

T h e S t a t e T i m e s Issue 10Page 14

Next Stop Africatertainment let everyone get a feel for other cultures that were fun and inter-esting.Then there was African food. Dishes

such as mandazas (donut-like sweet treats); kachumbari (a spicy vegetable dish), chapatis (deep-fried flat bread) and beef curry were served. All the dishes were delicious.When asked why the ISO chose Af-

rica as the continent of focus for their festival, president Fan Chao Chan said that they had several different con-tinents in mind but they stuck with Africa because they found the perfect performers. Chan also mentioned that ISO’s exec-

utive board had cooked all of the Afri-can themed food from Sodexo-provid-ed products. This is why the event was a little later than planned. The ISO’s purpose is “to promote

diversity on campus,” which was, of course, one of the purposes of events like Next Stop Africa. She also men-tioned that the group held coffee hour every Friday at 4 p.m. in the CME/Lee Hall for anyone interested.Overall, Next Stop Africa was a fun

and informative event for everyone who attended.

Dec. 8


Tara Miner

Staff Writer

Keenan Gordon

Staff Writer

Dance

Music

The Battle

WONYSTOCK

photographs by Amy Gingold & Lizz Yourman

SWORD OF TRUTH SLAYS THEIR COMPETITION: WONY, SUNY Oneonta’s on campus radio station, held a battle of the bands. Sword of Truth, top left, took home the first prize also shown Counter clockwise: Eyes of the Colosseum, The Rhodes, Krisco Fist and Kris Cambria & the Homecoming Kings who won second place.

photographs by Amy Gingold

AUTUMN IN THE WINTER: WONY took over the Autumn Cafe on Friday, December 3. Kris Cam-bria & the Homecoming Kings, Kakiat Park and Samurai Pizza Cats kept the crowd pouring into the cafe, packing them in on the cold night.

photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Culture

Jennifer wakes up early on Tuesday morning so she can study for her final on Wednesday. She gathers her books and trudges through the thick Oneonta snow to the Milne Library. After a quick stop in Jazzman’s, she’s loaded with everything she needs to cram and ace a difficult final—notes, textbooks, coffee, a bit of Wikipedia and three small blue and white capsules marked “15 MG” on one side. Jennifer has joined a growing trend—according to a study at the University of Wisconsin, pupils are increasingly turning to the “study drug” to increase their ability to focus while preparing for exams.Adderall, a combination of several

amphetamines, has been marketed and

Party at the Oak

Food. Fermentation. Frivolity. Slammin’ Doris and the Mothers of

IntentionFriday, December 10, 2010 9:30 p.m.The Black Oak Tavern$5 includes Cosmo’s food and Omm-

gang beer tastingThere’s something Zen-like about the

title of Friday’s event at the Black Oak Tavern. “Food. Fermentation. Frivolity” is the promise being made, a proclama-tion of simplicity to help ease the wave of stress and complications sure to arise as finals, term papers and the impend-ing holiday rush approach. It is a delight to sweep all of that away for a few hours in exchange for a night of fun and fine dining. The carefree nature of the event was

established from the start, as the show had already been booked at the Oak for Slammin’ Doris to play. In deciding what to call the event, the idea of the “three Fs” was suggested. The name was so good that it spawned a chain reaction to make “Food” and “Fermentation” a reality and from there everything seemed to fall into place. Once Ommegang and Cosmo’s jumped on board as sponsors, the event was a go.Simple does not equate to boring; the

evening’s agenda is fully packed. The show will feature Slammin’ Doris, a five-piece ensemble whose style has been categorized as “creep rock.” That label includes an aggressive blend of styles like noise-rock, Latin, metal and just a touch of Jazz/Funk (think Grinderman meets Mr. Bungle). It is a raunchy change of

T h e S t a t e T i m e s Issue 10Pg. 18

Adderall as a Study Tool

Dec. 8


Rick Heil

Staff Writer

Sean McKee

Staff Writer

prescribed in the United States since 1996 as a treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. In recent years, a rise in diagnoses of ADHD and treatment with medication has made the Schedule II controlled medication readily available to college students nationwide— the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse reports a 369 percent increase in ADHD prescriptions between 1992 and 2002.Students at Oneonta may or may not be

part of that rise. Statistics gathered by the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Committee indicate a “positive trend” toward less abuse of prescription stimulants, but students who were interviewed disagreed. One student, who asked not to be named, admitted to using the drugs to help him prepare. “When the big final comes around [in

my class], I usually just call my friend for some ‘addy.’ It helps me memorize.” He went on to explain that his friend takes the drug because he has been diagnosed with ADHD, but sells a few pills a month to make some money.An unofficial survey of students in

the Hunt Union last week showed that students seem to be ambivalent about the illegality of abusing Adderall in exchange for an A. Out of the 58 students

questioned, 49 said they saw no problem with using a study drug to focus. Also, 22 of those went further and argued that using a prescription focus aid was necessary in some majors due to the harsh work load of finals week.The study drug

isn’t without its risks, even if some students don’t

see a problem with it. Adderall works by increasing levels of specific chemicals in the brain, namely norepinephrine and dopamine. These monoamines serve to increase heart rate, blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as create the sense of happiness and focus for which stimulants like Adderall are known. Abusers can suffer from the same set of discomforts that prescribed users can, but are also at risk for serious complications such as irregular heartbeat, high body temperature and the potential for heart failure or seizures. In addition, the “Adderall hangover,” one student mentioned, left her grouchy and uncomfortable for a few hours after the drug wore off.Students at Oneonta are a mixed bag—

some downplay risks and support the use of study drugs to increase focus directly, while others insist that proper studying habits are all they need to pass finals. “Getting a few nights of decent sleep and doing a review two hours before my test is how I’ve passed all my tough exams,” said Troy Banks, an Earth Science master’s degree candidate studying at SUNY Oneonta. “A morning cup of coffee is all I need to pass. That way, I’m positive I know what I’m putting on the paper and that I’ll remember it next week.”

pace from the myriad jam bands that float through Oneonta’s bars like a bad cold. Add in the Mothers of Intention’s reliably impeccable covers of classic Zappa tunes and you have a welcome night of oddball music Oneonta has been aching for. If that were not enough, both Cosmo’s

Pizza and the Ommegang Brewery are donating to the cause. The former is lay-ing out a spread of pizza, Buffalo wings, garlic knots and baked ziti, while the latter is providing tastings of Ommegang suds, including their Cup o’ Kyndnes, which brings a taste of Scotland to their Belgian roots.In creating an occasion of simple frivol-

ity, Friday’s show is exactly what Oneonta needs right now: a deep sigh of relief to bring up the spirits of those about to go into finals week. Pizza and beer never hurt a cause either.

Ululate{ull-yuh-layt}

VerbTo howl or wail as an expression of

strong emotion, typically grief.

“The little girl ululated as she watched her puppy get eviscerated.”

Where has your head been this week? Probably ululating in the library bath-room as you tear pages out of a text you should have read three weeks ago. Typi-cal. It will all be over soon, whether that be the semester or your life.

Lifestyle

Whitney’s Word of the Week

image courtesy of hatts.ca

Dining

Literature

photograph by Emily Greenberg

Culture

Dog Walks Man: A Six-Legged OdysseyJohn ZeamanOctober 5, 2010Lyons Press306 pagesBusiness textbooks and 12-page essays

tend to take the fun out of reading for a lot of students. For some, academic life even begins to have a grave counter-ef-fect: it kills the urge to learn. Sometimes it takes a book like “Dog Walks Man” to allow us to leave those college neuroses behind, to share in the perceptiveness of an inquisitive mind in ways that are engaging, enjoyable and human.An art critic and columnist by day, John

Zeaman’s impetus for writing this narra-tive about dog-walking stemmed from a question (mentioned in his introduction) that was asked by an editor: “What’s there to tell?” Zeaman does not simply describe his walks through hidden, suburban pockets of nature with his standard poo-dle Pete, he takes the reader on a mental journey both philosophical and unpre-dictable; that’s what he has to tell, and he does a fantastic job of it. The great thing about this narrative, and

one that sets it apart from other quirky real-life books, by writers like David Sedaris, is that it tells a full story. Instead of merely piecing together anecdotes, Zeaman is able to create some power-ful emotional pull by connecting both himself and the reader to his dog. Pete, in effect, becomes just another character, as Zeaman details his poodle’s journey through puppyhood to old age, his likes, dislikes and the mannerisms that make him unique, something more than just a walking buddy. While using his skills as an art critic to

add deep and interesting dimensions to his descriptions of the natural world (usually comparing landscapes to paint-ings or other works), Zeaman uses his tal-ent with language to infuse real passion into his shared relationship with Pete and his family. This is why it’s not just a dog

Mayhem in the AM: Alumni Rock Hunt Union

Fast Times at Ridgemont

Fly

This is the last Fast Times at Ridgemont Fly ever. It’s a sad day, I’m graduat-ing from this place at the end of the fall semester, so I figured for this last and final column I would freestyle it and speak from the heart, so try not to shed a tear. What I’ve really been trying to stress

this year is that fashion isn’t what you see on the runway. Fashion isn’t what the media tells you. Fashion isn’t what the E! channel shows you. Fashion is personal. No matter what your style is, as long as you’re comfortable in your outfits and wearing the clothing that you want to buy, then you’re exactly where you want to be. Don’t try to be something you’re not because people can see when you’re trying too hard. Your clothing is the first impression, so don’t be fake, you will always be an outsider if you aren’t true to your sense of style. We’re young, it’s time to experiment,

try new things and see what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to branch out to clothing that you never thought of wearing before (that’s the beauty of dressing rooms). Try things and see what looks right on you. Be a little bit edgy, but stay true to yourself and above all, rock the best clothing you can find. Don’t let other people tell you what to wear unless you look to that person in particular for style ad-vice. I like to say that fashion is your uniform. It’s what you and others will identify you with. So ask yourself, what uniform are you showing off to the world? It’s been fun writing, I hope you en-

joyed reading and of course you can still find me on Twitter @brentycat.

T h e S t a t e T i m e sIssue 10 Pg. 19

A Rainy Day with Bookworm Sam

book; he uses those stereotypical “dog” traits to force us to realize some larger, often untouched issues in our own lives: “Dog trainers like to remind us that dogs are ‘pack animals.’ What gets said less often is that humans are too.”In the end, the reason this book was

written, and the reason it’s worth read-ing, is that it’s not perfect, but joyful. Writers who approach topics with narra-tives like this one tend to become either sappy in their emotional descriptions or uber-erudite in the way they share the knowledge they’ve gained. In “Dog Walks Man,” Zeaman does neither. It seems as if he went in with the idea, not only to delve into dog-walking, and not only to connect it with human relationships and the natural world, but that it’s okay to change and grow over the course of a book. I could tell that Zeaman genuinely learned something while he was writing this. So, as he learns, it all comes down to re-

turning to one’s roots, to always remain open to the new possibilities found in the simplest of places. “‘This is where we come from,’ dogs re-

mind us, the ever-forgetful ones. ‘These places are special. The woods. The grassy field. The riverbank. The jungly wild.’”

Dec. 8


Sam Spokony

Staff Writer

Amanda Bohorquez

Contributing Writer

Literature

Fashion

Brent O’Hanlon

Columnist

Saturday night hosted the reappear-ance of a few artists who have previously graced SUNY Oneonta’s campus. Art-ists Eric Sosa, Ayinde and the Oxymor-rons performed a midnight show in Hunt Union’s Water Front Café to the delight of many.The event, hosted

in part by elleEL-LEeye, a brand and blog website estab-lished by Oneonta alumnus Tiffany LeFever, was well-attended, with students waiting to get in an hour before the show started. Opening the night was Ayinde, an-

other Oneonta alumnus, who gave the crowd a mix of music from his latest mix-tape “No Slices,” released in early 2010 and ended his performance with a new song off of an upcoming project. His music was well received by the audi-ence as many sang along with the lyr-ics and got down to the music. One fan

in particular, Shan Quash, was serenaded as she was brought up on stage by Ayinde singing “Love, Love.”

Performing by his side were current students Stevie Gates and Ryan Fassette, as well as alumnus Nastasia Thompson.Next to perform was Eric Sosa, current-

ly on tour with Oxymorrons, who gave an exciting performance. Sosa received a lot of love from the audience, including a fan who jumped on stage and began dancing with him. Sosa was very inter-

active with the audi-ence during his perfor-mance, even walking through the crowd and performing offstage. Ending the night with

a bang were Oxymor-rons. No strangers to Oneonta, the group was well received when they opened up for Lupe Fi-asco in 2009 and found the same great reaction this time around. The group turned the vol-ume up as they jumped on stage and an energy surged through the crowd that is not often seen at Oneonta. Sosa joined the group

on stage as they performed “Cassette Tape,” which seemed to be a favorite of the crowd. After the live performances the lights

were turned off, and students, and art-ists enjoyed the rest of the night as the entertainment was turned over to the DJ until 3 a.m.

Music

photos by Amanda Bohorquez

7. Bring games. Chess anyone? How about a rousing game of charades?

8. Have a rave. Make a facebook event and make sure to bring your iHome.

9. Procrastinate productively. Take an hour out of studying to explore the library. Phi-losophy, poetry, a dose of whimsy anyone?

10. Streak!

Disclaimer: The State Times is not responsible for any actions and/or crimes committed as a result of following these sugges-tions.

CultureFor the most exemplary student, the

recipe for studying might consist of two parts review, one part writing for final papers and perhaps a sprinkling of dis-traction now and then. However, upon entering the library it’s clear that most stu-dents, particularly those using comput-ers, are having trouble finding a balance between studying their course material and studying their Facebook News Feed. “I’ll look at Facebook when I get tired of

looking at my paper,” said senior Toni Gas-pary. After working on the same project for hours on end, it makes sense for a student to need a break. The problem most stu-dents face is figuring out how much time they should be devoting to this break, or how much time can be wasted before even starting an assignment. “I can control it,” said Gaspary, who felt

that Facebook and other distractions did not get in the way of her studies. Unfortu-nately, this is not the same for all students at SUNY Oneonta and case campuses. “If I’m in the zone, I can get my work

done,” said senior Rachel Taylor. “But if I’m not, I can stare at Facebook for hours.” Tay-lor’s distraction doesn’t stop at Facebook;

1. Sleep over. Bring blankets and a tooth-brush, it’s not just for bums to do it in the bathroom.

2. Build a fort. Fi-nals week is like a war, sometimes you need an escape from the trenches.

3. Smoke!

4. Bring supplies. Brain food like granola bars & nuts. Make sure to drink

T h e S t a t e T i m e s Issue 10Pg. 20

Fashion Dining Literature Technology Lifestyle

Studying: 2 Parts Facebook, 1 Part Studying

she mentioned that being at her apartment brings with it the temptation to shop online, cooking food or check her phone while trying to finish her work. “I’ve considered leaving my computer at

home,” said Taylor, adding that at her pre-vious college, she actually deactivated her Facebook account for months to focus on her work. For the most part, students became dis-

tracted from their work in order to escape from it, possibly hoping that it will just dis-appear. The cure for this age old epidemic may not be cramming for hours on end or praying that they will be able to remember every detail in their notes, and it certainly isn’t enlisting the help of Adderall. What could help students most is doing

exactly the opposite. “Our brains operate more efficiently

when we do different things,” said Rita

Dec. 8

Brianne Galli

News Editor

Emily Greenberg & Whitney Bashaw

Culture Editors

10 Ways to “Lib” it Up: Use and Abuse the Library

during the 24 hours

Technology

Student Travel on

the CheapKatrina Steier

Managing EditorLifestyle

For most students, winter break can often turn into a four week long “vaca-tion” consisting of sitting at home, stuff-ing down Christmas cookies and taking naps. Extravagant trips are usually out of the question for the typical college pau-per. However there are a few programs that cater to the student wallet and to the surrounding community as well. For the environmentally inclined, the

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) can be the most “natu-ral” way to spend winter break. This pro-gram originated in the UK in 1971 and, after expanding nationally, is now recog-nized as a world-wide organization.

WWOOF organizations publish lists of organic farms, smallholdings and garden-ers that welcome volunteer help at certain times. Volunteers or “WWOOFERers” are allowed to choose from a large variety of hosts and specific tasks. They are not re-quired to pay for living expenses, though there is a small fee charged to maintain the program. WWOOFers will be able to experience various methods of organic and ecological farming methods. There is no time frame to dictate how long the volunteering must continue for, which is beneficial for students looking to choose and manage their time accordingly. For more information visit wwoof.org.If the farm life doesn’t sound appeal-

ing, perhaps finding a low cost airplane ride to get out of town will suffice. The company Air Ninja uses a comprehen-sive list of all the routes flown by discount and regional airlines, especially Europe. The Student Travel Agency (STA) gives students discount airfare rates in over 90 countries and offers travel scholarships to university students to help subsidize

travel costs. The most inexpensive places to stay would be student hostels, which are usually easily accessed in major cities across the globe. Another mode of transportation, not

as well known as the standard jet, is the common living room couch. CouchSurf-ing (CS), is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territo-ries around the world. The mission of this program is to create cross-cultural experiences for those brave enough to surf the waves of couches in the house of a stranger and, in this case, their host. Hosts get to meet people from all around the globe without leaving their own homes and the volunteers get to experi-ence the diverse local life around them and interact with the people they come across. CS is funded by the donations of its members. To find out more about how to become an “active” couch potato, visit couchsurfing.org.Or you could just go sledding. It’s cheap,

and fun.

plenty of liquids like water and coffee!

5. Guerilla Concerts: Bring a guitar or tam-bourine and have an impromptu jam in the stairwell to the peri-odical room. Great reverb!

6. The buzzword of finals week is nip. To take the edge off.

Richards, a professional tutor at the Center for Academic Development & Enrichment (CADE). In addition, Richards advises stu-dents not to plan to study. Instead, she sug-gests that students should plan to do more specific tasks, such as finishing a paper or reviewing a certain aspect of a chapter in a book. Richards tells students to manage their

time based on what they know about themselves. Not all students need the same schedule or conditions to study, so she asks her students to look at themselves and figure out what works for them. Regarding breaks, Richards suggests the

50/10 rule, which breaks students’ time into 50 minutes of studying and 10 minutes of anything else. “We need breaks,” said Richards, citing

Facebook as a good distraction as long as it’s limited to certain amount of time. For those that can’t control their time on

Facebook and are desperately searching for a rescue from mindlessly clicking through pictures, there’s still hope. There are certain add ons in Firefox that can be used to block distracting sites between certain hours. More than one website can be blocked, but it is still up to the student using the pro-gram to have the self control not to change the time frame. So for students finding their college lives

to be two parts Facebook and one part studying, all is not lost. Distractions are healthy to studying, as long as the student is able to close that browser window.

Photos by Emily Greenberg

Lifestyle

THE BARE NESSECITIES: All you need to get through finals week.

Photo by Emily Greenberg

issue 10

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