New tech threatens callers - Delaware County Community College

 The
ommunitarian
C
Volume 13, No. 3
www.thecommunitarian.org
April 08, 2009
New tech threatens callers
By Maxwell McAdams
Staff writer
Someone may be tracing your telephone
calls.
Whether using a landline or cellular
network, your name, billing address and even
the content of your call might be recorded and
filed.
But this has long been the case. You just
may not have realized it.
On Feb. 11, TelTech Systems, a New
Jersey based company, released a controversial
telephone tracing service called TrapCall.
To mask their name and telephone number,
many Americans rely on restricted call services,
also known as the *67 feature, that companies like
AT&T, Sprint and Verizon provide. However,
according to Meir Cohen, 27, president and cofounder of TelTech systems, such services give
users a false sense of security.
“No one using the *67 feature offered by
major companies was ever truly anonymous,”
Cohen said. “When you dial an 800 number,
because you’re not paying for the call, the
recipient has the right to override your restricted
number.”
Operating on a similar principle, TrapCall
reroutes incoming blocked calls to TelTech’s
800 “dummy” number where blocked caller id’s
are reprocessed and re-sent to the person being
called in a matter of seconds. This triangulation
gives TrapCall users instant access to the phone
number, billing information and name of the
once private caller.
However technology blogs, both private and
corporate, have questioned TrapCall users’ right
to disable a service for which many Americans
pay top dollar.
“It is your right to know who is knocking
on your door before opening it,” Cohen said.
“It’s your right to know who’s calling before
answering.”
According to Cohen, this service will be
beneficial to everyone owning a phone. Cohen
claims it will be the “death” of prank calling
and the end of the telemarketer’s ability to hide
in the digital shadows of communication. “It
will be the end of inappropriate anonymity,”
Cohen said.
Some, however, do not share his
See CALLS on Page 2
By Joseph Giordano
Staff writer
By Michael Brisgone
Staff writer
See NETWORK on Page 4
TrapCall gives users instant access to
the phone number, name and billing
information of the callers.
Sounds of Brazil
echo at DCCC
Networking sites
endanger
users’ privacy
Social networking sites draw millions of people to sit in front
of their computers for hours each day. Little do these individuals
know of the harm and the breach of privacy these Web sites may
hold.
“Social networking sites leave you with zero privacy and no
legal rights,” said Joe Shaffner, an IT developer. “Once a picture
is posted on a social networking site it can end up anywhere.”
According to Facebook’s privacy terms, when users sign up
for the site they are allowing Facebook to redistribute any and all
information in their profile without their knowledge.
“The site sets up small programs called cookies,” Shaffner
said. “These cookies copy where you go and what you do via the
internet and report it back to anyone who may want it.”
If users click on any advertisement located on Myspace,
Myspace is not responsible for any of the information that is
collected by the cookies on the Web sites that the advertisement
directs you to.
“Having cookies on your computer is essentially like
constantly eating greasy foods,” said Shaffner. “Eventually it is
going to start to slow down your computer.”
The cookies may add spyware which will easily lower your
computer’s life span, Shaffner said.
(Photo courtesy of Trapcall.com)
(Photo by Lilach Assayag)
Alex Shaw holds a berimbau, a single-string
Brazilian instrument. Shaw is a vocalist and mutliinstrumentalist in Alo Brasil.
Samba rhythms and the sound of conga drums filled the
air in DCCC’s large auditorium on March 5 when musicians
showcased Brazilian music, highlighting some of its most
important elements.
The five performing musicians are members of a larger group
called Alo Brasil, which is based out of Philadelphia.
Alex Shaw, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with Alo
Brasil, introduced the band members and explained the types of
Brazilian music they were playing, as well as the origins of the
different styles and rhythms.
The other four members were Patricio Acevedo (guitar),
Jeremy Dyen (keyboard), Josh Robinson (percussion), and
Francois Zayas (drums).
Karen Rege, DCCC’s director of library services, organized
and hosted the event.
The 45-minute set began with a demonstration of Ijexa, a mix
of samba and African music brought over by slaves to various
parts of Brazil but mostly centered in the state of Bahia, Shaw
explained.
The music featured prominent use of the agogo, an iron
instrument with two different sized bells that produce pitched
notes. Shaw explained the history of the various musical
instruments and how they played a part in the song’s structure.
See BRAZIL on Page 2
Recessionista shops at thrift stores
By Katy O’Dwyer
Managing Editor
In these tough economic times, it’s hard
to be well put together and fashionable. From
clothing to accessories, everything is overpriced
and there seems to be no way out of paying forty
bucks for a wallet.
A great way to get a lot for less is going
over the consignment and thrift shops in the
area and dredge up some good deals.
First stop is Plato’s Closet, located on
Sproul Road in Springfield. Plato’s closet is a
consignment chain that originated in Columbus,
Ohio, and is now become a national franchise.
The stores are individually owned and
operated, and each buy and sell “brand name,
gently used” clothing for small fees.
The Springfield store is mostly geared
towards teenage girls, but the staff kindly refers
the more mature shoppers to the Paoli location,
right off Route 30 by the train station.
Now this place is a goldmine of cheap
and Express selling for less than $20.
kitchenware and furniture.
The next pick is Dandy Deals, located on
“We even have a little Christmas room,”
King Street in Malvern, Pa., which is just a short
15-20 minutes away from the Main Campus.
See THRIFT on Page 2
The store mainly sells housewares and
furniture, but has a great section in the
back where one can buy used clothes
for two dollars and up.
This place also has plenty of
pg. 3
Jamming with the librarian
cheap accessories.
pg. 3
E-cigarettes
“It took us a while to learn
how to price things,” said Melissa
pg. 4
‘Sexting’ leads to jail time
Kandratavich, who opened the store
pg. 5
Social behaviors
with her twin sister Lynn less than a
year ago.
pg. 5
Co-founder of NAACP honored
The store has thrived in the little
pg. 5
More white professors teach black studies
town of Malvern and has a loyal
customer base.
pg. 6
Editorial
The store is in the ground level of
pg. 8
Entertainment
an old house, with each room featuring
pg. 11
Sports
different items.
The back room is full of clothes
while the former living room houses
Inside ...
(Photo courtesy of platoscloset.
com)
Plato’s Closet offers “brand name, but
gently used” clothing for a small fee.
designer brands aiming towards young women
in their early 20’s, with brands like Free People
Page 2
April 08, 2009
LOCAL
BRAZIL from Page 1
origins in the northeast of Brazil. “The northeast
is considered a hotbed of music,” Shaw said.
“Many of the Afro-Brazilian styles of music
Robinson introduced the congas, adding were developed there.”
rhythmic qualities to Zayas’ performance on the
The band also demonstrated a style of music
drums.
known as Pagode. “This is music that is played
The next form of music performed after a party, usually in someone’s backyard,”
was Capoeira, which Shaw said encourages Shaw said.
participation from the audience.
It was a mellow performance compared
“This music is a not spectator sport,” said to the earlier songs with Acevedo playing the
Shaw. “Everyone joins in.”
Cavaquinho guitar, a small four-stringed guitar
Capoeira was developed by slaves from with a sound similar to a ukelele.
the Congo region of Africa. It is also a form
The band was joined mid-show by dancer
of martial arts, but because slaves were not Willie Brown who added a touch of flair to the
permitted to practice any form of self-defense performance, twisting and turning to every note
they disguised it as
and beat.
a style of dance.
After the show,
Introducing the
DCCC students in
instruments
that
the audience gathered
were respective to
down by the stage
Capoeira,
Shaw
to participate in a
played the pandeiro,
workshop being held
usic is a part
commonly known
by both Shaw and
as a tambourine.
Rege.
of people’s daily lives in
“You can hit it
The participants
in so many ways to
picked up percussion
Brazil. People communicate
produce different
instruments and with
sounds,” he said,
Shaw’s
guidance
with music, and it is a part of
using his palm and
were able to construct
fingers to create low
a basic song out of
Brazilian social life.”
and high pitches.
the different rhythms
Next,
Shaw
outlined
in
the
introduced
the
Alex Shaw performance.
berimbau.
This
“Music is a part
member of Alo Brasil
instrument
is
of people’s daily lives
shaped like a bow
in Brazil,” Shaw said.
and played by striking a string with a rod to “People communicate with music, and it is a part
create deep percussive sounds.
of Brazilian social life.”
While the music played, Shaw left the
microphone to demonstrate his own Capoeira Contact Joseph Giordano at
moves. The band didn’t miss a beat and the [email protected]
performance was met with rousing applause.
Both styles of music presented have their
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Questions & Answers with
Alex Shaw, of Alo Brasil
By Joseph Giordano
Staff writer
Q: How did you become a musician?
A: I grew up in a musical family. My father was a classical cellist and my stepmother
was a professional violist. My brothers are also string players. I started playing piano
and percussion in high school. I eventually branched out into Latin and Brazilian
music.
Q:What drew you to this style of music?
A: I really felt the emotional response of it and acquired a profound affinity for it. It
inspired me and I listened to it for hours everyday.
Q: How did you become involved in Alo Brasil?
A: Alo Brasil has been around for nine years. I joined the band in 2001. I had been
taking Brazilian dance classes at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and I
eventually became friendly with the band when they would play during the class and
was invited to join them.
Q: Where has Alo Brasil played in Philadelphia?
A: We have played at World Café Live, the Trocadero, the Theater of Living Arts, as
well as numerous music festivals in the Philadelphia area.
Q: Do the songs you play feature any certain musical structure?
A: There is an established structure, but sometimes we just have some fun and just
go with the music. We play a mix of originals, covers, and traditional songs.
THRIFT from Page 1
Melissa said. “We have to have a variety of
things, and keep people coming back.”
Bella Boutique and Consignment in Exton
is a great pick for the high-end clothing shopper.
With Coach and Vera Bradley bags, designer
shoes, and a large selection of denim, this store
is a must for any fancy lady on a budget.
Since Bella has been under new ownership
in 2005, they have been an award winning shop
that has “boutique-like setting” so you won’t
CALLS from Page 1
enthusiasm.
“It’s a very troubling situation,” said
Brian Namey, communications director at the
National Network to End Domestic Violence.
“We’re very concerned about this technology
and the serious repercussions it will have for
victims of domestic violence.”
By court order, victims of domestic abuse
are frequently required to maintain contact with
their abuser, generally for reasons pertaining to
joint custody, Namey explained. These calls
are made anonymously for the victim’s safety,
but TrapCall strips away that anonymity,
simplifying an abuser’s quest to locate the
abused.
“This technology sets us back a step
by undermining our ability to protect those
suffering from domestic abuse,” Namey said.
Cohen finds the complaints of domestic
abuse agencies ironic. “With TrapCall and
Spoof Card available, any victim’s privacy
is better protected than it has ever been, as
[victims] can filter their calls and mask their
numbers,” Cohen said.
Spoof Card, TrapCall’s sister program,
enables users to choose any 10-digit telephone
number, registered or not, as a bogus, or spoof
number. This sequence will appear on the
caller ID of any one receiving a Spoof Card
user’s call.
But the Spoof Card is untraceable, and
“may put innocent victims in harm’s way,”
Namey said, concerned that spoofing registered
numbers will place the private information
of unsuspecting Americans in the hands of
potentially dangerous domestic criminals.
According to Cohen, Americans should
use TrapCall and Spoof Card responsibly.
“We work very closely with law
feel like you’re thrift shopping.
This shop may be a little stretch from
Delaware County, but it is well worth the gas.
Each of these thrift shops has something
for every shape and size. It is important to
spend hard earned money at these places to
keep them in business, dishing out the goods
for less.
Contact Katy O’Dwyer at
[email protected]
enforcement to ensure the quality of our
product and the safety of our customers,”
Cohen said. And with a detailed “terms of use”
contract, Cohen believes that his services will
do far more good than harm.
“But the American public is not
responsible,” said Megan Anderson, a 19-yearold DCCC science major. Anderson believes
that information obtained by the TrapCall
might encourage illegal and violent behavior
by disgruntled TrapCall users towards the
masked callers.
In addition to unmasking restricted
calls, a feature which one can acquire for
free, TrapCall offers a host of innovations
only available through a paid membership,
including voicemail transcription, the ability to
“blacklist” or block callers, and the ability to
record one’s phone call.
A default automated warning message
precedes the recording of any call made or
received by a TrapCall member. However, as
many states do not require by law that warning
be given, users may disable the message at
their own discretion.
According to Cohen, the majority of
TrapCall’s features are only available through
cellular networks; however, in the near future,
TelTech will make their services available for
land line use as well.
Many experts believe virtual privacy is
never certain and is only as reliable as the
technology that protects it. “You have to keep
track of technological advances,” said Mike
Parrello, 18, a DCCC liberal arts major. “Stay
alert because virtual security is remodeled and
updated constantly — stay vigilant because it’s
dog eat dog.”
Contact Maxwell McAdams at
[email protected]
April 08, 2009 Page 3
CAMPUS/NATIONAL
Jamming with the librarian
By Alicia Murphy
Staff writer
Karen Rege is the director of
library services here at DCCC but she
is not your ordinary librarian by any
means. When the workday ends, she
is ready to jam.
Rege is a member of two jazz
bands, one of which she started
herself.
Nine years ago, Rege started
a Latin jazz band called Pastiche.
Pastiche is a French word that means
a piece made up of other pieces, she
said, adding that the members of her
band are a mixture of people coming
together to play.
“Although it is not a large band,
each member brings so much energy
that you would never know it was
only seven of us,” Rege said.
Rege is also part of another jazz
type band called Atiba’s Dream.
The repertoire of this band includes
traditional jazz and blues styles,
free jazz, Caribbean and African
influenced pieces.
“This band is composed of older
masters of music,” Rege said. “I
am the only non-African-American
female under the age of 55 in the
band.”
Rege has rehearsal for both bands
every two weeks, and she also does
side gigs in other jazz bands.
“A typical day for me would be
to work until 4:30 p.m. or so, run
home to grab dinner and equipment,
and then I am off to rehearsal which
is usually somewhere in Philly,” Rege
said.
Rege earned a bachelor’s degree
in music at Hartt School of Music in
Hartford, Conn. She also holds two
master’s degrees, one in historical
musicology from the University of
Michigan, and another in library
science from Drexel University.
“Music is my life,” Rege said.
“Most of my time studying music was
spent in a library which ironically is
what pushed me to get my master’s in
library science.”
Rege said she chose a career in
library science because she really
enjoys helping people. In May
2008 she received her doctorate
in educational leadership with
a specialization in educational
technology from the University of
Delaware.
Rege said the role of a librarian
has changed since the age of the
Internet, because there is so much
information on the Web and it can be
difficult to narrow down one’s search
and find legitimate facts.
“I believe there is a need now
more than ever for librarians,” Rege
said. “We are more facilitators
in helping students find correct
information on research they have to
do whether it is in the library or on
the Web.”
Rege also teaches Introduction to
World Music at DCCC. She describes
the class as unique because of the
different styles of music that are
explored.
“We cover everything from
traditional to Japanese hip-hop types
of music,” Rege said. “I like to teach
students where the music came from
and its culture rather than just having
(Photo courtesy of Karen Rege)
Karen Rege is pounding the ivory as the pianist of Atiba’s Dream. Keith McCarther is seen
plucking at the bass.
them listen and memorize what kind
of music it is.”
Rege’s passion for music has
also given her opportunities to travel.
In 2002, Rege went to Cuba to study
music and dance through Artistas
y Musicos Latino Americanos, a
local
Philadelphia
organization
that promotes development and
understanding of Latin music.
“There were traditional dance and
drumming workshops to attend each
day,” Rege said. “I had private piano
lessons and really enjoyed observing
other bands play.”
Rege said experiencing the
culture behind the music she loves
to play is something she will never
forget.
Rege, whose experience ranges
from concert production to stage and
artist management, said she feels
fortunate to be doing what she loves:
Brazilian music and library science.
“In my job, anything could
happen on any given day and what
I love most is that people come to
me for help,” Rege said. “My day
is never boring and never the same.
How many people can say that about
their jobs?”
For more information on Pastiche
and Atiba’s Dream visit www.
salseramusic.com.
Contact Alicia Murphy at
[email protected]
FDA crackdown looms for e-cigarette
By Ken Mclaughlin
San Jose Mercury News/MCT
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The young man in the tall
swivel chair at the mall seems lost in nicotine
nirvana as he takes a deep drag on a cigarette
and blows smoke rings to the surprise of passing
shoppers.
Sarah Kruberg, a 21-year-old college
student from Portola Valley, Calif., does a
double take but keeps walking.
“I knew it couldn’t be someone smoking a
cigarette,” she said with a laugh. “But I didn’t
know what it was.”
What Kruberg saw at Westfield Valley Fair
mall in Santa Clara, Calif., was a kiosk salesman
puffing away on an electronic cigarette, a new
product that Jose Canseco, the steroid-tainted
baseball slugger turned e-cigarette pitchman,
predicts will “revolutionize the industry of
smoking.”
Health officials worldwide, however, are
casting a wary eye.
Last summer a Florida company began
aggressively marketing e-cigarettes — which
emit a nicotine vapor with the help of a
computer chip — but the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration now seems poised to pull
e-cigs from the market because the agency
considers them “new drugs.” That means they
need approval from the FDA, which requires
companies to back up their claims with scientific
data.
“It is illegal to sell or market them, and the
FDA is looking into this,” said Rita Chappelle,
an agency spokeswoman.
Asked if that meant the FDA would crack
down on the dozens of mall kiosks nationwide
where the product is being sold like perfume
and cellphone covers, Chappelle said: “This is
an open case. Beyond that I cannot comment.”
Informed of the FDA’s position, David
Burke, general manager at Westfield Valley
Fair, said Monday that the shopping center is
looking into the legality of the product.
“All our retailers are required to comply
with applicable federal, state and local laws and
regulations,” he said.
Invented in China several years ago, the e-
(Photo courtesy of San Jose Mercury News/MCT)
Nati Ariali blows smoke from an electronic cigarette he sells at a kiosk in a mall
in San Jose
cig not only “smokes” like a cigarette. It also
looks like a cigarette, feels like a cigarette,
glows like a cigarette and contains nicotine like
a cigarette. But it’s not a cigarette. It’s a slender
stainless-steel tube.
When someone puffs on an e-cigarette,
a computer-aided sensor activates a heating
element that vaporizes a solution — usually
containing nicotine — in the mouthpiece. The
resulting mist — which comes in flavors such as
chocolate and cherry — can be inhaled.
A light-emitting diode on the tip of the ecigarette simulates the glow of burning tobacco.
The device is powered by a rechargable lithium
battery.
Its boosters say it’s the perfect way to quit
smoking because the nicotine mist contains no
tar or any of the host of cancer-causing agents
of tobacco smoke — yet has the touch and feel
of smoking.
That, they say, makes the e-cigarette
superior to other nicotine-delivery systems
such as patches, chewing gum, aerosol sprays
and inhalers.
The levels of nicotine can be adjusted,
from “high” to no nicotine at all. That, ecig supporters say, allows smokers to wean
themselves from nicotine, which most doctors
say is highly addictive but not, as far as they
know, a carcinogen.
The product’s aficionados say that because
it contains no tobacco, it can be used in bars,
nightclubs, restaurants and other public places
where states and localities have banned tobacco
use.
But anti-smoking groups say that’s exactly
the problem. They fear that it will reintroduce a
“smoking culture” into places where people no
longer are used to seeing wisps of smoke and
cigarettes hanging from people’s mouths.
“I understand why people use the nicotine
replacement aids,” said Serena Chen, regional
tobacco policy director of the American
Lung Association in California. “But I don’t
understand why people want to pretend that
they’re smoking.”
Chen believes that many ex-smokers will
conclude that the e-cigarette is harmless and be
lured back into the smoking trap.
“If you had a serial killer who liked to stab
people, would you give him a rubber knife?”
asked Chen. “This just boggles the mind.”
Executives at Smoking Everywhere, the
Sunrise, Fla., firm that is marketing the product
on the Internet and in mall kiosks, say criticism
of the e-cigarette is irrational.
“The mist is mostly water. It has to be better
for you than smoking,” said Eitan Peer, vice
president of the company. “It’s been approved by
doctors. We’ve been on Fox News. We’ve been
on the ‘Howard Stern Show.’ Our spokesmen
are Jose Canseco and Danny Bonaduce.”
Company officials say the other main
ingredient in the e-cig is propylene glycol,
which is used in everything from Hollywood
smoke machines to food colorings to hydraulic
fluids.
Peer said the suggested retail price of the
Chinese-made e-cig is $149, but because the
kiosk operators are independent vendors, the
price varies.
The other day, Dan Conroy picked up his
e-cigarette “starter kit” from one of the two
Smoking Everywhere kiosks at Valley Fair for
$140, plus tax.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen the product,”
said Conroy, 37, a Sacramento, Calif., contractor.
“But I’m interested in quitting, and this has to
be healthier than tobacco.”
He and several other smokers interviewed at
the mall agreed that e-smoke isn’t as satisfying
or rich as tobacco smoke. But they all said they
thought they could get used to it.
“It tastes pretty good,” said Oliver De La
Cruz, 29, of Daly City, Calif., whose wife,
Kristine, was about to give birth to their first
child. She encouraged him to try the e-cig,
saying it would be a wonderful present to their
newborn if Daddy would quit smoking.
But both De La Cruz and one nicotineaddicted friend, 23-year-old Marco Maneru of
Daly City, said they wanted to do some research
on the e-cigarette before they buy one.
“Who knows?” Maneru said. “There could
be some chemicals in there that are really bad
for you.”
Page 4
April 08, 2009
CAMPUS/NATIONAL
Do you use social networking sites?
“Y
es, I use
Myspace, but only one
time per month to check
out new music.”
Danielle Levasseur, 19
Natural Science
“Y
es, I use Facebook and Myspace a few
times a day. I like to use
them for networking and
to keep up with friends
and associates.”
Ran-Zhang, 22,
Business
Brian Behmke, 21,
Graphic Design
NETWORK from Page 1
Furthermore, Facebook has the right to
share users’ personal information with anyone
who may or may not want to advertise with
the website.
Myspace, funded solely by the advertisers
who choose to display their products on the
site, has similar but comparatively more
conservative privacy policies.
Furthermore, Myspace states in their
privacy policy that they “will not share your
PII (Personal Identification Information) with
third parties unless you have given Myspace
permission to do so.”
However, Myspace also states that it “is
not responsible for the privacy practices of
Web sites or other services operated by third
parties that are linked to or integrated with the
Myspace.”
There are social networking sites which
offer a safer alternative to social networking.
Multiply, which claims to be a family
oriented web site, prides itself on its strict
privacy settings. The six-year-old site has
grown to about 12.5 million members and
“Y
es, I use Facebook every two weeks to
keep in touch with close
friends.”
aims to keep online relationships “real” by
using the six-degrees-of-separation approach.
“Nothing on the internet is private,”
said Danamarie Every, assistant professor of
communication studies. “If you put it onto the
internet someone is going to find it.”
Every advises students to pay close
attention to the information they post online
and warns that employers may check
candidates’ profiles before making a hire.
“Those same employers continue to
monitor the sites even after the employee has
been hired,” she said.
According to a study recorded by Tech
Radar, a Web site dedicated to all things
technology, Facebook is home to about
60 million users, with about 250,000 new
registrations per day. Myspace averages
around 110,000 users online at any given time
and 300,000 new users each day.
To ensure personal safety, think twice
before posting or commenting on online
content, warn experts.
Contact Michael Brisgone at
[email protected]
“Y
es, I use Facebook and Myspace. I go
on at least one time per
week for fun and to keep
up with friends.”
Leanna Cumberbatch, 20
Health Science
“N
o, I’m too busy
for these sites. I was
asked by friends to [join]
Myspace, but I would
rather use e-mail because
that is more personal.”
Katty Demasi, 35
Business
(Photo by Walbert Young)
Far right, Erik Pupo, 20, a paramedic major, Anthony Thach, 20, a computer programming major and Jasmine Small, 20, a pre-med major, huddle
around Thach’s computer. Many young adults and college students are
joining Myspace and Facebook.
Teenagers see serious consequences of ‘sexting’
By Bianca Prieto
The Orlando Sentinel/MCT
ORLANDO, Fla. — After his former girlfriend taunted him,
Phillip Alpert remembered the nude photos she e-mailed to him
while they were dating.
He took revenge with an electronic blast — e-mailing the
photos of the 16-year-old girl to more than 70 people, including
her parents, grandparents and teachers.
Three days later, Alpert, then 18, was charged with transmitting
child pornography. Today Alpert is serving five years of probation
for the crime, and he is registered as a sex offender — a label he
must carry at least until he is 43.
“I didn’t know how bad of a decision it was,” Alpert, now 19,
said recently at his MetroWest apartment. “I don’t think it’s fair.”
Alpert is one of many people across the country who are being
charged with felonies and getting sentenced as sex offenders for
doing something their friends do all the time, unaware of potential
criminal charges.
One national study found that as many as 20 percent of teens
have sent or posted nude or seminude photos of themselves in
what has become known as “sexting.” Young teens are using
high-tech phones to text, post or e-mail racy photos — technically
child porn. Most do it for fun.
But getting caught means being kicked off sports teams and
facing expulsion from school. Others are going to jail.
“It’s become a troubling trend,” said Marisa Nightingale,
senior adviser for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and
Unplanned Pregnancy, which conducted the study. “Since the
beginning of time, teens have flirted with each other and pushed
the envelope. But 10 to 15 years ago, it didn’t go global in 30
seconds.”
Lawrence Walters, an Orlando attorney who practices First
Amendment and Internet law, has been following the sexting
trend as it has been emerging across the country.
“It’s a new phenomena,” he said. “Kids shouldn’t be doing this
— shouldn’t be engaging in this type of behavior. But using these
harsh criminal laws for child pornography is a bit of overkill.”
Just last month, a 15year-old Pennsylvania girl
was charged with creating
child pornography for
sending images of herself
via MySpace to a 27-yearold man.
Also last month, a
Brevard County, Fla., teen
was jailed after forwarding
a cell phone picture of his
16-year-old ex-girlfriend’s
naked breasts to another
teen.
The
girlfriend
(Photo courtesy of allowed the photo to be
Orlando Sentinel/MCT) taken while the two were
dating, police said.
Bryce Dixon, 18, told
Phillip Alpert talks about
how “sexting” has ruined his investigators he sent the
photo because he thought
life at his Orlando, Fla.
the girl had cheated on him
with his best friend. He
said he knew that sending the photo would make her mad.
A judge set Dixon’s bond at $140,000 for charges he faced,
including transmission of child pornography. Dixon, who remains
in jail, and his family declined to talk to the Orlando Sentinel. In
an interview aired Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” show, he said he
made a stupid decision.
Some states are trying to adjust the laws to deal with the
problems of transmission of intimate photos of teens to teens,
Walters said. But it hasn’t been an issue debated by state lawmakers
in Florida, said Republican state Rep. Pat Patterson.
Law enforcement officers have their hands tied when it comes
to recommending charges to the State Attorney’s Office in these
types of cases, said Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokesman
Deputy Carlos Padilla.
“They don’t have a choice because of how the statute reads.
Regardless of the situation, the law dictates the charges, and they
have to register as a sexual offender,” Padilla said.
The consequences of sexting are unpredictable. An Ohio teen
hanged herself in May after her ex-boyfriend forwarded nude
photos of her, sharing them with other high school girls.
“If that guy who you used to trust all of a sudden shares it, you
have no control over it,” Nightingale, with the advocacy group,
said. “If you regret it and change your mind, there is nothing you
can do about it, or very little you can do about it.”
For Alpert, he never asked for the photos that got him in
trouble in 2007. He met the girl at a church function in 2005 and
dated her off and on for about 2 years, he said. At one point the
girl took nude photos and videos of herself and sent them to his
e-mail.
He tried using them against his ex-girlfriend with the mass email after she called him and said she was much happier without
him. Although Alpert was charged with transmission of child
pornography, the girl was never in any legal trouble. She did not
respond to requests for interviews with the Sentinel.
Since his arrest and conviction, Alpert’s life has been
difficult.
Classmates at Ocoee High School teased him unmercifully,
sending him into a depression that caused him to miss class and
avoid his graduation last year. He lost friends because “they
just don’t want to be friends with a sex-offender kid,” Alpert
explained.
He said he was kicked out of Valencia Community College in
September because he’s a sex offender. Neighbors have knocked
on his door after finding him in the sex-offender database and
asked him what he’s done.
Alpert’s mother moved out of state after he graduated, but
the conditions of his probation don’t allow him to leave Orange
County without permission. He can’t live with his father in Ocoee
because the house is too close to a school, Alpert said.
Every Wednesday he attends a class for sex offenders where
he is joined by people who have raped and molested children.
He’s not like them, Alpert said, but the law says he is.
His advice to other teens tempted by sexting: “Don’t do it.
It’s stupid.”
April 08, 2009 Page 5
CAMPUS/NATIONAL
Scientists examine how social
networks influence behavor
By Faye Flam
The Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT
PHILADELPHIA — Conventional wisdom holds that it’s not what you
know, it’s who you know. But now scientists studying networking are starting
to realize that when it comes to much in life, it’s also who the people you know
know, and perhaps also who those people know.
Drawing from computer science, math, sociology and other disciplines, researchers are starting to figure out how those branching thickets of human social networks are shaping our tastes, our purchases, how we vote, and even our
health and happiness.
At the University of Pennsylvania, Michael Kearns is using controlled voting experiments to show how a small minority view can win over an overwhelming majority.
Kearns, a computer scientist and expert on machine learning and game theory, examines the connections between networks and human behavior in settings
as diverse as voting and the vulnerability of the Internet to terrorism.
His human experiments and others like it could overturn our notion of the
way trends and influence spread through society, said Duncan Watts, a physicist
and networking expert at Yahoo.
Watts said the marketing field and much of the public have embraced the
idea that humanity is run by a minority of well-connected “influentials” who
help ideas spread like infectious viruses.
It’s an idea popularized by books such as Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping
Point.” But nobody knows if it really works this way, Watts said.
“For all this discussion about influentials and how they drive word-ofmouth, there’s no empirical evidence — no real theory.” Penn’s Kearns, he said,
is starting to bring a more hard-science approach to bear on the issue.
For his most recently published experiment, Kearns created a network from
a group of 36 subjects. He put each one at a work station linked to between two
and 18 of the others.
They were asked to vote for red or blue. If everyone in the group could agree
on the same color within one minute, everyone would get rewarded with money.
If they failed to reach consensus, they would get nothing.
But he gave the subjects different preferences. Some were told they’d get
paid $1.50 for each round that red won and only 50 cents if blue won. For others
the incentive was reversed.
“There’s this tension between all of them wanting to collectively agree but
selfishly wanting everyone to agree on their preferred color,” he said.
One real-world analogy would be the recent Democratic presidential primaries, he said. Many voters passionately backed Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama,
but worried that split opinion would cause the whole party to lose.
Behind the scenes, Kearns rigged the experiment in different ways, sometimes mixing up the incentives so that some students got only $1.25 for pushing
their color on the group and 75 cents if they went the other way.
Despite the short deadline, he said, people came to some agreement in 55
out of 81 separate trials.
He found that sometimes a tiny minority could rule. In the most extreme
cases, red won when only six subjects preferred it, the other 30 wanting blue. All
the members of the minority needed was “influence” — that is, more connections within the group than the people they competed against.
“ ‘Influential’ people can determine the outcome to their liking,” Kearns
said, even if the majority has a strong incentive to go the other way. In this case
having lots of connections made a subject influential.
Another surprise was that mixing different financial incentives helped the
group to agree more often. “Having some fraction of extremists is actually helpful,” he said. If all in the group are too wishy-washy, they will keep switching
colors and never agree.
Being unique individuals, the subjects played with different strategies
— some easily swayed by neighbors, others stubbornly holding their preferred
color until a win appeared impossible.
When it came to who left with the most money, Kearns found that the spoils
went to those who were most stubborn — but not completely intractable. Since
the whole game is lost if there’s no consensus, he said, “being too stubborn is
fatal.”
(Photo courtesy of naacp.org)
W.E.B. DuBois, co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People, was honored during Black History Month at DCCC.
NAACP co-founder
honored by DCCC
By Ronelle Bradley
Staff writer
As a part of Black History Month, DCCC honored
W.E.B DuBois, a prominent figure in black history, with
a screening of “W.E.B DuBois: A Biography in Four
Voices” by Louis Messiah on Feb. 26. The documentary
highlighted DuBois’ work as a sociologist, scholar and
activist for African-Americans.
“DuBois was such a towering figure,” said Messiah
who is the executive director of Scribe Video Center,
an organization that offers amateur film makers the
opportunity to produce videos dedicated to social issues
and community life under professional instruction. “He
is someone who believed that as [African-Americans]
we needed to analyze where we are.”
According to the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, which DuBois cofounded, DuBois devoted much of his life to gaining
equality for African-Americans.
The NAACP’s mission is to ensure political,
educational, social and economic equality for all people
and to eliminate hatred and racial discrimination.
“Being a scholar, DuBois was committed to social
improvement and political change to have a true
democracy,” Messiah said.
DuBois wrote numerous books and magazines
catered to the African-American way of life. One of his
well known books, “The Souls of Black Folks,” was
based upon his research of African-Americans in their
community between 1897-1903. The book features 13
essays and one short story.
“I love the way the book is put together,” Messiah
said.
One of DuBois’ essays from the book is titled “Of
our Spiritual Strivings,” a nine-page essay focused on
African-Americans in society.
DuBois expressed how African-Americans lacked
a race and cultural identity in America. Constant
brutality such as lynching and segregation are examined
throughout the essay.
His purpose was to expose the struggle amongst
African-Americans as they fought for social and cultural
integrity. DuBois’ other famous work, “The Philadelphia
Negro,” examined the poverty stricken neighborhoods of
African-Americans in Philadelphia.
As the assistant instructor of sociology at the
University of Penn, DuBois was given the opportunity
to research Philadelphia’s seventh ward, a section of
the city between Spruce street and South streets heavily
populated by African-Americans.
DuBois studied the seventh ward by surveying its
residents and recorded information such as age, education
and employment statisics to examine any possible links
between race, poverty and criminal activity, according to
The Literary Encyclopedia.
“If they’re poor, black people have a higher
propensity for crime,” Messiah said.
After the presentation, Messiah fielded questions
from the audience ultimately leaving attendees with a
better understanding of DuBois’ life and work.
For more information on the presentation and W.E.B
DuBois visit www.scribe.org or NAACP.org.
Contact Ronelle Bradley at
[email protected]
After 40 years of black studies, more whites teaching courses
By Dawn Turner Trice
Chicago Tribune/MCT
CHICAGO — Shawn Alexander can recognize
the look immediately. It’s one of surprise when a
student enters his African-American studies class
and finds, standing at the front, a white guy.
“Years ago, it happened more,” said Alexander, 38, who grew up near Rockford, Ill., and
teaches at the University of Kansas. “I’d see the
kids walk into my room, look down at their registration cards and up at me, and then walk out to
make sure they had the right classroom.”
Around the country this year, college campuses are celebrating the 40th anniversary of
African-American studies programs. Although
black scholars make up the majority of the faculty, white scholars increasingly are making their
mark, including two teaching at Northwestern
University.
It may be the ultimate in inclusion as well
as irony in a discipline that emerged out of the
Black Power movement of the late 1960s to
challenge “the man” and the white status quo.
If African-American history looks back at the
black experience, African-American studies
tries to examine it from the inside out and from
every angle.
White scholars have pursued doctorates in
African-American history in relatively large
numbers; but whites with doctorates in black
studies as well as those who teach in the field
remain fairly rare.
Martha Biondi, an associate professor of
African-American studies and history at Northwestern University, said she believes her racially
mixed group of students places far more stock in
her passion for her craft than the fact that she’s
white.
“There probably are students who wouldn’t
enroll in a black studies course with a white
professor,” said Biondi, 44, whose doctorate is
in African-American history. “But it’s my view
that students are incredibly open-minded. They
may at first say, ‘I wonder if this person is qualified,’ but students want a teacher who performs
well, and, at the end of the day, that’s how they’ll
judge you.”
From the beginning, the goal of AfricanAmerican studies — with its immersion in black
culture, literature, history, politics and religion
— was to critique and strengthen social justice
policies for people of African descent worldwide.
Scholars of African-American studies often
share a desire to immerse themselves in black
culture but also come from a background that
leans toward social justice and changing the
(Photo courtesy of Chicago
Tribune/MCT)
Shawn Alexander leads a class in his
Black studies program at the University of Kansas.
world.
Biondi was reared in a predominantly white,
small town in Connecticut. She remembers being anti-Nixon in the third grade, watching black
news affairs programs on television and reading
her baby-sitter’s copies of The Nation. As a teen,
she aspired to become a civil rights lawyer.
“Early on, I found the 1960s movements to
be very vibrant, particularly the ideas of democracy and equality and freedom,” said Biondi.
“They were intellectually compelling ideas.”
African-American
studies
programs
emerged in the 1960s from the racial transformation taking place on college campuses across
the country. More black students were arriving
and facing racism, and they believed universities could help by adding more black professors
along with courses that reflected their experiences and sensibilities.
The first black studies program began in
1969 at San Francisco State University. Nathan
Hare, a black professor hired the year before to
head the department, said its mission was to create a new approach to scholarship that would
lead to changes on campus and in the community.
By 1973 nearly all of the country’s major
universities had a black studies program, but
the transition was less than smooth. When Mark
Naison began teaching at Fordham University in
1970, he didn’t just encounter skepticism about
a Jewish guy from Crown Heights teaching in
the discipline.
“There was a group of Black Nationalist students who completely rejected me doing this,”
said Naison, 60, who wrote about the experience
in his book “White Boy, A Memoir.” “I wasn’t
who they had fought for, and they would try to
stare me down. I grew up in Brooklyn; I’m not a
small person. I stared back.”
Page 6
April 8, 2009
EDITORIAL
To surf or not to surf
By Lilach Assayag
Executive Editor
The built-in camera lens in my laptop
always makes me think about George Orwell’s
novel, “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” in which he
describes a gloomy futuristic society that is
constantly viewed and listened to by ”Big
Brother,” a totalitarian entity.
Unless you’re on the FBI hotlist, however,
I find it hard to believe that – despite its
technological ability – the government is
watching you.
What online users should be concerned
about, though, is their digital freedom of
speech, invasion of their privacy and the
security of the personal information they post
online.
The exponential and widespread use
of services on the Internet has saturated the
World Wide Web with personal, financial
and residential information. Online tools like
Google Earth and Facebook not only make it
easier to check if the grass is greener on the
other side of the computer screen but also can
be used for malicious and illegal purposes.
Last February, Denise Finkel, an 18-yearold from New York, filed a lawsuit against
Facebook and a group of her high school peers
for defamation, appealing for $12 million in
By Nicholas Boerlin
Staff writer
punitive and compensatory damages after the
latter unjustly attacked Finkel’s character in
their Facebook group.
The “innocent until proven guilty” concept
in Finkel’s case means that without evidence of
fault no one – including her peers through the
aid of Facebook – has the right to publically
accuse her of anything.
In courts, a person cannot be tried without
proper evidence; in news writing, a reporter
cannot propose allegations without credible
documentation; and in advertising, a company
cannot make a statement without having data
to substantiate its claims.
Should online claims on “personal”
profiles and discussion groups be substantiated
by documents as well? Who should be
responsible for verifying the accuracy of the
posted information, the publisher or the writer?
As it turns out, even your own comments
on your own Web page can potentially get you
in trouble.
Last month, Don Leone, a game-day gate
worker for the Eagles was fired after posting
a hasty comment on his personal Facebook
profile, criticizing the team management’s
decision not to renew their contract with Brian
Dawkins.
Leone worked for the Eagles for six years
and was fired, cold heartedly, over the phone
a few days after posting the comment – even
though he had already deleted the comment at
his own discretion.
Would the same happen if the comment
was said out loud and overheard by a member
of the Eagles management? When does the
obligation to the company you work for end
and your personal opinion begin?
Leone was not in uniform when he
made his remark and the only link to his job
might have been a note on his profile. Does
online interaction constitute private life if
it is potentially viewed by thousands if not
millions?
The prevalent use of the digital medium
comes with both benefits and disadvantages.
Google’s Street View feature, for example,
which displays 360-degree photos of almost
every crossroad in the country, takes us to
places we can’t easily reach, but, occasionally,
it also discloses unflattering images of
individuals who got caught in the frame.
Another issue pertaining to privacy and
security of information is computerized
information systems.
President Barack Obama’s Recovery
plan reserves $20 million to research security
issues that would accompany the president’s
plan to implement the use of electronic
medical records, an online database that
Live insured or die
After waiting six hours in a hospital, a man is told he must go to a
clinic across town because the hospital will not treat his injury.
The compounding cost of prescription medications means a woman
must pick and choose what medicines she will or will not receive.
A student is forced to withdraw from college because he needs to
work full time to pay off debt created by an expensive surgical procedure.
Illness and injury are a part of life, but they do not need to ruin it.
An estimated 46 million individuals in this country live without
health insurance at any given moment, and 18,000 die every year as a
direct result, according to a 2007 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. Of
those millions of Americans lacking health insurance, 10 percent are
between the ages of 18 and 24.
Another survey, conducted two years earlier, estimated that 1.1
million Pennsylvanians are without health insurance, with 12,500
residing in Delaware County.
I am not an expert on the intricacies of our nation’s healthcare
system, and therefore feel unqualified to advocate socialized over
privatized medicine or one plan over another, but I am outraged that in a
nation as resourceful as the United States millions are still living without
minimal healthcare coverage.
Numerous politicians in the past have pushed for reform, but it
should never have reached the point that panic over our nation’s greatest
economic crisis could serve as the rallying cry for substantial changes.
For many Americans this is simply too little too late.
The White House’s $634 million commitment to healthcare reform
was discussed during one of a series of public forums on healthcare, at
which President Barack Obama articulated his intentions to cut health
care costs and guarantee coverage for every American within the year.
The president has implored Congress and the American people
to speak their peace and contribute to a solution, but is this a political
strategy or a cry of desperation, and what can be done while we wait for
a solution?
Meanwhile, the Census Bureau reports the increasing number of
uninsured Americans keeps pace at a national average of 1.4 million each
year.
According to Erin Roth of the American Medical Student
Association, the physical, emotional and financial well being of those
lacking healthcare reaches beyond personal risk. Roth reported the 80
percent of America’s uninsured citizens have fulltime employment –
dispelling the myth that most uninsured individuals are unemployed – but
they are regarded as being low-income, or earning less than $38,000 a
year.
The AMSA reports those without insurance are three times more
likely to forgo treatment of major and chronic conditions.
No matter what solution one may suggests to counter current medical
costs, there will still be a portion of the population who cannot afford or
qualify for coverage.
Some Americans argue that if people cannot afford insurance, they
should not receive insurance — simple as that.
Honestly, I cannot think of a colder and less humane assertion. If our
nation’s current situation can teach us anything, it is that the economy
cannot be relied upon to settle everything as a Darwinian judge and jury.
Argue for any plan or policy, but no progress can occur if we
automatically assume that some people just don’t deserve the same
treatment as the rest of us.
While the task of protecting our health is daunting for the individual
and the nation, there are those who want to help. A number of private and
public programs that offer free or low-cost medical services include local
clinics and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
However, these programs already serve more than 80 million
Americans, according to the Census Bureau. It is hard to believe that
these options, even with improvements and expansions, could meet the
needs of the uninsured and underinsured population in the near future.
A fundamental question at the heart of the debate, whether the
argument is for socialized or commercial healthcare, is: Do we believe in
everyone’s right to live and live well?
Finally, if we consider healthcare a commodity, who has the right to
dictate how and to whom it may be sold?
Contact Nicholas Boerlin
at [email protected]
Letter to the editors
DCCC’s Work Study offers help to students seeking jobs
After reading the “Stimulus Doesn’t Skip
Students” article in the March 11 issue of the
newspaper, I feel compelled to shed some
light on all aspects of the Work Study program
here at the College. Work Study can be a very
important part of a student’s overall financial aid
package along with any grants, loans and scholarships that a student may be eligible to receive.
Interest in the Work Study program has
increased steadily over the past four years, but
we have seen the greatest interest in the program
this year due to the weakened economy. There
are simply less of the part-time jobs available,
which typically attract students. To date this
year, we have placed more than 225 students
in part-time positions through the Work Study
program.
Many of the students who participate in
the program come to us with little or no work
experience. Work Study allows them to gain the
experience of being an employee and teaches
them appropriate conduct on the job. Some
participants also gain valuable experience that
is directly related to their studies here at the
College.
All students benefit from Work Study and
can include this experience on their resume
and may also come away with a work-related
reference from their supervisor. In some cases
Work Study jobs have led to full-time positions
for students- both on campus and at off campus
organizations.
As the March 11 article points out, grants
and loans may be a better way for students who
rely on financial aid to pay their tuition and fees.
However, Work Study positions are an important income source for students to pay their
travel and ongoing expenses throughout the
year. We have also found that Work Study helps
students to remain in school until they complete
their degree/certificate or transfer to a four year
program, and meet their long range goals.
Darah Filidore
Work Study Coordinator
would presumably reduce healthcare costs and
improve the quality of care.
Surely, this may also jeopardize patients’
privacy and the integrity of their information,
just as online transactions put consumers’
credit card information at risk.
We live in a digital age of discovery
in a lawless virtual land that raises many
uncertainties and questions of ownership. Until
our IT experts, legal minds and law enforcers
find a way to protect our digital rights, watch
what you post online, read carefuly the terms
of use, and beware of seemingly innocent
online services that might put your wellbeing
in harm’s way.
Contact Lilach Assayag at
[email protected]
The Communitarian is produced by both
current and former students of Fundamentals of Journalism II in collaboration with Campus Life and published at
Delaware County Community College.
Students who would like to write for
the campus newspaper and have already
completed Fundamentals of Journalism
I should register for Fundamentals of
Journalism II (ENG 131). Students who
have completed both classes are welcome
back to join the senior staff. For more
information, see Bonnie McMeans in
Room 4311, call 610-359-5271, or send
an e-mail to [email protected] or
[email protected].
Lilach Assayag
Executive Editor
Katy O’Dwyer
Managing Editor
Anthony Leone
Graphic Design Editor
Nicholas Boerlin
Walbert Young
Junior Editors
Walbert Young
Webmaster
Alicia Murphy
Assistant Web Editor
Reporters
Ronelle Bradley
Tim Brennan
Michael Brisgone
Joseph Giordano
Maxwell McAdams
The Communitarian
Opinion Policy
The opinions expressed on the
editorial and the op-ed pages do
not necessarily reflect those of The
Communitarian staff or college. We
welcome your comments on any
matter relating to Delaware County
Community College, and responsible
rebuttal is encouraged. Write to
[email protected].
Please write “letter to editor” in the
subject box.
April 8, 2009 “Arcadia
Page 7
accepted all of our credits.”
“Arcadia made it easy to transfer–and made sure we had the courses to apply for assured
admission to the Physical Therapy program.” Ashley Eisennagel (left)
“We went on Italy Preview! For $495 we got airfare, hotel accommodations, and 2 credits, too!
We learned so much and had a great time.” Jennifer Eisennagel (right)
photo courtesy: Jessica Alderman
Are You Ready
to Transfer?
Arcadia Offers a World of Opportunites to Transfer Students
Italy Preview and other opportunities to go abroad.
Find out more at www.arcadia.edu/italypreview.
Up to 75 credits accepted from a two-year school.
Assured admission to select graduate programs
including Physician Assistant and Physical Therapy.
Scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $16,000 as well
as personalized financial aid counseling.
Attend Arcadia’s
Transfer Decision Day
Wednesday, May 13
Noon to 6:30 p.m.
Grey Towers Castle
Location near public transportation.
On-campus housing available for transfer students,
including apartment-style living.
Bring your transcript for a credit evaluation.
Find out about scholarships, grants and
loans. Come to Transfer Decision Day and
get an instant admissions decision.
Register at www.arcadia.edu/transfer.
Metropolitan Philadelphia
www.arcadia.edu/transfer 1-877-ARCADIA (1-877-272-2342)
09.A811
Page 8
April 8, 2009
ENTERTAINMENT
Japanese
drummers shake
the Kimmel walls
By Lilach Assayag
Executive Editor
The hefty Japanese drums rested on stands
on the stage, as the audience packed full the
floor seats and all three balconies surrounding
the stage. With no delays, Kodo, a group of
traditional Japanese drummers stormed the stage
and filled the hall with roaring primal vibrant
vibes, encouraging each other with enthusiastic
smiles and shouts.
Every year, Kodo, which translates
from Japanese as “heartbeat” or “children of
the drum,” leave their living-community in
Sado Island of Japan and perform around the
world as a part of their “One Earth” tours. On
March 17, the group brought their skill and
passion for drumming to the Kimmel Center in
Philadelphia.
The traditional Japanese drum, or “taiko,”
comes in different sizes and varies in depths of
sound. It is said that the sound of the “O-daiko,”
a drum 4-feet in diameter that is carved from a
single tree, has a soothing effect that resembles
the sound of a mother’s heartbeat as heard by
her unborn child in the womb.
With magnificent punctuality, ensembles
of drummers performed unique compositions
with a different variety of portable and staged
drums while other members prepared the stage
for following segments, creating a continuous
mesmerizing beat.
Each segment presented a fantastically
coordinated dialogue between the drummers
and a carefully crafted elegant chorography
that demanded physical strength, discipline and
zeal.
Showing exquisite control over their
instruments, the drummers incorporated the
sound of the instruments’ wooden sides and
even the sound of the drumsticks clunking
against each other. Some compositions also
incorporated flutes, traditional Japanese violin,
and vocals.
“Monochrome” featured seven drummers
who set in a row, each with a “shime-daiko,”
a 1-foot diameter roped drum. Tapping on the
drums together with interchanging strength and
(Photo courtesy of the Kimmel Center)
Two Kodo drummers beat on the O-daiko drum, a 4-foot drum carved from a
single tree.
rhythms, the ensemble animated the changing
of the seasons from drizzling rain through a
hailstorm and onto gentle dew drops.
“Jang-Gwara,”
another
unique
composition that was dedicated solely to metal
cymbals, opened with two musicians prancing
on the stage while clapping their cymbals. As
the two were joined by three others who were
also equipped with cymbals, all sat down and
captivated the audience with a wide range of
sounds and rhythms they produced with these
simple instruments.
Spicing the show with a dash of humor,
one of the segments featured three drummers
in a comic choreography, which was rewarded
by the audience with cheers and outbursts of
laughter.
A thrilling cultural experience, Kodo’s
dynamic pulsing on the ancient drums carried
a message of community and co-existence,
individuality and cooperation.
For more information visit www.kodo.
or.jp
Contact Lilach Assayag at
[email protected]
New ‘Fast & Furious’
stalls in the excitement lane
By Roger Moore
The Orlando Sentinel/MCT
(Photo courtesy of IMP Awards)
“Fast & Furious” is the fourth film in the “Fast/Furious” franchise, a tepid, repetitive and digitally augmented
hot cars-hot women thriller that might probably won’t give
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker the career boost that “The Fast
and the Furious” did.
“Fast & Furious” welcomes Diesel back into the franchise that made him — and shows that he’s lost his fastball. Reprising the hard-driving/hard-living Dom Torreto,
Diesel reduces his performance to stillness — long stares,
poses and limited bits of action. He’s not Eastwood, so this
approach has only limited success.
Dom and his team (Michelle Rodriguez and Sung
Kang, also back) are in that corner of the Dominican Republic that looks like the high desert of Mexico, hijacking
gasoline super-tanker trucks.
But the law is closing in on Dom, so he leaves his
woman behind and heads to Panama. A death back home
lures him to LA, where he vows revenge on the drug lord
who killed a loved one.
“Please, let this go,” his sister (Jordana Brewster)
pleads. He won’t.
Any more than F.B.I. agent Brian O’Conner (Walker)
will. He’s after the same mobster. And when these rivals
figure out that the Mexican mob needs fast drivers to deliver their drugs and that they choose those drivers in GPS-
The whitest jokes on TV
By Rich Macialek
McClatchy Newspapers
Ensemble sketch comedy is truly one the
greatest achievements of Western Civilization.
Take a handful of talented and funny people
(usually guys), allow them the freedom to write
their own material, and then let them act it out
on TV. When it works, it’s brilliant.
“The Whitest Kids U’Know” is the latest
example of this type of show and, true to form,
it’s brilliantly funny.
The main difference between an ensemble
sketch comedy show and, say, a sitcom is the
fact the actors are also the writers. That’s why
“Saturday Night Live” really doesn’t qualify
since its ensemble is always changing and they
have a separate writing staff.
“Monty Python’s Flying Circus” unwittingly combined all the elements that seem to make
a great ensemble sketch comedy show: surrealism, intelligence masquerading as eccentric idiocy, unusual plot structure, strange and unique
characters — and cross-dressing.
Started by Trevor Moore at the School of
Visual Arts in New York City, “The Whitest
Kids U’Know” consists of Moore, Sam Brown,
Zach Cregger, Timothy Williams and Darren
Trumeter. They started as an SVA club performing on campus, but then went independent of
the university to branch out to clubs and eventually to TV.
marked races through the crowded streets of Los Angeles,
it’s on.
These movies have always been about the “10 second
cars,” “tuners.” A Camero, Gran Torino, Mustang, Dodge
Charger and assorted indistinct imports take their bows.
Plot is secondary, the characters archetypal.
The performances have steadily fallen off as the movies Tokyo-drifted further away from that gonzo first film
(itself a remake of a B-movie from the ‘50s).
As right as it feels to have Diesel and Walker return to
the roles, “Fast & Furious” shows a serious downshift in
testosterone. Walker’s character no longer calls everybody
“Bro.” He wears a suit. Diesel, humbled by a career that
peaked right after the 2001 film, has lost his strut.
Too much happens as if by rote. Brian and Dom’s sister
need to hook up again. No rhyme or reason to it. They just
do.
And the racing and wrecks in this, the second Justin
Lin-directed installment in the series, are digital absurdities. The big action beat is a line of muscle cars hurtling
through an abandoned mine on the Mexican border.
Might Universal Studios have its next theme park ride
in mind?
Just enough of this works to keep this clunker out of
the ditch. But this one won’t have tuners from Tijuana to
Terre Haute tearing up the streets in imitation. When you’re
old enough to be nostalgic, you’re too old to tune.
FUSE broadcast the first season, but the
shows were heavily edited for profanity. Now
for the second season, the Independent Film
Channel is televising the shows uncut and uninterrupted. What you get is about twenty minutes
of totally weird humor.
Even though the show is mining familiar
comedic territory, it has had at least two TV
comedy firsts: a half-naked man wearing very
realistic breast prosthetics and a rap song about
getting high with dinosaurs. Fortunately not in
the same show. That would be too much.
The first one was in a sketch about a stripper
who had a price for everything. Unfortunately
for her prospective customers most of the things
she offered were more weird that arousing. For
$300 she would write you a speech and for $100
she’d staple her hands together.
As for the weed-smoking dinosaurs song
it was actually more like a bunch of guys in
hoodies and dinosaur masks, but where else do
you get to see an Allosaurus smoking? Plus, the
song was pretty good.
Probably their strangest sketches are about
presidential assassination. According to them
Lincoln was actually beaten to death with a
hammer while watching “Hamlet.” Of course
their version of Lincoln talks like a gangstawannabe and “Hamlet” is about vampires for
some reason.
Now their version of the events surrounding
the assassination of JFK includes a potato chipeating Vice-President Lyndon Johnson hassling
Lee Harvey Oswald like he was his teenage son,
and has Jackie Kennedy wanting to sing along
to the radio. The sketch then morphs into a duet
between Oswald and JFK about wanting to be
free or something.
That’s one thing this show gets right — surprising the audience with either a nice twist or
an oddball ending. You rarely know where a
sketch is going to lead.
April 8, 2009 Page 9
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April 08, 2009
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April 08, 2009 Page 11
SPORTS
Phantoms defeat
Adirondack with all
around performance
By Tim Brennan
Staff writer
Following a 3-0 loss, the DCCC Phantoms
baseball team responded on March 16, with
an impressive 8-2 home victory against
Adirondack Community College.
The Phantoms dominated from the mound,
in the field, and from the plate.
While the Phantoms did find themselves in
bases loaded jams during the first two innings,
they managed to battle their way out unscathed
as freshman starting pitcher Eric Hihn began to
settle down and the defense found their form.
They followed in the third by getting the
first three batters out at the plate and only facing
three in the fourth following a strike and a heads
up double play, catching a runner away from
first base.
The fifth was the only blemished inning for
the Phantoms pitching staff. Hihn surrendered
two runs in what would be his final inning
of a strong performance. In the end, Hihn
surrendered only two runs on six hits with four
strikeouts and two walks.
But the bats and cleats also came out to
play, as the Phantoms took the lead in the first
inning off an RBI single from No. 5, Joseph
Rawlings, that was set up by one of three stolen
bases in the inning.
Following a very quiet second inning, the
Phantoms bats exploded, adding one run in the
third, three in the fourth, and three more in the
fifth.
Rawlings led the way going 2-3 with three
RBI’s. Leadoff man Eric McAnally also had a
solid game going 1-1, drawing a walk, scoring
two runs, and stealing two bases.
The most eye popping hit, though, came
from center fielder Travis Wrambel in the fifth
inning. Wrambel blasted one to left center field
that fell just short of homerun territory and went
for a triple.
Wrambel is a player that team Coach Paul
Motta is very excited about and fully expects
to receive an athletic scholarship to a fouryear school after this season. “He’ll have more
scholarships than he can handle,” Motta said.
Motta coached the Phantoms for 38 years,
making them a main-stay in postseason play.
“Mr. Motta is like baseball God around
here,” said Andrew Johnson, director of
Wellness Athletics and Recreation. Johnson had
nothing but praise for the team describing them
as “the one team that consistently makes the
playoffs.”
Johnson also noted that the team is playing
more than half of their games out of conference
because they want to face better competition.
The team is loaded with position players,
he added, but doesn’t have many pitchers.
The lack of pitching depth however, didn’t
present itself on this day. After Hihn exited the
game, the bullpen took over and shut the game
down.
Andrew Grafstrom came in and pitched
well, going three innings surrendering no runs
or hits with one walk and one strikeout. Chad
(Photo by Tim Brennan)
Phantoms pitcher Eric Hihn following through on his delivery.
Sample then came in to close it out, surrendering
no runs, one hit and one walk.
With 11 freshmen on the team, Motta is
still searching for “the right combination of
infielders and outfielders,” with the hope and
expectation of making the playoffs this season.
Contact Tim Brennan at
[email protected]
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Page 12
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