the Current Issue ()
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the Current Issue ()
Welcome Back! SCC’s international students take a tour PAGE 4 TheEBBTIDE The student news Journal of shoreline Community College n www.shoreline.edu/ebbtide n october 5 – october 18, 2007 n Free The City takes it back: “Pit” closed indefinitely BY WES ABNEY BUSINESS MANAGER PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG Students were surprised at the beginning of this quarter to find “The Pit” parking lot closed indefinitely. Parking on the SCC campus will be limited this year as the upper campus parking area known as the “Pit” indefinitely closes starting this quarter. Overall congestion and a limited number of school-monitored parking spaces are making parking on campus a major ordeal. “I didn’t even bother coming around the campus for parking,” said current SCC student Jackie Foss. Her attitude has been strongly reflected among both students and staff at the college this quarter. With no prior warning of the Pit’s closure, the parking lockdown is a surprise for the majority of people associated with the school. While it may appear as a snap decision by both the city of Shoreline and SCC, the college administration has known of the closure since the spring quarter of last year. There was nothing unexpected for the administration as students were turned away from campus parking on the first day of fall classes. The Pit has been owned by the city of Shoreline since its incorporation in 1995. Since then, the school and the city have operated on reciprocity regarding the Pit. After over a decade of use by the college as a monitored and tolled parking area, the city of Shoreline has repossessed the Pit and denying campus use of the facilities. Signs listing the Pit as campus parking have not been removed. The same number of parking passes have been made available to students and no announcement was made to students before the first day of classes this quarter. “I didn’t realize what was going on with the Pit,” said SCC student Teela Ryan. “I didn’t know that the city was taking it away.” On the first day of fall classes, traffic advisors were posted at each entrance, turning students away from the school lots. Each was equipped with maps of campus parking and signs that read “Parking Lots Full.” “Many students have said that parking spaces have been unavailable,” said SCC Instructor Dr. Linda Warren. “At least five to six students have been coming in late to classes each day due to parking and congestion. It’s been causing lots of frustration.” For students intending to drive to school this year, there are several options that do not include fighting the SCC traffic battle. Shuttles are offered continuously from the Sears parking lot and the campus. There are also limited amounts of parking on residential streets within walking range of campus. “The shuttle does pick people up… but it’s still awkward and slow,” said Foss, “I paid for parking and I deserve to park on campus.” Club budgets axed by a third BY JONATHAN LAVIGNE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Clubs will have to make do with fewer funds this year when the student government changes the way that clubs are funded. For the second time in as many years, the SBA (Student Body Association) will cut allocated funds, this time from $750 to $500. In previous years, the budget for each club was $1,000. As SBA members explained in a press conference held on Monday, October 1 the reason for reducing the budget was to make the clubs more accountable for their expenses. According to a letter sent to club advisors on August 31, clubs will still be able to request additional funding if the need arises. The money will be placed in a “new and improved Club Supplemental budget,” said the letter. “This replaces the old fall Supplemental Budget.” This basically means that clubs still have funds available to them, but they will just have to ask for them. Fill out a few form, explain in detail what the money is needed for and what the clubs will get when the demands are met within reason. “This process will provide our students with the skill sets for applying for funding in their personal and professional lives,” according to the letter. There are many stipulations to what clubs can spend their money on. For example, Simi Gill of SCCANS (the Shoreline Community College Association of Nursing Students) explained that there are many items that clubs cannot spend their money on, “no gifts, no food and no celebrations.” SCCANS, a very active club on campus with approximately 200 members, gets guest speakers to come to campus to talk to the students. Nurses and medical professionals take their time, free of charge, to come and educate the aspiring nurses. As a thank you to the volunteers, a gift is usually given to them. This, according to the budget regulations, is against the rules. “We ended up paying for it from our own money,” said Gill. Chris Simons, the club advisor to the photo forum, is rather outspoken on the subject. “A few years ago, clubs used to get $5,000 a year, which allowed us to do road trips, visits to museums, even paying for travel expenses,” he said. “With clubs being limited to $500 a year, I don’t really see clubs doing much stuff off campus.” SCCANS tends to concentrate a great deal of their efforts on community service. Last year, they held a holiday fundraiser for families in need. Nearly $4,000 was given to six families in the form of Fred Meyer gift certificates. “They (the SBA) have a reason for it (the budget cuts). We will just have to work harder with our fundraisers. No doubt in my mind that we will be able to keep up our work in the community and within our club,” said Gill. “It’s not like we can do much about it. We have a great group of people in our club, we will make do with what we’ve got.” PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN September has come and gone... So where’s our PUB? PUB still not ready BY SCOTT STILLWELL STAFF REPORTER The PUB is still being built, but the delays haven’t been without cause. A tight labor market has impeded the construction process by forcing the school’s administration to wait for available workers. Asbestos was discovered in the bottom level of the PUB, which required the site to be shut down while it was cleaned up. Also, our region was at the mercy of an intense amount of precipitation last year, which periodically slowed all progress while workers waited for conditions to change so they could resume construction. The projected completion date of the PUB is December 20, which offers over two weeks of operation for the PUB utilities, ensuring that by the time students come back to campus in January, they will be able to enjoy the services of a new and improved PUB. Though it has been a long time in the making, the completion of the remodel will be something for students and faculty alike to look forward to. Once finished, the PUB promises a relaxed atmosphere with improved accommodations such as new furniture, more study space and most importantly, a large selection of new foods. Chartwells, a worldwide food distributor, has been negotiating a contract with the school. Pending its resolution, it will provide the new food services. Stuart Trippel, the acting vice president for administrative services describes the administration’s Continued on page 2. See PUB INDEX OP-ED..... 3 FEATURE.. 4-7 A&E........ 8 TECH....... 9 SPORTS... 10,11 ETC......... 12 NEWS Campus Briefs Honors program no longer a big question Open Position SCC’s Student Body Association is on a search for a Secretary—so what are you waiting for? Think you’re an extraordinary note-taker? Enjoy discussing the campus’ pressing issues? Then apply for the Secretary position in the Student Body Association (SBA). Applications are currently available in Room 2935 and will be due at noon on Wednesday, October 15th. Interviews with potential candidates will be scheduled on weekdays from Thursday, October 8th to Monday, October 22nd. The year’s Secretary will be announced at the Senate Meeting on Wednesday, October 24th. By Janelle Kohner Staff Reporter Impending UCC meeting The time has come again for all SCC club representatives to convene and discuss questions, comments and concerns at the United Club Council (UCC) meeting. Although the location for the meeting is still undecided, it will most likely be held in the 2800 building from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10th. All campus clubs must send at least one representative to this meeting. Shoreline’s Honors Program has managed to remain fairly unheard of around the school despite its birth last year. According to Kenny Lawson, founder of the Honors Program, “The overall goal is to provide students with a more rich and deep experience in their studies.” The program this year will consist of four classes taken over the course of four quarters beginning in spring 2008 and ending in spring 2009. To be accepted into the Honors Program, it is recommended that students have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Even so, Lawson says, “we want the program to be relatively open, we don’t want to make the GPA a barrier” so as not to hold anyone back from higher learning just because of a slightly low GPA. The program also accepts letters from teachers recommending certain student to the program. Students who qualify based on their GPA will have letters sent to their residences at the end of the fall quarter so that they can use the winter quarter to decide whether or not they would like to enter the program. The Honors Program begins with a five-credit Cornerstone class taught by teachers from around the school. In the class, students are urged to think about a big question. A two-credit Seminar class that requires students to complete a project based on the big question that they were considering in the Cornerstone course follows. Then the Seminar transitions to Colloquia, another five-credit class. In Colloquia, students receive instruction in speech, but the class is more focused on analyzing public speakers. The students are expected to witness and properly analyze public speakers around the Seattle area. The final quarter of the Honors Program consists of a three-credit Capstone course dedicated to building on the student’s previous Seminar project. This time, the student works one-on-one with a teacher on their project to ensure the best results. The Honors Program started in the winter quarter of 2006. Most students who were invited into the Honors Program found out about their acceptance after they had registered for other winter quarter classes. This year, “I think we Dearest Fellow Collegians, Cookies for blood Free cookies for everyone! All you have to do is give blood. The human body contains on average approximately 6 quarts of the precious fluid, surely you can spare a little to help those in need. Blood donations will be accepted in the upper west side parking lot next to the Zero Energy house on Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Sign up and give the gift of life! Contact Lisa Smith at 546-4654 or by email at [email protected] for more information. The Ebbtide is hiring! Visit room 1502 or email us at webbtide@ yahoo.com have our timing down a little bit better,” said Lawson. The Honors Program had a mere 15 students registered last year, but Lawson claims that the size was appropriate since the program was in its grassroots stage. “Now that we’re more clear, I hope to get more publicity,” stated Lawson. For the students who are invited into the Honors Program, it may be a concern that all of the honors credits are electives. To accommodate the desires of more students, the Honors Program has had one class eliminated since last year, although the number of required credits (15) remained the same. Lawson would also like it to be known that “We (the Honors Program) do, at least for this spring, have money available to pay for the honors credits. We’re able to do that due to money that was donated to the program from someone in the community.” For all interested students, this spring will be the ideal quarter to challenge oneself by applying for SCC’s Honors Program. Presidential Address Coming Out Day Come to the Board Room in the 1000 building on Thursday, October 11th to celebrate Coming Out Day. The festivities will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Barb Clark-Elliott, a PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) MOM will be present to enlighten attendees with invigorating stories of her personal experiences and her never-ending support for the PFLAG organization. This event is free for all to attend. Spindrift #1! Woot! Shoreline Community College’s own Spindrift landed first place yet again as best literary magazine in the Pacific Western division. This is a great and well deserved honor for Cynthia Mullis, Hannah Olson, Jenica Sherman, Erika Rado, and Raven Gildea, as well as their faculty advisors, Deborah Handrich and Christine Shafner who beat out thousands of other eligible colleges in seven states for the coveted prize. The Spindrift has placed in the top three for three years running. PHOTO BY LINDSAY GINN Honors program founder Ken Lawson. PHOTO BY DAVID KASNIC Ivanhoe: Not your stereotypical fat-cat insistent on reinforcing the capitalist hegemony. My name is Ivanhoe, and I am the Student Body Association president. For those accusing me of being a “one-namer” like Cher, Sinbad or Esquivel, I actually do have three names—Andrew Scott Ivanhoe—with Ivanhoe being my surname. But I have been going by Ivanhoe for almost half my life, and consider it my adopted first name. I ran for student government because I love this school, the quality of the education and student life we have here. My advice to you is to take full advantage of your time here. Shoreline Community College is not merely a means of getting a certificate, diploma or a sweet university transfer, although this is certainly a great place to do those. Shoreline Community College is a place to live in the present and experience the excitement of learning and be part of a dynamic community. My goal is to help leave this campus a more integrated, sustainable and vibrant place than when I came to it. I want to give you the opportunities to make a difference in others’ lives, in your immediate community and in the world. Academics is about more than passing your classes and getting degrees; it’s about taking charge of your own education and mak- ing it as personally fulfilling as possible. My job is to represent you when I speak to the school administration and to members of the community. But I am only one individual. I am not Korean, disabled, 19 years old or in the CEO program, and I most certainly am not you. Therefore, it is also my job to connect you with ways to be active members of the campus. Without your help, the student government will only be able to represent those of us in it. Come to me and I can appoint you to a college governance committee, help you start a club or pass your opinions along to those who need to hear them. I am a Seattle native, 28 years old, and pursuing a degree in Library & Information Science. I worked at a local independent video store for 12 years and studied at a film school in Vancouver, B.C. for one year. For fun, I love playing badminton, speaking Esperanto, eating vegetarian food, doing community service and watching C-SPAN. Please drop by Room 2935 and get to know your student government. Your humble servant, Ivanhoe [email protected] (206) 546-6997 PUB continued from Page 1 “By the time students come back to campus in January, they will be able to enjoy the services of a new, improved PUB” dealings with Chartwells as “very positive.” Trippel is careful to state that the contract is still being negotiated, but he doesn’t believe there is any reason why dealing with Chartwells should fall through. Students will be able to look forward to a wide selection of diverse, healthy foods in a new cafeteria, which is specifically designed to suit the many dining choices Chartwells will provide. Trippel is aware of the need for a healthy selection of food at the school, given n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 past disapproval of cafeteria options. “We want to be able to accommodate people as best as we can,” he states. The menu Chartwells has put together for the school is evidence of this, offering everything from New York-Style pizza made available from the Trattoria Pizza/Pasta menu, to the Outtakes ‘Grab-N-Go’ options, which provides quick dining solutions, including sandwiches, salads, bottled beverages, baked goods and more. For new students, the sight of a large, unfinished building, surrounded by caution tape and detour routes is less than welcoming. For returning students, the project is another chapter in the renovation story that has been an ongoing affair for over a year now. Either way, few would disagree that the building of the new PUB has been a long, drawn out affair, which has been the source of many annoying setbacks in campus navigation. The remodel, which began in early summer 2006, OPINIONS A 40-year legacy down the drain? By Lavi aulck Sports editor We don’t often know what we have until it’s gone. Whether we realize it or not, the city of Seattle is primed to lose its oldest professional sports franchise, and along with it, 40-plus years of tradition, memories, and happiness. In July of last year, the Seattle Super Sonics were purchased by an ownership group from Oklahoma City. Although they have stated that their intentions are to keep the team in Seattle, their words slowly seemed to be getting farther and farther from the truth. Soon, the ownership group gave the city a deadline of October 31st to provide funding for a new arena or else it will seek a new home for the team. The impact of losing the Sonics can’t be understated. We must realize that we aren’t losing a sports franchise–we are losing a proven social and economic commodity. We need to understand that the impact of losing the Sonics will be felt beyond the realm of sports; it will also be felt in hearts and wallets of Seattleites. According to a task force assembled by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, the Sonics have a total economic impact of about $235 million per year. This economic impact is comparable to both the Seahawks and the Mariners. In addition, the task force concluded that the Key Arena, the current home of the Sonics, produces over 3,250 jobs and over $100 million find solutions.” in labor income for King County After the Sonics were sold, alone. Robinson and fellow businessman Socially, the Sonics serve as Steven Pyeatt started the SOS means through which citizens organization with a mission to can connect regardless of race, “demonstrate the great cultural gender, wealth and age. For kids, value and civic pride associated the Sonics give something to hope with professional basketball in for, a reason to stay out of trouble the Puget Sound region.” and a positive example to look up Having grown up near SCC, to. For the city, the Sonics give Robinson believes that as a comimmeasurable charitable support munity, we need to “raise our while holding our only profession- standards and demand to keep al sports championship and all our amenities.” A valid argument the memories that 40-plus years against him doesn’t exist, though could possibly hold. many may argue the points of fan “They have a 40 year legacy,” support and the team’s lack of resays Brian Robinson, a local busi- cent success. nessman and co-founder of the We need to understand that evSave Our Sonics Organization. “I ery franchise goes through crests don’t think we should let go of any and troughs, and as a city, we have civic interests. It doesn’t make been too quick to abandon our sense. Seattle is going to be ques- teams when they fail to succeed. tioned whether it’s really a top It only took one unsuccessful tier city if we continue to fail to season for the ill-fated Seattle Pilots to leave Seattle and change their name to the Brewers and our now-beloved, then-abandoned Seahawks would be in Los Angeles had it not been for legal action taken by the city in the mid-90s. Whether directly or indirectly, fan support played a major role in both situations and the situation with the Sonics calls for no different. We need to rally behind the Sonics, not for the millionaire owners and athletes, but for ourselves and future generations. It’s the fans and the people of Seattle that will ultimately decide the fate of the Sonics and it’s for the fans that the Sonics should stay. It’s time to step up and speak up. Robinson says that “(Sonics) ownership wants to present that people don’t care, that people want to see (the Sonics) leave and that’s not the truth. We need to stay really vocal.” Taking a quick few minutes to visit saveoursonics.org and sign up for alerts would be an excellent first step. Voicing our opinions to our councilmen, representatives, and senators would be the next. We need to understand that letting this team go will tarnish this city economically, hurt this city and have a drastic impact on its social future. Our ignorance can and will rob future generations of an integral part of our community that has been at the heart of our city for over 40 years. We need to respond to this SOS. Please, people, Save Our Sonics. MAN ON THE STREET “How do you feel about the closure of the pit parking lot?” TheEBBTIDE Volume 43, Number 1 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JONATHAN LAVIGNE DESIGN DIRECTOR BILL FANARAS COPY EDITOR VIVIAN LUU A&E EDITOR STAFF SPORTS EDITOR LAVI AULCK PHOTO EDITOR DENNIE CHONG WEBMASTER SEAN MCCALLUM BUSINESS MANAGER WES ABNEY DISTRIBUTION MANAGER AIMEE ZHANG FACULTY ADVISOR PATTI JONES STAFF DANIEL BERMAN DAN GAYLE LINDSAY GINN DAVID KASNIC JANELLE KOHNERT GILLIAN LIM JOE LOUIE LACEY PENNER SCOTT STILWELL SPENCER WEINBENDER ERIC YANG The Ebbtide is the official student newspaper of Shoreline Community College (SCC). Opinions published within do not represent the views of the Ebbtide staff or it’s representatives of SCC. Visit www.shoreline.edu/ebbtide The online edition of The Ebbtide contains everything you see in print, plus extra features, more photos, and coverage of late breaking events that occur after the print addition goes to press. Be sure to click by sometime! David Deisenroth “I honestly couldn’t care less because I dont drive, but if I did I would be pissed having to search around for a parking spot or having to walk up the stairs from the Greenwood parking lot.” Dan Henderson: It’s making students’ life more complicated. We have other things to worry about than whether we’ll be able to park in the morning. Sang Lee: I have to get here at 8am for my 11:30 class just so I can get a parking spot. EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO MY OPINION “I have a parking spot. Do you?” By dan gayle CONTRIBUTING WRITER I ride a motorcycle. You don’t. I get free parking. You don’t. I have a nice parking spot next to most buildings. You don’t. But don’t worry, you do have an added benefit that I don’t: you get to park in the Sears lot and catch a shuttle every morning! Oh, pooh. I SO wanted to have to catch a shuttle. Okay, I know I’m being an ass, but the principle of the thing is sound. It REALLY is more convenient for me to ride a motorcycle. I should know, because I’m a convert myself. I’d slogged through the parking mess for two years until my trusted rusted Volvo finally decided to call it quits. When that happened, I decided to entrust my transportation to the #5 Metro Bus from Downtown Seattle. (Never, never, never again. I actually like riding the bus, but the #5 is an exercise in futility.) Last spring, I decided that enough was enough. I went down to Lake City Powersports and bought myself a nice, midnight blue Kawasaki, and let me tell you, I’ve loved every minute of it. Sure, there are some downfalls of riding the ole’ Kow. The rain, for instance, sucks. But get yourself some wet weather riding gear and you’re set. Speaking of gear, make sure it’s warm, because you won’t be enclosed in a cozy, warm cage like the rest of the birds (automo- Miya Shoffit “We need more parking.” Contact The Ebbtide: Shoreline Community College 16101 Greenwood Ave N Rm 1502 Shoreline, WA 98133 [email protected] 206-546-4730 Submissions from students, faculty, staff and administration is welcomed and highly encouraged. All articles, letters to the editor, artwork and/or photographs must include the contributors name and phone number for verification. Submissions are subject to editing for clarity and content. Articles and letters should be 350 or less. Art and photography should be submitted as high resolution .tif files. biles) hogging the roads. Ah, but the benefits! As I already mentioned, your parking problem is no longer a problem. Your wallet will also remain considerably heavier, since you can go 100-200 miles on $12 worth of petroleum. (Compare THAT to your To advertise contact us at rust bucket car, I DARE you.) [email protected] By riding a motorcycle, you get to see more sights, hear more sounds, smell more smells and generally have a good time alone with your thoughts. (Ed. Note: Unless you’re like our dear Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Lavigne, and you’re AFRAID of the voices in your head.) Get yourself a motorcycle and some warm riding gear. I guarantee that you won’t have to Copyright © 2007 hustle for a parking spot. Plus, when it comes The Ebbtide to being on time, anything beats the good ole’ Metro #5. OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n FEATURES “It’s fantastic” International students receive warm welcome to campus BY VIVIAN LUU COPY EDITOR International Students from campus recently ventured on a tour of Seattle. Co-sponsored by the SCC’s Multicultural/Diversity Education Center and International Programs department, the tour provided students with an insight into life in the Seattle area, and brought students to Pike Place Market, Westlake Center, Seattle Center and Alki Beach. Over 50 students marveled at the astonishing views of the towering buildings, appalling architecture and throng of active pedestrians as tour buses came to a stop on the busy streets of Seattle. Attendees were divided into two groups in order to facilitate more interaction between International Program Mentors (a.k.a. “IPMs”), Campus Ambassadors, Student Advisors and International Students. One group started their tour in the hustle and bustle of Pike Place Market, while the other group began their adventure at Westlake Center. Later, members from both tour groups came together at Seattle Center to experience the famous International Fountain and to take group photos. Their day’s journey came to an close when the buses landed on Alki Beach, giving students and guides an opportunity to play group activities that included a combination of Amoeba Wars and Musical Chairs, in addition to enjoying a panoramic view of Downtown Seattle. When students were asked about their impressions of Downtown Seattle and the Seattle Tour, they remarked in astonishment. “It’s fantastic,” says Tim Chen, “It’s my first time here, so going PHOTO BY HAKSON TEH The SCC IPMs, College Ambassadors and Cecelia Martinez (head of Multicultural Center), celebrate after a succesful international student orientation. on the tour is very good.” Several touristas also took mental notes on the Seattle aesthetics. Claire Boediarto said, “It’s colder, but cleaner,” as she perused the eclectic boutiques in Pike’s Place Market. Yuki Ho and Kaho Ng also noted that “the view is attractive and the air is fresh.” Overall, students received a very friendly and welcoming impression of the city’s social environment. “You can find a lot of different people (in Seattle),” said Fung Cheung and Franco Wong as they enjoyed live, upbeat street music in front of a crowded Starbucks coffee shop. When Andhika Pudjiadi compared his experiences in the U.S. with those in his native country, he said, “In Indonesia, people really stick with people they know. Things are really different here because everybody is willing to get along with everyone else.” The Seattle Tour served as an pleasant finale to the International Student Orientation Program (ISOP) orientation week. New students from abroad are advised through this comprehensive orientation one week before the start of each academic quarter. The program directs students through a battery of placement tests in order to guide them into classes that are appropriate for their academic standing. Students also attend a 30-minute meeting with an advisor to receive additional assistance for their academic planning. The orientation also familiarizes new students with the social environment on campus, in addition to acquainting them with other International Students and student leaders such as the International Program Mentors and Campus Ambassadors. “It was very nice,” said James Huang. “The IPMs care about the new students very much.” However, the orientation also received quite a bit of criticism. “It was boring, actually,” said Ryan Fong. Several students shared Fong’s views on the week’s progression. “We tried our best to make it (the orientation) interesting by breaking it up and having fun ac- tivities that get the students moving,” says Colleen Ferguson, the assistant director of international education, “but by law, we have certain things we have to cover with them.” Ferguson asserts that the orientation wasn’t all fun and games. SCC is required by state and federal legislatures to provide their International Students with information on living in the states, traveling and registration requirements for maintaining the status of their Visa. Sitting through these presentations can be rather dull. On a happier note, Ferguson believes that students may have felt bored because they were already acquainted with the information presented at the program. Ferguson emphasized, “This group of students seemed more responsible and savvy than past groups.” Incoming students scored surprisingly high on their English placement tests. Some individuals were actually placed into English classes that were beyond the ESL series offered at SCC. In spite of this, the orientation also needed to focus on students who were still developing their English skills, and thus proceeded in a slow and comprehensible manner so that all incoming International Students will be able to make the best of their time at SCC. The notion of living abroad and being disconnected from our native culture is somewhat daunting, but this is reality for the International Students at SCC this quarter. When asked to give students one piece of advice that will travel with them for years to come, Ferguson suggested that they “get involved... outside of their classroom.” “A Wii for the wise” By dan gayle CONTRIBUTING WRITER So you want a Wii, eh? Good luck. If you’re like many people in the area, you’re going to run up against a huge problem. Demand that has outstripped Supply. If you’ve ever taken an economics class, you know that means one of two things: Either you pay an exorbitant markup at one of the few available merchants who just so happens to carry one of your prized Nintendo Wii consoles, or you go home crying without one. Alone and lonely. Ah, yes. That sucks. Who’s Wii-nning the battle? Console August (units) Sales Total Sales Wii 403,600 >4 million Xbox 360 276,000 6.3 million PS3 130,600 1.75 million Stats according to the NPD Group My friend’s wife decided that she needed a Wii. No problem, right? Just head over to Best Buy and pick one up. Oops! Sold out! Her devoted husband has an Excel spreadsheet that lists most of the electronics retailers in the Greater Seattle area, with nice little notes that say “N/A” or “On Order.” Not a single one of the retailers he has called has the little-big console in stock. The demand is so great that most stores simply won’t have one available no matter how hard a person searches. Trying online, you find many merchants, merchants that you certainly have never heard of, that say they have the console available. Of course, you’ll also have to pay this mysterious unknown merchant about $200 more than list price, but hey, convenience like this doesn’t come cheap, buddy. But not to worry. I have found a possible way to purchase a Wii, but it is not for the faint of heart. You have your pen and paper ready? First, you need to have a friend who is an editor for a technology/geek culture website. Second, that friend has to have a friend who just so happens to work at Nintendo. Third, the console has to be purchased at the employee-only Nintendo store, sold to your editor friend as a favor, with the console then to be handed over from your friend for cold, hard cash. Hey, I never said it was going to be easy. The moral of the story? Start shopping now for the holidays by making friends with editors at geek culture websites that are frequented by employees at Nintendo. You can almost smell that Wii, can’t you? n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG Wii Boxing aptly demostrated by Yuri Mizusawa of the Japanese Culture Club FACES ON CAMPUS Jane Winslow “All women who wanted to enter the cathedral were required to have their heads covered. The only spare piece of clothing she had on was a forest green REI raincoat.” BY SARA MARTINELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG Jane Winslow in her office with some of her prized possessions. In a cozy office in the Communications Building sits Jane Winslow: photographer, professor, globetrotter and opera singer. The SCC Video Production instructor, who has a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and a Master’s degree in Mass Communication. She expresses her creativity in any way she can. She travels around the world frequently, documenting landscapes and cultures that most people will never witness. With her digital camera in hand, she snapped a photo of a pre-adolescent Tibetan monk lifting his deep red robes slightly as he walks, revealing shiny new tennis shoes. The photo hangs on her office wall along with Tibetan prayer flags and a large black and white poster of “Thelma and Louise” the size of a small table. Last year, Winslow trekked through the Chinese province of Yunnan, fending off landslides in an area known as Tiger Leaping Gorge. One time, while roaming through the streets of Yalta, a Ukrainian city on the coast of the Black Sea, Winslow spotted a cathedral that she wanted to photograph. However, one problem loomed in front of her: all women who wanted to enter the cathedral were required to have their heads covered. The only spare piece of clothing she had on was a forest green REI raincoat, which she tied around her head. “I don’t think anyone noticed. The cathedral was so crowded.” she says, laughing. Winslow funds such trips through the frequent flier miles that she racked up as a professional trainer for high-end broadcasting corporations like the BBC. The rest, she says, comes from her adamant financial savings—solely for the purpose of traveling. “The more I see, the longer my travel list becomes for places I want to go.” says Winslow, adding that she often holds a strong desire to revisit an area after she leaves it. In addition to her love for photographing the people and places she meets on her travels, Winslow enjoys teaching women’s issues workshops as well as video production classes, which is her main focus at SCC right now. “I enjoy the heck out of teaching.” Winslow divulges with a grin. With all the joys that Winslow experienced in her teaching career, there have also been some major disappointments. The most significant and common one has been lack of enthusiasm in a few of the classes she taught. Winslow, who describes teaching as a joy, says that it’s extremely discouraging as a teacher to hear students ask, “How can I get a good grade?” rather than having a general excitement for the subject. “It’s like pulling a car with brakes on through the sand,” Winslow notes. Despite a few disappointments in her teaching career, Winslow continues to hold a passion for life. She recently channeled her creative energy into submitting some of her photography to the Art Xchange in downtown Seattle, and was shocked when her photos were accepted. There, among the work of artists from all over the world, are photos that, like Winslow, open up doors—doors through which views of faraway lands and cultures that can be witnessed by those of us who could—but will probably never see. Amelia Acosta “The water was undrinkable, the electricity only stayed on for 12 hours during the day and there were definitely no luxuries such as hair dryers and curling irons in sight.” BY HOLLY HENDRICKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER When you walk into the classroom of Amelia Acosta, a short woman with long, brown hair greets you with an “¡Hola!” and a smile. A sense of comfort and familiarity overwhelms you. An upbeat, energetic and cheerful voice fills the air from a friendly woman in an Eyore sweatshirt and jeans. This is the classroom of Spanish professor Amelia Acosta. Acosta had wanted to teach since she was a little girl, living in Los Angeles, California. Since the days of forcing her brother to play school with her as a young child, Acosta knew that this was always what she wanted to do. Her grandmother, who was a Spanish professor at a nearby college, always influenced Acosta. She says, “I never contemplated doing anything else.” When Acosta was 18, she attended college at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, a small town about 45 miles south of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/ St. Paul). She later had trouble deciding between majoring in English or Spanish. In the end, Acosta chose Spanish when she attended the University of California Santa Barbra for graduate school, where she became a teaching assistant. After graduating, Acosta started her Spanish career by tutoring students in California. She eventually moved to Seattle because she was offered a teaching position at Shoreline Community College, where she has been instructing for the past ten years. The requirements for a Spanish major include studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. Acosta chose to study in Santa Domingo, a city in the Dominican Republic for one semester of her final year at St. Olaf. While she was there, she had many eyeopening experiences. The water was undrinkable, the electricity only stayed on for 12 hours during the day and there were definitely no luxuries such as hair dryers and curling irons in sight. She couldn’t even wear her contacts while she was there because she didn’t know if she would have pure enough water to wash them in. Overall, she counted it as a great experience and a once-ina-lifetime opportunity. The experience helped her realize that she took many things for granted back home in the states. Ever since studying abroad, Acosta has wanted to design a study abroad program to bring this experience to students. Shoreline Community College works with other local community colleges to offer study abroad programs for the students, but even though Acosta would love to instruct in one, she doesn’t seem to have enough time to make that happen. Acosta also traveled to many cities in Spain, and the Dominican Republic. Her favorite destination was Mexico because her father is from there and she has strong emotional ties to the country. The two main cities she stayed in were Chihuahua and Durango, although she has also spent some time in other areas as Mexico City. “The bigger cities look just like any other big city except the billboards are in a different language,” said Amelia, “the smaller towns are where you get the flavor.” PHOTO BY DAVID KASNIC Amelia Acosta peers from behind a book. OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n TECHNOLOGY A clear inequality BY JONATHAN LAVIGNE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF One of the hot topics in the media last year was the issue of net neutrality and how we had to protect it. Arguments were filed, battles were fought and petitions were signed. On Thursday September 6th, the following happened: “The Justice Department this week issued its support for a tiered approach to Internet service, and said that the imposition of net neutrality laws would hinder the continued growth of the Web.”-Chloe Albanesius, PCmag. com (Sept ‘07) “The Justice Department today said Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic.”-Dibya Sarkar, Seattle Times “The Bush administration believes that government regulators should be “highly skeptical” of net-neutrality regulations and instead rely on competition to protect consumers.”-ZDnet.co.uk To understand the implications of this, one must first understand what net neutrality is. When people access the Internet, each site gets to download at the same speed using the same amount of bandwidth no matter who you are, and hence the neutrality. Thus, when you open up a page like bobs-hardware.com for example, it should load on your screen at the same speed as aol.com. Of course, the speed at which a page opens might make it seem like certain pages load at different rates, but that has nothing to do with bandwidth allowances. It’s all about page content. Your friend’s page on Myspace.com with images and videos WILL load slower than someone who just has a colored background. Again, it’s all about content. That’s where the problem is surfacing. A handful of major broadband ISPs (Internet Service Providers) (i.e., Comcast, AT&T, Verizon) are lobbying congress to allow them to sell faster speeds to certain pages. So let’s say you try and open a page for a certain major electronics store. Let’s call it store A, who does pay for the service. But local electronic store; let’s call it store B, doesn’t. When a consumer is looking to purchase a new home computer for example, and he tries searching through Store B, the page may take forever to load, so he visits Store A’s site and everything is available instantly. It creates a unleveled playing field in the market place. But the problems do not end there. If the ISPs have control over the rates that you can gain access to certain sites, it can also censor the sites you have access too by giving you no access to it. Let’s say that ISP-A is a relatively conservative organization and deems Internet pornography to be indecent. All it has to do is shut the bandwidth allotments and the porn will no longer be accessible. Another example of ISP-driven censorship lies in politics. If ISPA believes that Candidate #1 is better, it can simply deny access to all of Candidate #2’s websites. Everyone has his or her preferred search engine, whether it’s Yahoo, WebCrawler, MSN, Google or anything else. Without web neutrality, an ISP can accept money from a search engine to accelerate it and slow down or cut off the bandwidths of other engines. Revoking net neutrality is akin to censorship on a very grand scale. It allows the power and freedom to choose, to lay not in the hands of the consumer, but in the hands of the companies. It also creates an unfair and unbalanced marketplace. For more information, please visit the following websites: http://www.savetheinternet.com/ http://www.google.com/help/netneutrality.html http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/ net/neutrality.html Now Hiring! Editor-In-Chief The Ebbtide Applications can be picked up on the door of Room 1502. For more information; call Patti Jones at 206-546-5877 or e-mail the Ebbtide at [email protected]. DEADLINE OCTOBER 10 n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 www.ppww.org 1.800.230.PLAN 3.75x5LCnew.indd 2 8/29/07 2:13:35 PM ARTS & ENERTAINMENT Sam Scott’s ceramics show at SCC By Janelle Kohner Staff Reporter Sam Scott, whose work is currently featured in the College Gallery (located in the 1000 building), has been working with clay and porcelain for the past 39 years. He was officially introduced to pottery in high school when his mother advised him to take a pottery class instead of typing. Later, while Scott was spending time in the ceramics room because of a girl, he was forced by a teacher to make pottery. Since then, he’s been thoroughly seduced by the art of clay. Scott went on to have his work displayed in countless galleries, including the Smithsonian Institution, and to teach first at Everett Community College, occa- sionally at the UW and currently at SCC, where he instructs ceramics classes every Monday and Wednesday night. His display in the College Gallery, “Sam Scott: 36 years with Clay,” shows work from 1971 when he focused on stoneware, in addition to his projects from this year, when he worked mostly with porcelain. Two porcelain plates inspired by computers and the Mandelbrot set and created this year entitled “Global Warning” and “Nation Building” show Scott’s more developed political and modern style. The abstract designs of tiny computer chips and shooting soldiers stamped in black glaze into the white porcelain of “Nation Building” send a straightforward message to observers about the U.S. occupation of Iraq. “Global Warning” is also engraved with computer chips, with the compounds of greenhouse gases written near a ruler, all in black glaze on the same porcelain white background. According to Scott, the key on each plate is “the key to success, it’s the key to figuring out the problem,” though much of his work can be interpreted in a more literal manner. Among Scott’s favorite pieces displayed in the gallery is a set of tiles framed by wood that are being displayed here for the first time. “It wasn’t until this year that I realized ‘yeah, I like that’,” he said. “I like it because its indicative of that time and style.” The 31 years of growth in Scott’s work between his 2007 porcelain plates and 1970s tiles are readily apparent. “The work evolves in a stylistic genre, but then you try something completely different,” Scott stated. His career clearly demonstrates his ability to change with his art and to gain control over the unpredictable variables that sometimes stand in an artist’s way. After observing other artists struggle with mistakes and after so many years of clay crafting behind him, Scott realizes, “the process is an inspiration.” Scott’s pottery will be displayed in the College Gallery until October 29 th and is worth observing for anyone who values a dynamic selection of art. LEFT: SAM SCOTT PROUDLY STANDS BY HIS POTS. BELOW: SCOTT’S MORE MODERN WORKS USE BLACK GLAZE ON PORCELAIN. PHOTOS BY DENNIE CHONG 4&"55-&8&&,-:1300''03:063"11307"1-&"4&$0/5"$5648*5):063$033&$5*0/4#&'03&1..0/%": *'8&%0/05)&"3'30.:06#:5)*4%&"%-*/&8&8*--"446.&5)&3&"3&/0 $033&$5*0/4"/%:063"%7&35*4&.&/58*--36/"44$)&%6-&%5IBOLZPV '03%&1"35.&/564&0/-: O "11307&%CZ@@@@@@@@@@@@ 8-08-07 Relationship Research Institute 2x6.25” (1/4V) BW Jessica/Neil 00001251 Are you experiencing DIFFICULTY in your relationship? ... d e n i e r ’ o t i u Yo Inv to J Come watch Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers as they take on the Denver Broncos at our Monday Night Football Watch Party and Info Session at Qwest Field. Learn about the $15,000 Scholarship and meet faculty and alumni. Score autographed Seahawks memorabilia, while dining on restaurant cuisine created by the amazing Chefs of Levy Restaurants. Test your knowledge in a Sports Trivia Contest and meet Seattle Seahawks players. If you . . . - Are at least 18 years old - Are currently in a relationship that you have been in for at least a year - And your partner have at least one child together who is 12 years old or younger - Experience some disagreement or conflict in your relationship - And your partner have a total income less than $40,000/year . . . we invite you to learn more about how to participate in the Couples in Conflict: Creating Healthy Relationships Research Study. Online Registration Required (before October 23rd) October 29th Participants will receive: - Tools and useful information developed by Dr. John Gottman about how to improve conflict resolution and parenting - Compensation for their time and involvement - Referrals to community resources Free Event! To learn more, please contact the Relationship Research Institute 1-888-6Couple / (1-888-626-8753) www.rrinstitute.com / [email protected] un·der·grad schol·ar·ship www.CityU.edu/watchparty 888-41-CityU City University of Seattle is a not-for-profit and an Equal Opportunity institution accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. 1924 Credits & Disclaimers Funding for this project was provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant: 90OJ2022 Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Flaming Lips Roll in Seattle! By dennie chong photo editor The Flaming Lips brought their colorful, live show to a very receptive Seattle crowd a couple of weeks ago. If you’ve never heard about the Flaming Lips or their live shows, then the sign on the door at the Paramount Theatre will give you a small hint as what to expect. “Strobe lights in use throughout performance” might have been an understatement for the visually and emotionally rich show that the Flaming Lips put on. Not only were they backed with strobe lights and a large video screen, but their show also includes costumed dancers drawn from the audience, fake smoke, lots of confetti and balloons and the lead singer crowd surfing in a giant plastic bubble. But it’s not just the stage show that helped the band gain so many faithful fans. Despite odd sounding songs and album names like “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”, the Lips’ blend of catchy beats, interesting music and optimistic lyrics have fans following them around parts of the country. The Flaming Lips’ biggest single and video was probably “She Don’t Use Jelly” from the early nineties. However, this is a band that’s been around for over 20 years. They have morphed from their early career of punk/guitar/garage band songs to parking lot experiments with boom boxes, and now into what some would call “pop orchestral masterpieces.” At the Paramount Theatre show, they performed a variety of songs from their career and it helped make the show sonically interesting. Although they are currently touring to promote their recently released live DVD “U.F.O’s at the Zoo: The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City,” it was great to hear them play songs from older releases like “Zaireeka” and “In a Priest Driven Ambulance.” Another attraction to their live shows is the audience “sing-along” aspect that has been added during certain songs. At times it was encouraged by lead singer Wayne Coyne, like for “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song… (With All Your Power),” but at other times it was done from the fandom of songs like “Free Radicals” or “Yoshimi….” One of the few criticisms that I’ve heard about the Flaming Lips’ live show is that Coyne’s singing voice is a little weak. At the Paramount show, I thought that Coyne’s voice was in great form. Steven Drozd displayed his musical versatility and genius as he played the guitar, keyboard and sang vocals. Drozd was very subtle and creative with his singing and noise making, but that didn’t overpower or ruin any of the music. PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips surfs the Seattle crowd. To finish the evening’s set, the Flaming Lips played a surprisingly good cover version of the Rolling Stone’s “Moonlight Mile.” Although the Lips have often covered other classic rock bands in the past such as Queen and Black Sabbath, I didn’t think that Coyne’s voice would have been well suited for this song. I was happy to be proven wrong when their straightahead version of the piece became a great ending to a very memorable night. For more info on the Flaming Lips, check out their official website at www.flaminglips.com. The website contains a wealth of back- ground history, band merchandise, music and video streaming. If you find yourself hooked and want further insight into the band, there is an incredible documentary DVD about them called “Fearless Freaks,” and it was done over their career by their hometown friend Bradley Beesley. Nikki Sixx wakes up at Sixx: A.M. By daniel berman Staff photographer Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Mötley Crüe. Keep it raised if you would read the bassist’s autobiography. How about the soundtrack to that sordid tale? Sound confusing? Just wait until you listen to Sixx: AM’s The Heroin Diaries. This album is the side project of former Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, and chronicles the musician’s struggles with heroin in the mid-1980s. Each song reads like a journal entry in Sixx’s day. Some of the tracks, which were written by Sixx but vocalized by James Michael, begin with a monologue and the sound of a pencil scratching paper. While listening to the music, I imagine Sixx sitting, hunched against a wall, screaming, “When you’ve tasted excess, everything else tastes bland,” in the sixth track titled “Heart Failure.” It only takes off from there. Drug habits are frequently discussed in the album, as are death, women, the future and love. But don’t worry and consider this: as much as Sixx loves his heroin, he also warns the listener about real life. As confusing as that may be, the track “Tomorrow,” Sixx says, “everything you do is coming back to you… you can’t outrun what waits for you tomorrow.” The defining part of this album is in the evocative and challenging lyrics. The opening track “X-mas in Hell” begins on December 25 1986 in Van Nuys, CA (as the narrator notes), and as Christmas bells start to ring, we hear Sixx scrawling busily in his diary, “Merry Christmas,” he says, “that’s what you’re supposed to say on Christmas right?” Sixx pauses and adds, “When you haven’t been crouched naked under a Christmas tree with a needle in your arm and your Christmas spirit coagulating in a spoon.” Some of the more interesting songs are the ones about Sixx’s preoccupation with life and death. On the track “Life After Death,” he asks, “Why he had to go down a dead-end street at 200 mph, screaming for vengeance, and embracing death?” Later on in “Pray For Me,” a cut that sounds like a rock version of She Wants Revenge’s “Tear You Apart,” Sixx speaks of his funeral date, singing, “he will die before the best day of his life.” Ultimately, the reason to purchase this album does not lie in the music at all, but in the interludes between songs. When Sixx speaks from the heart and wonders why he didn’t die from that drug overdose or car accident, we are there with him. All throughout his rock opus, Nikki Sixx makes sure that we are there with him. After all, as he sings with a chuckle, “that’s where the fun is.” PHOTO COURTESY OF SIXX: A.M. / MYSPACE.COM Metro Station quirkily blends emo with disco By daniel berman Staff photographer PHOTO COURTESY OF METRO STATION / MYSPACE.COM n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 If Blink 182, Duran Duran and Fall Out Boy decided to have a love child, they might produce the unlikely band known as Metro Station. The band blends a variety of music genres for their unique sound: lyrics that recall current pop dynasties, drum kits that recall the early 1980s and keyboards that sound like they are permanently set to The Rocket Summer setting. Their self-titled debut album, however, is consistent. Each song manages to find a quirky hook, jazz it up and electronically beat the hell out of it. I wonder if the band is insecure about any part of their music, because it all seems to flow together and jumble. The opening track “Seventeen Forever” quickly lets the listener know that they are embarking on a love story, the singer crooning, “I can feel your heartbeat…you know where to take me.” As the bouncy electropop surges forward, one can’t help but think that this would be apt as the soundtrack to some yet unseen teen TV drama. Listening to the lyrics in each song proved to be the most fun. At best they are fun and witty, and at worst they manage to recall the likes of Britney Spears. A few gems include “I wish we were older” and “Whoa, she’s dancing at the disc-oh.” I found my head bobbing to the sixth track, “Now that We’re Done” thanks to its United States of Electronica-like chorus, and fun play-on words within the lyrics. This is the first song on the album where vocals are clear and discernible over the drum kit and keyboard. The good news about this album is that it is extremely catchy and danceable–and the bad news being that the singer sounds eternally trapped in the eighth grade. In their first album, Metro Station has penned ten songs that manage to sound like everything out there today. For this band to succeed to perhaps a sophomore album, they must find their voice, their style and definitely a new lyricist. Only deep guys can write, “I can’t get enough of her, I need her pumping through my veins.” Field Report on ‘Halo 3’ from Freelancer Lawjick ‘Halo 3’ release BY JOE LOUIE CONTRIBUTING WRITER Within the first 24 hours of release, “Halo 3” became the highest grossing media product of all time, beating “Spiderman 3” ($151 million) with $170 million in sales and only beaten by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (approx $207 million). Four major releases were held for the game: New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and Bellevue, with throngs of fans in lines wrapped around buildings. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates made an appearance at a Best Buy in Bellevue. He signed the first copy of the game, which was sold to Issaquah’s Ritesh David. PHOTO BY: JOHNATAN LAVIGNE COURTESY WWW.BUNGLE.NET BY JOE LOUIE CONTRIBUTING WRITER I must have hit my head or had the worst case of déjà vu ever. My visor reset as the gravel fell from above, a brief blip as the video uplink established itself once again. The ground below me started shaking as the sky suddenly dimmed. “Incoming Scarab,” the voice over my intercom announced. I looked up at one of the gargantuan, four-legged beasts that had caused so much destruction in the past towering over me. Balls of unstable, supercharged particles erupted from the mouth of a mechanical creature, while a small group of alien warriors fired at my partner and me. I looked over at my partner in the battle, raised my plasma cannon, and ran in to join the fury. I have to admit that in the past, I really disliked “Halo.” Yet this time around, I’ve totally enjoyed myself. I haven’t had this much fun playing with friends since the days of “You Don’t Know Jack.” Graphically, the game is superb. Crisp sharp figures and detailed backgrounds contribute to a very visually immersive experience. Be careful when playing this on a non-HD TV. Some of the text and minute details will blend in with the background, especially on the desert levels. The physics engine makes much of the objects around you interactive, and the general feel while you’re playing is very real. A great deal of attention to detail has gone into the game. There are a few Easter Eggs to look for as you’re playing, along with some choice lines if you pay attention to the world around you. It’s easy to play through the solo and campaign modes in about ten hours, but you’re going to miss out on a lot that’s going on. The campaign mode allows players to go through the solo mode storyline with partners, either sitting next to you or over Xbox Live. If you’re playing it alone, you’re really just doing the storyline for fluff and practice. Where the game shines is in multiplayer mode. With several new maps that are larger and more spacious than previous incarnations of the “Halo” series, there is a lot to do. New weapons and vehicles that populate the game can be ridiculously powerful. “Halo 3” doesn’t redefine the genre of first person shooters, but it is a gleaming example of them. But be forewarned: if your Internet connection isn’t strong, you can lag yourself to death or make the game unplayable. I give “Halo 3” a 9 out of 10. Penny Arcade Expo 2007 BY JOE LOUIE CONTRIBUTING WRITER This year’s Penny Arcade Expo, as predicted in the summer issue of the Ebbtide, was huge. The three-day event started off with a keynote address by Wil Wheaton from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” that was both engaging and well spoken. It spoke to gamers, families and politicians, while being witty and endearing. Over the course of the weekend, a five-round tournament known as “the Omegathon” was held. The Omeganauts, a group of 20 contestants, were chosen at random from a list of pre-registered attendees. They battled against each other for the grand prize: a trip to Japan for the Tokyo Game Show and $5,000 cash (previous years prizes included every 8-bit Nintendo game and peripherals, and fully decked out gaming cars). This year’s games included “Jenga,” “Calling All Cars,” “Quake III,” “Karaoke Revolution” and “Puzzle Quest.” The final round of the Omegathon each year is kept a secret until the round actually starts, and in the past has been blasts from the past with “Pong,” “Tetris,” and “Tanks.” However, in a shocker that we haven’t seen since “Super Mario Bros. 3” was shown in the Wizard, the final round of the ‘07 Omegathon included the unreleased “Halo 3.” Despite the efforts of Penny Arcade to not be another Electronics Entertainment Expo, the sheer size of the exhibition hall denies this notion. Game developers such as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and ArenaNet showed what they had coming down the road with plenty of demos and swag. Other companies brought plenty of mer- chandise to take your well-earned summer job money and school-detailed curriculums to get you into the video game industry. Little known fact, Shoreline CC has a game development class, you just have to look hard to find it. With over 64,000 square feet and 87 exhibitors, it’s paying decent homage to the fallen gathering. Inside sources have told us that next year will probably be bigger, utilizing all of the floors of the convention center. Penny Arcade is just part of a growing trend in Seattle subcultures, gaining notoriety as well as a louder voice, with other conventions such as SakuraCon, Northwest Con and Emerald City Comic Con. Enjoy what the city has to offer and don’t worry about what others think. OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n SPORTS Sports in action! Women’s volleyball slams it past Olympic Jamilee Kempton Jamilee Kempton Caitlin Swift Olympic College Clockwise from top left: Jamilee Kempton slips it past Caitlin Swift from Olympic College. Christy Cochrane bumps the ball back . Tashayla Ray serves it up. Christy Cochrane Tashayla Ray PHOTOS BY DANIEL BERMAN 10 n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 Dave Palmer: Sportsman-like conduct PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN Cutline needed here. Cutline. By lavi aulck Sports editor Having been SCC’s athletic director for over nine months now, Doug Palmer has constantly tried to keep his eyes on the future. After all, strengthening community relations, boosting dying enrollment, and completing an overhaul of a college gym is no overnight job. I recently had a chance to sit down with Palmer to discuss the past, present, and future of our schools athletic department and couldn’t help but come out of this hour-long sit-down impressed with the foresight and realism with which Palmer approaches his daily chores. (“We’re going to keep on doing as much as we possibly can and over time, it will get better,”) Palmer said of his efforts at SCC. Palmer came to SCC in January with the mission of sculpting the Athletic Department into one that is equally respectable and successful. So far, he admits, he underestimated how long it will take to achieve his goals, but not the goals themselves. “I certainly overshot myself in what I can do in a certain amount of time”, he said, “but the goals, no. It’s just going to take longer. It’s a situation where you don’t have enough support, and I don’t mean that in terms of people not wanting to support you, but in terms of bodies that can get things done”. Upon arriving, Palmer stated his first priority was opening up gym space by both giving the floorplans an overhaul and doing major renovation. (“We have enough things here that we can spend the next decade improving this building,”) Palmer said of the gym. “We’ve brought some architects in to take a look at it. (First thing we’re going to is spruce up the women’s locker room. We literally have toilets falling off the walls and showers that are rusted.) That’s where the first shot of money will go, to do as much as we can in there to get it to a higher level.” Palmer also says that he has big plans lined up for the men’s locker room. “The men’s locker room was built for football and we’re never going to have a football team again”, he says, “So there’s a lot of space down there that maybe we can turn into a free weight room or turn some of that into offices and classrooms.” Besides that, Palmer also wants to renovate the main gym in the future, citing the bleachers and scoreboard as another high priority. Strengthening the relationship between SCC and the neighboring community and businesses has also been high on Palmer’s to-do-list. “I’ve joined the rotary club, I’ve joined the (Shoreline) Chamber of Commerce, and I’m on the ‘Scholar for Dollar’ board”, he said. “That should hopefully pay dividends. (I’m) talking (to the city) about Shoreline, the college, and Shoreline athletics.” Palmer has also kept to his word about helping the athletic department become more financially self-sufficient, promising ways in which both SCC alumni and the Shoreline community will have opportunities to support athletics. “We will have a booster club up and running. There will be flyers (for the booster club) this fall quarter”, Palmer promises. “That’s my number one project once we get through the first week of school”. Palmer wholeheartedly believes that a booster club will help the athletic department with their financial troubles while generating a sense of school spirit and pride. “The booster club,” Women’s soccer kicks it up a notch! he describes, “is a grassroots movement in the athletic department to build a relationship with your alumni and that’s going to be very long term”. Intramurals are another topic of interest to Palmer as he has already brought his ideas up at previous SCC Senate meetings and he hopes to continue to do so. “First thing I plan to do once the student government gets back to meeting,” he tells, “is go show them the schedule for fall and see what they what.” The biggest fear Palmer has with intramurals centers around the lack of campus activity after lunchtime. “We could potentially do intramurals at night,” Palmer rationalizes, “but there are no dorms and no one is going to come back here at night to play an intramural (game). When you are on a drive-in, drive out campus, basically once people leave, they are not going to come back.” Despite this, Palmer is looking to possibly start intramural basketball this coming quarter. “Maybe we will try a basketball league”, he envisions. “If we have four teams and they play twice a week for four weeks, that will be successful as far as I’m concerned.” Palmer has also been considering creating a cross country team for SCC and has also looked over the idea of possibly adding archery, golf, and wrestling to SCC’s list of sports activities sometime in the future. Palmer hopes offering more rewarding scholarships and having a more variety of sports will help resolve the school and athletic department’s problem of declining enrollment. (“We have scholarships to offer,”) he tells, “the NWAACC, our conference, made things a little easier this past year. Before, the most you could give was $200 a quarter (per athlete)…but now we can pay for about 65% of (the athlete’s) tuition. (We want to use athletics to bring in more people…athletics are a pretty big part of enrollment.”) Now, with close to one year under his belt, Palmer realizes that his task here at SCC is larger than what he first anticipated. “I don’t think I’ve gotten accomplished a lot of the stuff I wanted to accomplish”, he explains, “but I also came to the realization that I’m not gonna get as much accomplished as fast as I wanted to”. Yet, Palmer continues to stand firm in optimism and would like to let Shoreline students know that the Athletic Department “is here for the students. (We have people who care about the students and really are trying to work with the students to make them better people in three different levels – academically, health wise, and in their sports.) (That’s what we are here for– to benefit the students.”) MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE By lavi aulck Sports editor October 5, 4pm @ Treasure Valley The women’s soccer team has gotten off to a superb start over the summer, winning seven of their first 12 games. Despite playing with 11 players, the bare minimum for soccer, the team has climbed to the top of the NWAACC (Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges) North standings by leading the division in both goals scored and least goals allowed. Amanda Zueger and Amber Grable provided fuel for the offense, combining to score half of the team’s 36 goals and the defense has been solid around goalkeeper Sarah Hartsell and her four clean sheets. The men, however, have struggled out of the gates. Drawing a schedule loaded with games against teams from the difficult NWAACC East region, the men’s side has struggled to find both goals and wins, going 1-8-0, good for second-to-last place in the region. Casey Berlin leads the team with four goals, including two in a victory over Skagit Valley last Saturday. October 6, 2pm @ Walla Walla October 12, 4pm Columbia Basin October 13, 2pm Spokane October 17, 4pm Wenatchee Valley STANDINGS North Division W L D P Whatcom 5 3 1 16 Everett 4 5 1 13 Edmonds 2 6 2 7 Shoreline 1 8 0 3 Skagit Valley 0 9 0 9 W Wins D Draw L Losses P Points WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE October 5, 2pm @ Treasure Valley October 6, Noon @ Walla Walla October 12, 2pm Columbia Basin October 13, Noon Spokane Captain Amanda Zueger dribbles by a defender in the Shoreline Women’s 10-0 blowout of the Skagit Valley Cardinals. October 17, 2pm Wenatchee Valley STANDINGS North Division W L D P Shoreline 7 2 0 21 Green River 3 6 0 9 Everett 2 5 2 8 Edmonds 1 8 0 3 Skagit Valley 0 9 0 0 W Wins D Draw L Losses P Points PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n 11 etcetera ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIAN LUU Modern chivalry in action The noble sport of parking lot jousting By Sean McCallum Webmaster This year, with “The Pit” closed, student parking at Shoreline Community College is looking more haggard in the morning than Bea Arthur after a night out with Lindsay Lohan. There are, of course, some alternatives to driving to school that could save you this daily parking hangover. Students can carpool or take the bus. Not being much of a swimmer myself, I don’t carpool, but I’ve taken the bus and it’s not such a bad prospect except that I have to walk ten blocks, which gets miserable as the weather turns foul. Also, the round trip on the bus currently costs me more than gas for the same trip, so I’ve cast that option into the fire. Another alternative is to park in the Sears lot and take a shuttle to campus. That’s a bad option for me because the closer I get to Sears, the more likely I am to apply for credit there so I can finance that $1500 uber-BBQ that easily fits a small family on the grill. Nope, I’m too much of a sucker for long-pork to risk it. Short of cannibalism, what can I do to solve my parking problem? A motorcycle would probably help, but even a used vehicle is not in my budget, let alone the sidecar I’d need for my overstuffed calculus book. I’ve also thought about joining the throngs that set up their tents in the best parking stalls at night, but I’d have to purchase a generator to run my laptop in order to do my homework while camping. I figured that if I had to run down to Sears for a generator, I may as well just park there and get the Barbara-que instead. No, my best bet, like that of many others, is to do whatever is necessary to secure a spot in one of the on-campus lots. My personal schedule prohibits getting here early enough to park near the tent city, so with these options out, I suppose it’s time that I joined the growing number of student drivers involved in the sport of Parking Lot Jousting, or as it’s called locally, “Lot Jousting.” Lot Jousting has no hard and fast regulations or on-field officials to mitigate disputes, but follows localized, dialectical rules. As it’s played here at SCC, it is not the actionpacked spectator sport that its horse-faced ancestor was. In fact, it’s mostly a waiting game; an elite contest of patience generally only watched by other players and those that are filthy-rich enough to be smoking cigarettes at the ringside shelters. Lot Jousting tournaments begin when all of the most sought-after parking spaces are full. Each player craftily maneuvers into place so that each row contains two opponents facing each other from opposite ends in a one-on-one face-off. In longer parking rows, additional contestants can edge in a fair distance ahead of an occupied launch pad, effectively cutting the playing field in half for the player behind him. While putting the new player in the running for a parking space, this also puts him or her in double-jeopardy as there is risk of being lanced not only by the front, but also from the rear, which sounds like an uncomfortable prospect at best. Once in position, competitors wait in place until an “Occupier” comes forth to claim a parked car from a stall in the contested row. Instant wins often occur without a “Challenge” if the now-vacant stall is noticeably closer to one opponent. A Challenge occurs when the Occupier is arguably parked equidistant from the viable opponents. When the Occupier begins backing out, all Challengers lower their lances and rush at each other to converge at the contested stall, leaving the departing Occupier feeling like a bleeding sheep standing on a raw T-bone between two rabid lions. The result is that all contestants except for one yield at the last moment before any lances actually connect with their targets. The remaining driver is declared the winner and awarded the parking space, while losers gracefully acquiesce by rapidly flashing their headlights, loudly reciting select entries from a slang dictionary while making digital appeasement gestures or laying on the horn. The pre-contact deferment is crucial to the sport of Lot Jousting and what actually makes it a sport, rather than vehicular assault. Because there are no on-field officials, this civil pastime relies on its well-mannered players to follow the many nuanced and even tacit regulations as opposed to committing the sort of mindless incidents of road rage that you might read about in off-campus newspapers for the unwashed. New players are always welcome. In fact, you’ll often see novices practicing without lances, but for anyone still considering participation in this refined collegiate competition, it is recommended that you observe the veteran players in action first and familiarize yourself with the etiquette of the thing before you go quixotically charging in. Dolphy’s Advice Dating • School • Work • Sex Dear Dolphy, My girlfriend is smothering me. Any advice? Dear Smothered, It sounds like you are drowning in the over-excessive girlfriend department. You need to take a step back and assess the situation. Are you two married? Did you spend half of your life’s savings on a ring for her yet? Didn’t think so. If the late night check-up calls happen more than once an evening, you might be getting smothered. If you are in love with her, buy the ring and sign yourself up for life. Assuming that you’re not crazy in love, talk to her about the smothering situation. If she doesn’t want to listen and ease off, seriously consider dating other people. If the late night phone calls and weird everyday sightings persist, you should think about a restraining order. Dear Dolphy, My boyfriend is constantly sitting around on the couch with his friends doing nothing. How do I get him to pay attention to me? Dear Attention-deprived, If your boyfriend is stuck on Pete’s couch, tell him to put down the bong and the video game controller. If this doesn’t work (which it usually doesn’t) it looks like signs of deeper relationship problems. If he always ditches you to be with his friends, it means that the relationship has stalled. To fix the stall, spicing up your sex life is always a good idea. Threatening abstinence will put a charge under any guy and get him off the couch. If the problem is deeper than that, try going on a shopping spree at a lover’s boutique for ideas and toys. If he still chooses the couch, then leave him on it and don’t look back. 12 n THE EBBTIDE n Septmber 10 – September 23, 2007 Excerpts from the Hakagure Analects Every morning, the samurai of fifty or sixty years ago would bathe, shave their foreheads, put lotion in their hair, cut their fingernails and toenails rubbing them with pumice and then with wood sorrel, and without fail pay attention to their personal appearance . It goes without saying that their armor in general was kept free from rust, that it was dusted, shined, and arranged. Although it seems that taking special care of one’s appearance is similar to showiness, it is nothing akin to elegance. Even if you are aware that you may be struck down today and are firmly resolved to an inevitable death, if you are slain with an unseemly appearance, you will show your lack of previous resolve, will be despised by your enemy, and will appear unclean. For this reason it is said that both old and young should take care of their appearance. Although you say that this is troublesome and time-consuming, a samurai’s work is in such things. It is neither busy-work nor time-consuming. In constantly hardening one’s resolution to die in battle, deliberately becoming as one already dead, and working at one’s job and dealing with military affairs, there should be no shame. But when the time comes, a person will be shamed if he is not conscious of these things even in his dreams, and rather passes his days in self-interest and self-indulgence. And if he thinks that this is not shameful, and feels that nothing else matters as long as he is comfortable, then his dissipate and discourteous actions will be repeatedly regrettable. Yamamoto Tsunetomo
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