We miss you, Nancy Library`s new learning area

The Bandit
Volume 9 Issue 3
February 2013
Your Student Publication
Library’s new learning area
KRYSTAL NORBERG
REPORTER
Clatsop Community College is
creating a comfortable and accessible
place for students to learn—and it’s
not the classrooms. Candice Watkins,
library director, is excitedly planning a learning lab that will take over
the top floor of the library. The main
floor’s stacks will be compressed, and
some weeding of outdated books will
help give the library a more polished
collection.
The library already boasts a massive e-book collection of eighty-thousand books, and after the weeding,
should have around fifteen thousand
hard copy books. Such a seemingly
large collection is matched in the fifteen thousand streaming videos the
library also provides students.
Watkins describes a learning lab
as “a place of active learning.” It will
be a place for students to work on
group projects as well as get helpful
tutoring and instructional help with
technology. The new learning lab
will provide collaborative study areas
with support services included. This
means there will be many computers
as well as large tables for group work.
The learning lab will have something
for every person’s need, whether it
is research and information, space to
use for team work, video, image sharing and various types of equipment.
Watkins eagerly describes something called a ‘media-scape’ and the
less expensive “homegrown” version
that will be in use in the learning lab.
A media-scape consists of a large
rectangular table, with a flat screen
television at one end and a connective
console in the middle of the table.
This will allow students to plug in
their laptops and share images from
their computer screen up on the tele-
vision screen.
Watkins says, “The learning lab
will really utilize a lot of technology-we want to have a lively environment for learning that is supported
with tutors and technology.”
As technology evolves, with
equipment like the media-scape, the
library must also evolve to meet the
student’s needs better. Rolling whiteboards will also give students the opportunity to work on many subjects
like math, sciences, or group projects.
Bernie Wood, journalism and writing
instructor, will help students in the
learning lab as a writing tutor, along
with two part-time writing tutors.
Watkins hopes to have a tutor for another subject like math as well.
Tutors will be there to help students with research, writing, and
IT work while they are in the act of
learning.
Construction will take place mostly during the summer, but the library
is already in the process of clearing
space for the new learning lab. The
top floor will be completely cleared
of books. The current computer lab
will remain where it is. On the other
side of the stairs, where the stacks
currently are, will be the learning lab.
Watkins will be ordering the new
equipment this spring, thanks to funds
donated by the CCC Foundation and
the CASE Department. The CCC
Foundation will fund the library with
ten thousand dollars for the learning
lab project, and the CASE Department, which is funded by a government grant, will also give money to
pay tutors in the learning lab. This
money will also help buy twenty to
thirty laptops for checkout and use
in the library. Eventually, Watkins
“would like to have a small number
for take-home use” as well.
Right now, the library is working
toward weeding out the books on the
Photo by Krystal Norberg
Candice Watkins, CCC’s library director, is eager to open learning lab.
shelves. Watkins wants to emphasize
that this will help the library’s collection. She says, “A lot of times when
people hear [a library is] getting rid
of books, they have a really bad reaction.” But a lot of technology and sciences have been updated. “We don’t
want to get rid of whatever is considered core or seminal to that area.”
Watkins and several retired librarian volunteers are reviewing books
and pulling books off the shelves that
aren’t considered relevant to the times
We miss you, Nancy
See LIBRARY on page 3
AN
INSIDE
LOOK...
Inked:
A firsthand look at tattoos
and those who wear them
BERNIE WOOD
The weekend before the term
started in January, the CCC community learned of the early death of Nancy Nelson-Smith, who passed away
on January 2, 2013. While there was
a public memorial service for Nancy
on January 6th, many people did not
learn of Nancy’s death until after the
event.
Nancy had worked for Jeanne
Windsor at the college cafeteria until
the Upward Bound students finished
their summer term. However, when
Windsor did not re-sign her lease with
the college, we no longer saw Nancy
and her familiar smile in the cafeteria.
The Bandit wants to note her passing and say a few a words of gratitude
as well. Nancy had come to CCC back
in 2004 when she began taking classes with the LIT Program. She was
an active and enthusiastic participant
and actually went into labor in an LIT
class because she wanted a record of
perfect attendance. Nancy also participated in the WINGS Conference
and was a motivational speaker. Later she became a member of the Plus
Program and graduated with honors
or curriculum. They look into the author’s credibility and authority in the
PAGE 2
Valentine’s Day
A brief history of
blood and romance
PAGE 4
Renaissance:
Jazz, poetry and culture
in Harlem
PAGE 6
Movie Review:
Photo courtesy of CCC
Nancy Nelson-Smith
in June 2007. However, these few
facts fail to capture the warmth and
drive of an individual who mentored,
helped, and motivated other students,
especially those in the LIT and Plus
Programs.
During the last five years, though,
most of us saw Nancy in the cafeteria
both at the old location in the Patriot
Hall basement and then in the new
location in Columbia Hall. Occasionally, we would see her at catered
See NANCY on page 7
“Warm Bodies”
and zombie love
PAGE 7
The Arts:
“Community Ground”
comes to Clatsop
PAGE 8
2 The Bandit | February 2013
the bandit asks
Let’s get inked
ASG Notes
KRYSTAL NORBERG
REPORTER
TREVOR JACOBSON
ASG President
Tattoos, tattoos here, tattoos
there, tattoos everywhere,
in every shade of ink.
In the last few years, tattoos
have risen dramatically in popularity, not only among teenagers
and young adults, but among
many celebrities who have tattoos and proudly display them.
Some men and women wait to
get them until later in life, like
after a divorce or a tragic event,
or perhaps just for kicks as my
father did when he was forty-two
and got a four-leaf clover tattooed on his upper arm. By then,
I’d already gotten my first tattoo
and realized I would have several more by the time I reached
my father’s age.
Most of the people I know
have at least one tattoo. Last
month I went with one of my
childhood friends to keep her
company as she got a dove tattooed on the back of her neck.
Another of our elementary
school friends held her hand,
and we discussed her gorgeous
and rather large tattoo spreading
from her calf to her foot, and the
healing of my newest tattoo.
Tattoos are not a new fad, by
any means. Tattoos are older than
most people realize. Dating back
more than five thousand years,
tattoos may have been used as
a method to help alleviate joint
pain, according to Smithsonian.
com.
Archaeologists have found
that tattoos were fairly common
in ancient Egypt. Many hieroglyphs display women with tattoos, and several female mummies have been found tattooed.
These tattoos were once thought
to be a symbol for a prostitute or
a sexually transmitted disease.
Since many of the mummies
have been found with tattoos
over their abdomen and thighs, it
is now believed that these tattoos
served as protection for women
before and during childbirth.
The Inuit and Libyans also
displayed tattoos on their people
in different colors like blue or
yellow. Centuries later, tattoos
were seen in some cultures as
a mark of wealth or status. To
have a tattoo meant a person was
higher ranked in the world. To
not be marked was to be of a low
station.
This idea clearly changed
(Top photo by Krystal Norberg) Ashleigh Warren getting tattooed
at Hold Fast Tattoo in Seaside.
A sample of reporter’s tattoos.
(Below photo by Krystal Norberg) Newly inked dove design.
(Above photo by Mariah Norberg)
See TATOO on page 3
ASG is currently accepting applications for the office
of Activities Director. We are
seeking a committed individual
who will be able to quickly hit
the ground running and fulfill
multiple duties such as weekly
office hours, event management, ASG meetings, and the
promotion of college club formation and growth. Any current
student can apply if he or she
This is the second term of
the year, and ASG has been off
to a quick yet rough start. There
are a few different aspects of the
college that could be subject to
change, as well as some information that I feel would be beneficial to share
with those who
are interested.
At the end
of last term,
ASG helped the
local Head Start
charity and donated gifts from
students
here
on campus. We
came
within
our goal for
Photo courtesy of ASG
presents, so we
would like to The ASG office is open for CCC students.
thank everyone
who donated;
their gifts really benefitted the
is enrolled in 6+ credits, maincommunity. On January 24th,
tains a 3.0 GPA, and has no felthe Nursing Club in conjunction
ony convictions in the past ten
with ASG held the annual CCC
years.
blood drive with the Red Cross.
As previously mentioned,
We donated 34 units of blood
there are a few different topics
and reached our target for that
that have been floating around
as well. ASG thanks all those
the college. The college has
who donated blood.
I held the first student forum been on a course for health and
of the year on January 23rd, wellness, deciding on whether
which had poor attendance but to change the on-campus smokwas a good opportunity for me ing policy or not. With that goal
to get started. We discussed in mind, the administration
some of the topics I’ll outline has been working on planning
later in this article. Unfortu- a new “Health and Wellness”
nately, by the press time of this building. The building was
edition of the paper, I will have originally planned to be a part
been unable to advertise the of the Jerome campus renovasecond student forum on Febru- tion, but the idea was scrapped
ary 6th. I hope to be able to hold (probably due to money). In the
forums every two weeks or so coming year, the college administration will hammer out a
to get student opinion.
It’s my responsibility to plan for the new building that
voice student concerns and will be funded with state capital
construction funds. The buildopinion to the correct officials,
ing would include at least a
but I am sometimes unable to
do so because I have no physi- gym and a fitness room. There
cal documentation. To remedy has been discussion of where to
this, I have been giving out the put the building, and there has
first Student Survey to inter- been discussion with Columbia
ested parties. If you would like Memorial Hospital (CMH) for
to fill out a survey, they are lo- a partnership, where both CCC
cated in the ASG office and next and CMH would split the cost
to the ASG T.V. Topics on the of the building, including rooms
and amenities for both parties.
survey include course offerings
ASG has had to partially
and registration, college amenities, the cafeteria in Columbia fund The Bandit through the
Hall, The Bandit, the tobacco remainder of the year. There is
policy, and more. Surveys will discussion throughout the administration of how The Bandit
be kept anonymous, and if you
will continue. Most everyone
have any concerns to voice,
at the college is aware of the
please fill one out. There will be
more surveys in the future.
See ASG on page 3
The Bandit Asks
“The Bandit” asks, “What is your worst Valentine’s Day experience?”
Kristen Miller
Connor Clark
Mary Morse
Travis Malmstadt
“After almost two years together, my
boyfriend got me two boxes of jalapeno poppers as a Valentine’s gift.”
“I found out my girlfriend was
cheating on me with my best friend;
then she broke up with me.”
“My valentine forgot about the
holiday and didn’t get me anything.”
“I hate frogs and for Valentine’s
Day one year, my girlfriend got me a
stuffed pink frog.”
TATOO
student news
February 2013 | The Bandit 3
Operation
Groundswell:
Continued from page 2
over time, however. One could
hardly imagine the queen mother being ‘tatted up’. In the 1940s
and 50s, tattoos were generally
found on two types of people.
Either a marked person was a
veteran of the armed forces,
or a rebellious thug. This is, of
course, a hasty generalization.
Though stereotypes of tattooed
people are still prevalent, to
shove people into one group or
another has never been an accurate way to describe tattooed
people.
There is still a stigma attached to people with tattoos.
Some people feel that a body
should be pure and unmarked by
tattoos or piercings, while others
feel that tattoos are an artistic
expression. People are judged
for their body art, whether they
know it or not, in a world that
preaches inner beauty but practices outer beautification.
In more recent years, tattoos
have become a way for people
to express themselves. Tattoos
certainly aren’t new, but the
methods through which tattoos
are performed are much more
clinically safe due to laws requiring sterile equipment and
licensed tattoo artists. Much like
the growing appearance of tattoos, the industry for tattoo artists has also grown. Tattoo shops
are popping up everywhere, and
in big cities like Portland there
are dozens.
This is a big departure from
the traditional tattoo artists who
were taught by their fathers or
grandfathers, or who were apprentices for many years. A
tattoo artist can conceivably
become licensed in a year. The
amount of time spent learning
about the art does not speak to
the artist’s creative talent, however. Many unfortunate people
are then marred by their tattoos
that have not been done properly or come out looking much
different than intended. Even
more get tattoos at a young age
and regret their ink because of
changed feelings or the realization that tattoos on some areas
of the body are not workplace
appropriate.
It seems youth today are increasingly covered in body art.
Stereotypes are being broken as
celebrities everywhere are getting ‘inked’. From bad boys like
Chris Brown who is covered in
tattoos, to Scarlett Johansson,
Brad Pitt and even Hollywood
sweetheart Reese Witherspoon,
tattoos have become commonplace, not only in the world, but
in Hollywood.
As a child, I got my first
dose of broken stereotypes
when I started babysitting for a
young couple who lived across
the street from me. They both
had been tattooed and were both
very kind and family-oriented.
Ten years later, they are covered
in ink and just as friendly as
ever.
Neither of them regrets any
of their tattoos, which is surprising in a world full of instant
gratification and inevitable regret. Melissa Monroe, a curlyhaired redhead, got her first tattoo at eighteen but waited seven
more years before getting another. Monroe says she is glad
she waited before getting inked
again: “Had I gotten the tattoos
I had wanted at a younger age,
I would have regretted a lot of
them.” Thanks to her patience,
she says she doesn’t regret any.
Some do hold more sentimental
value than others, of course.
Mike Coberly, a man who
has always reminded me a little
of my father, was twenty-seven
when he received his first tattoo.
A Hawaiian pinup girl playing
the ukulele, whom Coberly has
named Jojo, is now permanently
inked on his body. Like Monroe,
he was patient in getting his other tattoos, and therefore doesn’t
regret any of his pieces. When
he and Monroe wed, they got
matching tattoos to symbolize
their love and commitment to
one another. Monroe says, “We
both feel like our bodies are our
journals, and our tattoos are our
stories.”
2013
Vagina
Monologues
March 8 & 9
7 p.m.
$10 tickets
Location: PAC
VM description: V-Day is
a global activist movement to
end violence against women
and girls. V-Day is a catalyst
that promotes creative events
to increase awareness, raise
money, and revitalize the
spirit of existing anti-violence
organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the
fight to stop violence against
women and girls, including
rape, battery, incest, female
genital mutilation (FGM),
and sex slavery.
The Bandit
CLATSOP COMMUNITY COLLEGE ..................................................................PUBLISHER
BERNIE WOOD ........................................................................................................... ADVISOR
LYNETTE VOLLMER..................................................................... TECHNICAL EDITOR
AUNT BLABBY.....................................................................................................................COLUMNIST
PATI MORRISSEY ..............................................................................................................COLUMNIST
KRYSTAL NORBERG ...........................................................................................................REPORTER
ISAIAH PIXLER .....................................................................................................................REPORTER
MAMIE LEE WOOD........................................................................... CORRESPONDENT
GENEVIEVE ZAMORA.................................................................................. REPORTER
ALL PRESS RELEASES CONTAINED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE CONTRIBUTED
BY CLATSOP COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
OUR MISSION
~To serve as a learning experience for aspiring journalists, communication majors, and
other students at Clatsop Community College.
~To report news and provide information to Clatsop Community College and the
community in a fair, accurate, and responsible manner.
~To serve as an open forum for a diverse set of opinions, perspectives, issues, and viewpoints.
~To uphold the standards of the journalism profession and strictly adhere to all ethical
guidelines to ensure the integrity and credibility of the newspaper.
Opinions and articles expressed in this paper or in the content of its
advertisements are not necessarily those of Clatsop Community College,
the Board, The Bandit, its editor, publisher, students, or affiliated parties. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for any negative consequences that
occur as a result of someone doing business with any advertisers.
Please send submissions to,
[email protected]
It is the policy of Clatsop Community College that there will be no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, religion, national origin, age, sexual
orientation, or disability in any educational programs, activities, or employment. Questions
or complaints should be directed to the Affirmative Action/Title IX Officer in Library 108 at
503-338-2450; TDD 503-338-2468. The Section 504 Coordinator is located in the Student
Services Center 503-338-2474. For ADA and other accommodations call: 503-338-2474
TDD 503-338-2468
Backpacking
with a purpose
Operation Groundswell is a youth-led non-profit organization that takes young adults out of the classroom and
into the world for some hands-on learning and meaningful volunteer experience. We’re looking for students who
want to backpack with a purpose!
If you’re into cultural exchange, fulfilling community
service, and off-the-beaten path adventure, be sure to apply before our deadline on February 13! Spots are filling
up fast!
Six week group placements
are open in the
following countries
and regions:
* West Africa - (discovery and global health focus)
* East Africa – (discovery, politics, and human rights)
* Middle East - (media and human rights focus)
* Southeast Asia - (ecotourism and development focus)
* India - (development and education focus)
* Guatemala - (fair trade justice and peace & conflict focus)
* Peru (health & wellness and environmental focus)
* Haiti (education and environmental focus)
For more information, go to:
www.backpackingwithapurpose.org
Application deadline is February 13.
Our goal is to show this generation that there is an ethical
alternative to vacation package travel. We want to take students
off the tour bus and have them delve into new cultures and experiences from a local perspective. We want to engage them with
community groups, political leaders and activists from around
the world.
LIBRARY
field. Watkins says, “Even if [a
book] is from 1898, that person
still could have been the foundation of a certain discipline and
still be completely relevant.” Or
there could be a book from 1898
that is not relevant or not up to
date on scientific or technological finds.
ASG
Continued from page 1
The books that are being
weeded out will be available for
sale at the end of spring term,
March 20th-22nd. The money
from the book sale will go toward buying books for the popular (novels and films) collection.
Continued from page 2
financial situation of the college, so financial sustainability
is a must. There is discussion
of turning The Bandit to black
& white format, turning it into a
club, or disbanding it altogether.
I represent student interests
at budget taskforce meetings,
which is the group of individuals who formulate next year’s
budget. As of this writing, the
college will be able to continue
without any major cuts like last
year. However, that statement
can only be true if the governor’s budget is true. It maintains
that it will be able to save money in PERS, the state retirement
system. If these savings are
not met, PERS will balloon to
around a 16% increase to make
up for the recession. If this were
to happen, the college would be
facing another tough financial
season, but nothing is in stone.
Enrollment at the college
is down from fall term. This
matches statewide trends, as
people who went back to college
at the start of the recession are
graduating. There is also reason
to suspect that the increased tuition rates have also added to the
declining enrollment rates, but
this should come as no surprise
to anyone. If you raise the cost
of your product, less people will
buy, regardless of how good or
bad that product is.
Hopefully, ASG will be able
to pick up the pace to have a
strong second half of winter and
a strong spring term. I again encourage any and all students to
fill out ASG surveys, to attend
student forums, and to become
more involved in the campus
community.
Hot
Coffee
in the Library
8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays
$1.00 per cup
COLUMBIA RIVER COFFEE ROASTER
All profits are returned to CCC
students through literacy awards.
4 The Bandit | February 2013
Impressions of the new guy
ISAIAH PIXLER
REPORTER
My late uncle once said that
when facing reality for the first
time upon coming out of childhood, the view can seem a little
overwhelming. While I vaguely
understood his meaning when I
first heard this, I did not come
to fully appreciate this statement
until recently. Life, or the timeline of my experiences, has been
interesting to say the least. After
dropping out of high school, I
immediately joined the United
States Army in which I served,
technically, as a PATRIOT Missile Systems Maintainer and
Operator. Don’t be impressed
by the length of the title; all
that was entailed within this job
was driving these systems to
their designated areas, setting
them up, and making sure they
worked. However, throughout
my three years in the service I
only actually got to do my job
once outside of training, and it
was during a training exercise.
The rest of my time was spent
working in my unit’s supply
room and armory. Regardless,
it is because of this time in the
GENEVIEVE ZAMORA
REPORTER
Valentine’s Day: A day
completely dedicated to love,
romance, and start-crossed
lovers. Soon after New Year’s
Day, the decorations of red
and pink hearts are up in the
store fronts. New outfits are
bought for that special night,
and diamond rings are hidden away for that spectacular proposal. It’s a happy day
abounding with joy. It paints
a pretty picture, but for many
the day is just a reminder that
they are single or that the day
is a blatant display of commercialism and consumerism. But why does this tradition of love and gifts exist? Its
journey from ancient Rome to
bloody pagan rituals, through
Christianity, and back to a
secular tradition may surprise
you.
While today February
14th is celebrated as a light
and fluffy holiday filled with
candies, flowers, cupcakes,
and kisses, it wasn’t always so.
No historian can pinpoint exactly where and when the holiday originated, though they
are several legends associated
with its origin, all of them ending in the death of a Christian
martyr. Most agree that the
celebration is derived from a
mix of Christian and Roman
traditions. One legend goes as
such: In ancient Rome around
270 AD, during the reign of
Claudius II, it was thought
that married men made the
worst kind of soldier as they
were more concerned about
their families than fighting
for Rome. In an effort to prevent weak soldiers, Claudius
II implemented a ban on
marriage. Lovers were distraught by the ban and sought
out secret marriages with the
help of a bishop named Valentine, who was sympathetic
to their plight. The emperor
found out about the secret
ceremonies and arrested Valentine. After Valentine refused to abandon Christianity
for Roman gods, Claudius II
ordered his execution. While
awaiting his death, Valentine
formed a friendship with the
COMMUNITY NOTES
are on home, work, education,
gender or love, and death came
as a pleasant surprise. However,
the pleasantries of the surprises
on that first day were not finished with me yet as I found that
the journalism lab I had signed
up for was indeed the school
service of my country that I am
able to be here now pursuing the
development of the mind, and
as much as it pains me to admit,
because of the overly enjoyable
experience of the military shoving office work down my throat,
I have seemingly found the organizational skills I lacked in
high school.
After the service, I spent
about two months or so in Seaside before eventually moving
back to the place I had attended
high school, Martinsburg, West
Virginia, where I did various
jobs working assembly lines and
construction sites. After a small
amount of time living this lifestyle, however, I decided it was
time to move on and do something that I actually enjoyed.
Thus it is that I find myself back
in the areas of my childhood.
Considering the fact that I have
not legitimately lived in the Pacific Northwest for about a decade, it has been an interesting
experience viewing it with more
experienced eyes. I have been
asked on more than one occasion since my return why it is
that I chose this particular area
to come back to. The answer
is relatively simple. In all the
places I have lived, I have never
known a place within which I
felt more relaxed than this area
of the country.
Why did I choose to come to
this particular college? I moved
to Seaside, so my options were
limited. Upon my arrival to
Clatsop Community College,
though, I was immediately taken as I walked down the stairs
towards Towler Hall and caught
the view between it and Patriot
Hall overlooking Astoria. The
background is comprised of the
mouth of the river spanned by
a bridge that, on a foggy day,
seems to stretch into nothingness until the view itself disappears altogether after reaching
the bottom step. While the view
is impressive, it is not in this that
I find my motivation to pursue
my education here. It was only
after I met the teachers upon my
first cycle through my classes
that I was sold.
Being a writer of moderate
experience, I was excited after
my first class with Julie Brown.
Having studied both eastern and
western philosophies throughout my life simply out of a desire to do so, the fact that the
topics required to write about
newspaper, a “class” taught
by the man in the hobbit hole
himself, Bernie Wood. After
having witnessed firsthand
the respect apparent between
these two individuals, I knew
the arrangement in which
I had mistakenly fallen was
closer to perfect than anything I could have planned. I
cannot forget either instructors Giglio or Guidi, both of
whom make it obvious that
an abundance of knowledge
is stored within their heads.
As for the students, I have
not had the pleasure of meeting too many. However, of
those I have met, it has been
nothing but pleasurable thus
far. Although I am not the
most socially adept (capable?) individual in the world,
I promise that I will warm up
a little more as time progress-
jailor’s daughter. In a farewell
message to her, he signed a
letter “From your Valentine.”
It is believed he was executed
on February 14th.
Valentine’s Day was not to
be officially recognized until a
couple hundred years later. In
496 AD ancient Romans celebrated the pagan festival of
Lupercalia. Lupercalia was a
fertility celebration observed
on February 15th. The tradition consisted of women being beaten by men with the
skinned hides of a sacrificial
goat or dog. Women eagerly participated as it insured
them fertility in the coming
year. In an effort to discourage the pagan practice and
spread Christianity, Pope
Gelasuis created a feast day
in one day earlier in honor of
St. Valentine, who became the
patron saint of lovers. Valentine’s Day has been celebrated
on February 14th ever since.
By the Middle Ages, after centuries of St. Valentine’s
story being romanticized by
lovers, the feast day was one
of the popular days celebrated. Despite the church’s trying to keep the day sanctified,
gift giving and love notes became highly popular in Europe. English poet Geoffrey
Chaucer is often credited for
being the first to associate romantic love with the feast day.
Valentine’s Day soon
spread to the American colonies. Women became particularly found of creating handmade cards for their lovers
adorned with exquisite lace
and ribbons. In the 1840s, the
first American greeting cards
began to be commercially
produced. The first American Valentine’s Day greeting
cards were created by Esther
A. Howlanda, a graduate of
Mount Holyoke College, and
she has since been known as
“The Mother of the Valentine.”
Since then Valentine’s Day
in America has become one
of the most popular days of
the year. It is associated with
hearts, flowers, candies, love
and romance. Couples often
plan big dates and exchange
gifts to show their apprecia-
tion for their love. February 14th has become one of
the most common days for
marriage proposals and weddings. However, it is not just
a day for lovers. It’s becoming
increasingly popular to give
Valentine’s cards and gifts to
friends, family, and anyone
you might love. Nowadays,
many elementary schools
celebrate Valentine’s Day
with friendly parties and the
friendly exchanging of cute
Valentines. February 14th
has drifted far from being a
Christian holy day, but it has
held on to the tradition of celebrating love.
America and Europe are
not the only countries to celebrate a day of love and romance. Thanks to William
Shakespeare’s “Romeo and
Juliet” Verona, Italy, has become one of the world’s most
romantic cities. Each year
on February 14th, the city
holds many Shakespeare-inspired events in honor of starcrossed lovers.
Countries in Asia also
celebrate Valentines’ Day in
their own unique ways. Japan has a tradition called “girl
choco” where it is customary for women to hand out
boxes and boxes of chocolate
to boyfriends, male friends,
and co-workers. The men return the favor on March 14th
handing out even more gifts
to their loved ones. In Thailand extreme marriage ceremonies such as sky-diving
are becoming more and more
popular on Valentine’s Day.
Since 2004, couples in
the Philippines have been
celebrating the holiday by
gathering at shopping malls
at midnight to participate in
creating the world record for
the most people kissing at the
same time. South America
takes a slightly different approach to Valentine’s Day.
Many countries use the holiday to celebrate relationships
between family and friends as
well as lovers.
While many countries
celebrate Valentine’s Day, it
can be argued that the United
States has taken its commercialism to an extreme level.
Many have dubbed it a “Hallmark Holiday” due to the billions of mass-produced cards
celebrating February 14th.
Each year numerous amounts
of people complain that commercialism has zapped the
romance from the day completely. Instead, they feel
pressured to spend money on
elaborate gifts for the loved
ones. Those not in a relationship can sometimes feel lonely
and sad due to society’s telling
them they should be in love.
As a result an anti-Valentine’s
Valentine’s Day
es. Thank you for the warm
reception – I’ll try to repay
both the hospitality and the
cigarettes bummed. Feel free
to ask if any of you ever find
yourselves in need of a semi
decently experienced proof
reader.
When I was a child, my
mother used to tell me that
alone, no individual is great;
it is only with the people they
surround themselves by that
they are capable of becoming
so. Education beyond what I
believe to be a sub-standard
system in the lower levels of
this country’s schools is, in
my opinion, one of the most
respectable pursuits any individual is capable of undergoing. For only education is
capable of providing a proper
foundation upon which can
be built and improved the
world we live in. I look forward to the lessons learned
and friends made within these
walls – I hope that both will
last a lifetime. Thank you for
this opportunity. I will do my
best to make the most of it.
Day called Singles Awareness
Day (SAD) has been created
for single people who are determined to celebrate in spite
of not being in a relationship.
Some opt to wear black on
Valentine’s Day to show an
absence of red, the color most
associated with love.
Whether you celebrate
Valentine’s Day or not, chances are on February 14th you
will be taking stock of your
love life or absence of one.
Between the media and couples in love all around you,
there is no way to avoid the
celebration. If you are not in
a relationship or are in support of SAD, there is no need
to be bitter. Sure, the day may
seem tainted by commercialism, but if you think of it as
a reminder to appreciate the
ones you love, be it your significant other, friends, family,
or yourself, it can be a happy
occasion. Hang out with
friends, go to the anti-party,
book that romantic weekend getaway, have a glass of
wine, bust out that diamond
ring burning in your pocket,
or best of all cozy up on the
couch and enjoy every bite of
a box of chocolates.
Sources:
http://www.history.com
http://newsfeed.time.com
student news
Videos and
Discussions at
CCC Celebrate
Black History
Month
Clatsop Community College is commemorating Black
History Month with a free
weekly series of videos and
discussions. All programs
will be held in Columbia Hall
Room 219, 1651 Lexington
Avenue, Astoria, beginning
at 12:00 pm, and will last for
approximately one hour.
The schedule for
programs includes:
Tuesday, February 12
Rap: Looking for the
Perfect Beat
Wednesday, February 13
Rap: Looking for the
Perfect Beat
Tuesday, February 19
Hoodwinked Part 1
Wednesday, February 20
Hoodwinked Part 2
Tuesday, February 26
A Time for Justice
Wednesday, February 27
A Time for Justice
February 2013 | The Bandit 5
¿Comes chiles?
PATI MORRISSEY
COLUMNIST
Hace unos días mi familia
salió a comer a un restaurante
tailandés. El plato que yo pedí
tenía tanto chile que casi no lo
pude comer. Al llegar a mi casa
me puse a pensar en el origen de
los chiles, conocidos como ajíes
en América del Sur, y decidí investigar el tema. Esto es lo que
encontré.
Hay muchos países en el
mundo que se identifican con
cierto tipo de chile. Por ejemplo,
el chile poblano y el jalapeño se
conocen como chiles mexicanos, el ají amarillo y el ají panca se conocen como chiles del
Perú y los chiles Tien-Tsin se
identifican con la provincia del
mismo nombre en la China. Sin
embargo, los arqueobotánicos
que estudian este tema han decidido que es muy probable que
el primer “chile” haya aparecido
en lo que es hoy Bolivia. Según
Linda Perry, investigadora del
Museo de Historia Natural del
Instituto Smithsonian, los antiguos americanos ya usaban chiles
en sus comidas hace 8,000 años
y empezaron a cultivar chiles
hace más o menos 6,000 años.
Las culturas pre hispánicas,
como por ejemplo los Mayas,
Aztecas e Incas, no solamente
usaban los chiles para condi-
mentar los alimentos. Ellos conocían variedades de chiles con
propiedades medicinales que se
usaban para tratar enfermedades
comunes. En algunos grupos
culturales, como en los grupos
andinos del Perú, se creia que
las plantas más importantes
tenían un espíritu que las protegía y la población veneraba a
este espíritu o “conopa”. El espíritu del chile (ají) era llamado
Uchumama. Después de las cosechas, se escogía a los mejores
ajíes o chiles y se llevaba a cabo
una ceremonia de agradecimiento para asegurar buenas futuras
cosechas. En México, se dice
que el emperador Moctezuma II,
después de las comidas, se deleitaba con una jícara de chocolate que contenía un aderezo especial de chile y otras especies.
Esta mezcla era sólo para el uso
del emperador y la nobleza.
Poco a poco, los chiles migraron de América del Sur hacia
el norte y finalmente se establecieron en todas las Américas.
A través de cientos de años, los
países americanos desarrollaron
sus propias variedades de chiles
y cuando llegaron los españoles,
a fines del siglo quince, se llevaron muestras de estos alimentos
para presentárselos a Europa y
desde allí al mundo entero. Cristóbal Colón escribió: “La tierra
produce mucho ají, que es la pimienta de los habitantes y más
valiosa que la pimienta común.”
Los portugueses encontraron
chiles en el Brasil y los llevaron,
junto con el algodón y el tabaco
americano, al Africa. En poco
tiempo, el chile se estableció en
la India, el Japón y la China. Un
sacerdote jesuita del siglo dieciséis escribió, “El uso del ají perjudica la salud de los jóvenes,
especialmente la del alma, ya
que provoca el deseo”.
Todos los chiles y pimientos
pertenecen al género Capsicum
y hoy en día esta planta está
distribuida por todo el mundo.
Hay docenas de tipos de chiles;
la planta es generalmente un arbusto de 30 cm a 125 cm de alto
con flores blancas que produce
frutos de colores tales como
naranjas, morados y rojos. Antes
de madurar y alcanzar su color
final, todos los chiles presentan
frutos de color verde.
El compuesto químico picante que se encuentra en los
chiles es un alcaloide llamado
capsaicina (8-metil-N-vanillil6-nonenamida) y es producido
en la base del fruto, en la zona
donde se encuentran las semillas, en el género Capsicum. Al
comer un chile la gente experimenta una sensación quemante
en la boca y esto produce lagrimeo intenso. El chile estimula
sensores en la lengua que son
los que se usan para detectar la
temperatura en los alimentos.
Para controlar la sensación de
picor, uno debe ingerir azúcares
o grasas. Tomar leche o masticar
pan son métodos eficaces para
contrarrestar el picor de un buen
chile. El grado de picor se mide
con la Escala Scoville (SHU,
Scoville Heat Units). El químico
americano Wilbur Scoville inventó una escala de valor según
la concentración de capsaicina
en un chile. Le dio un valor de
0 (cero) SHU al pimiento verde,
un pimiento dulce que no pica.
Luego, le dio un valor de un
millón SHU a los chiles bhut
jolokia y naga jolokia, chiles
desarrollados en la India. Estos
chiles se consideran los más picosos del mundo. Los jalapeños
tienen un valor de 5,000 SHU y
los habaneros alcanzan 300,000
SHU. Capsaicina pura tiene un
valor de 15 millones SHU.
¡Pero la capsaicina no sólo
se usa para condimentar alimentos! Esta sustancia tiene
muchos usos como por ejemplo
en los aerosoles para defensa
contra osos y en el “mace” de la
policía. En algunas zonas rurales, los pastores untan una pasta
de chile alrededor del cuello
de las ovejas para controlar a
los depredadores. Entonces, la
próxima vez que le agreguemos
chile a nuestros alimentos, pensemos en lo fascinante e importante que es esta planta americana.
Bandit Feature
•••
Dear Aunt Blabby,
How can I deal with
people who call me a rat
or make jokes about the
Jews being forced into the
death camps by rolling
quarters down the street?
Signed,
Goy Crazy
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
offers free speaker series event
Dear Goy Crazy,
It truly saddens me
that in light of so many
things going extinct that
racism still manages to
survive. If the abuse you
speak of is happening here
on campus, then I strongly recommend you make a formal
complaint. You can pick up the form at Student Services.
Racism is like a dirty house: it can’t be cleaned unless you
turn the light on. Expose it!
Unfortunately, there are a lot of ignorant people in the
world who will always want to prove it by opening their
mouths. I think the best way to fight racism is through education. Some people say the best way to handle it is to walk
away, but personally I think exposing their stupidity works
better. For example, the next time someone tells you a racist
joke look at them and say, “That was supposed to be funny?
Didn’t you hear 1970 called and they want their sense of
humor back.”
Lewis and Clark National
Historical Park, Fort Clatsop
is pleased to announce the
next In Their Footsteps free
speaker series event. This
program is Wildlife Center of
the North Coast presented by
some of the wildlife center’s
staff on Sunday, February 17,
at 1:00 p.m. This is part the
weekend’s nationwide Great
Backyard Bird Count activities led by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology.
Since Sharnelle Fee
founded the Wildlife Center
of the North Coast sixteen
years ago, people who find
sick or injured wildlife in
our area have had a helpful
resource to turn to. The allvolunteer non-profit center
aids all indigenous wildlife,
“Old men love to give advice to console themselves for not
being able to set a bad example.”
-La Rochefoucauld
In Their Footsteps
has a wildlife hospital, and
provides offsite education
programs.
The presenters will bring
some of the center’s education animals to the program
such as an owl, a common
murre, a rhinoceros auklet, a
northern fulmar, and a brown
pelican. Their program will
cover some of the dangers
that wildlife face in this region, the work of the Wildlife
Center of the North Coast and
how people can help local
wildlife.
This monthly Sunday
forum is sponsored by the
Lewis & Clark National Park
Association and the park.
These programs are held in
the Netul River Room of Fort
Clatsop’s visitor center and
are free of charge.
Other upcoming In Their
Footsteps: speaker series
programs include:
-Sunday, March 17 –The
Columbia River’s “ELLIS
ISLAND” by Nancy Bell Anderson
-Sunday, April 21 – Gifford
Pinchot: The Making of an
American Conservationist by
Joseph Blanco
-Sunday, May 19 –What
Killed Lewis? by Dr. David
Peck
For more information,
call the park at
(503) 861-2471.
student news
6 The Bandit | February 2013
Reflections on Sylvia Plath
GENEVIEVE ZAMORA
REPORTER
American poet Sylvia Plath
committed suicide on February
11, 1963; thus, we have reached
the fiftieth anniversary of her
death. To honor and to remember Plath, reporter Genevieve
Zamora wrote the following article along with the explication
of Plath’s poem “Mirror.”
Sylvia Plath was one of
America’s greatest poets. She
was born October 27, 1932, in
Boston, Massachusetts. She began writing poetry very young
with her first poem being published when she was just eight
years old. She attended Smith
College in Massachusetts and
later graduated from Cambridge
in England. Like many great
artists, her life was short and
wrought with tragedy. While she
excelled in school, she felt pressured by society and the need to
succeed and be married before
she became too old for prospects.
Sylvia Plath was a very
smart and gifted poet, but she
also suffered from severe depression starting at an early age. She
spent bouts in mental institutions
and attempted suicide a couple
of times before she succeeded in
1963. She was married to fellow
poet Ted Hughes and had children but was clearly unhappy
and felt enslaved. Some poetry
historians argue that Plath felt
overshadowed by Hughes’ literary success. Her anger and sadness in life were often reflected
in her poetry. Many of her most
famous poems were written
while amidst a separation from
her husband after he had an affair. Plath received mild success in life but did not achieve
fame and notoriety until after her
death. A deeper look at one of
Plath’s more haunting poems,
“Mirror,” can lend us a greater
insight into one of poetry’s most
brilliant yet tragic minds.
With “Mirror” Plath created
a poem told from the perspective
of a mirror. At the beginning the
sentences are short and matter of
fact, as though spoken by a robot. She is emphasizing the fact
that the speaker is an object, and
therefore it is more truthful about
what it sees because it is not persuaded by emotion. By using an
ISAIAH PIXLER
REPORTER
object as a speaker, Plath creates
an eerie sense of detachment
from our world. Plath’s diction
is very deliberate: “Flickers,”
“darkness,” “separate” all hint at
illusions that hide what really is.
In the second stanza the mirror switches to a lake and then
back to a mirror. The moving
water becomes a symbol for
change. The woman is desperate for her life to be different, to
be what it was. When she sees
only herself, she agitates the water hoping the truth of her life
will go away. We get a sense
of how saddened the woman is
when the mirror reports that it
is important to her. Every day
she searches her reflection for a
new truth. Every day she is hit
with the reality that her youth is
gone, her life was wasted, and
her dreams have died. She has
been suffocated by life. The last
four words of the poem seem
to be out of place at first, “like
a terrible fish,” but they are actually the perfect ending to this
poem. They have many possible meanings, but here we’ll
look at two. A fish gets caught
on a hook with no possible way
to escape, and she feels like she
was caught too. Maybe she felt
tricked by society into marriage
and a life that she never wanted.
Or it can mean that like a fish,
she feels always under water.
She’s drowning and she can’t
breathe. When she comes up for
air (looks at her reflection), she
is pushed right back down by the
truth.
In Plath’s poem “Mirror,”
the mirror is stating matter-offactly how it is just an object. It
does not have prejudice against
or a bias towards the person who
looks into it. It only reports (reflects) the truth--good or bad.
The mirror is like the eye of a
god from another world, always
watching. This could mean
that in the land of this god, the
world behind the looking glass,
only the truth is told. The mirror describes its surroundings. It
spends a good portion of its time
looking at and thinking about the
opposite wall. It thinks it may be
in love with the wall. The wall
is pink with speckles. From this
we gather that the mirror hangs
in a woman’s room and has been
there a long time. But it cannot
always see the wall because the
faces of people looking into it;
the darkness of the night or the
light being switched off continually separates them. The mirror
is now a lake.
Next, the mirror has taken
the form of water and is reflecting the image of a woman bending to look at herself. She sees
herself truthfully reflected, and
she is not happy. She uses the
tricks that candles and moonlight can play to create an illusion that she is younger. The
mirror is disdainful towards the
lights as it calls them liars, and
it sees itself as better than them.
The mirror sees the woman for
what she really is: old and used
up. The woman knows that she
is lying to herself as she mourns
and cries in protest of the truth.
The mirror is slightly annoyed
that it always tells the truth, and
the woman never thanks it. The
mirror knows it is important to
the woman for she comes to look
at herself often. It is she who
turns on the light each morning
and brings the mirror something
to look at. The last two lines
state the truth that both the mirror and the woman see each time
she looks into it. She sees the
loss of her of her youth and the
promise of her dreams. Every
morning she must get up only
to be killed by the monotonous
routine of her daily life.
We can get a good reading of
the poem simply by paraphrasing, but by looking at the structure and form of it, we can learn
more about the poet and find an
even deeper meaning. “Mirror”
deals with women pretending to
be happy with their lives when
really they feel trapped and helpless in their situations. They put
on a show for others and suffer
their pain in silence. Plath dances around the woman’s true feelings about her life.
How Plath treats the subject has do with the time period.
During the 1960s women went
through what Adrienne Rich
called “a time of awakening
consciousness.” They started
to break out of the “stupor of
the fifties,” of domesticity and
the appearance of being happy
and perfect. Many were starting to realize that they were unhappy with this domestic façade
and wanted out but were unsure
how to properly act on it. Plath
seemed to be caught in this role,
which may explain her indirect
approach to admitting that she
was miserable. Plath may have
been afraid to call it how she
saw it so as not to appear men-
obvious flaw in thought that is
racism. At this point I would
prefer instead to revel in the accomplishments of a section of
humanity who, despite the numerous unfounded prejudices
placed upon them, were able to
prove these to be false, and in
doing so, were able to direct the
collective thought toward what
we now see in everyday life.
Following the abolition
of slavery prior to the turn of
the last century, many African
Americans south of the MasonDixon Line decided to move
north in an exodus that became
known as The Great Migration.
It should come as no surprise
that within this newfound freedom was realized an appreciation for learning known only to
those who have been denied it.
Because of this, in the generations following the emancipation, many of the most influential artists, musicians, poets,
writers etc… of the last century
were seen for what they truly
were, great men and women
who, until that point, had never
even been given a second look.
The Harlem Renaissance
(c. 1918 – 1937), as it became
known, was a time of the expansion of the mind and the
exploration of the soul. While
not specifically limited to Harlem, the place attracted many
remarkable characters whose
talents became well known; it
was because of this concentration of ability the name was
given. Due to the contributions
of people such as W.E.B. Du
Bois, who wrote “The Souls
of Black Folk” (1903) and his
NAACP colleague James Weldon Johnson, the movement was
given life. It was not until after
the First World War, however,
that the movement began being
recognized on the world stage.
Once the door had been opened,
though, there was no closing it.
One of the primary contributions during this time is inarguably, music. With the names
of this time including, but not
limited to, people such as Louis
Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and
Duke Ellington--and their contributions to jazz--it comes as
no surprise that the music of the
era has and continues to inspire
musicians even into the modern day. I cannot even mention
jazz, however, without giving
credit where credit is due as it
is, first and foremost, a product
of the blues. During this time
as well was seen the increase in
popularity of individual musicians as opposed to the sound
of “big bands.” Needless to say,
the sounds of the era have influenced, both directly and indirectly, everything from early
rock and roll to modern rap.
This time was not only defined by its music, however.
Many well-known poets and
writers are also the product of
this generation. With names
such as Langston Hughes,
Countee Cullen, and Claude
McKay, it’s no wonder the influence of this movement is so deep
rooted in our country’s modern
culture. While the male poets
of the time are easily recognizable, the female poets deserve
just as much, if not more, praise.
Women such as Angelina Weld
Grimke, Alice Dunbar Nelson,
and Helene Johnson had to deal
not only with the discrimination
due to their skin tone, but also
their gender as well; in doing
so they provided examples for
a feminist movement that, at the
time, was still in its infancy.
While the influence of this
generation is not limited to the
examples given in this article, it
is apparent that these individuals had and continue to have
an impact on the world we live
in today. I find it ironic that in
the face of so much adversity,
these men and women not only
“Mirror”
Sylvia Plath
I am silver and exact.
I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful—
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles.
I have looked at it so long
I think it is a part of my heart.
But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
Now I am a lake.
A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her.
She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old
woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
tally unstable.
Since the speaker in the poem--an object and a mirror--is
thought of as a tool that always
shows you the truth, not just
what you want to see, you can
fix your hair and cover yourself
with makeup, but it will always
show you where your flaws are.
Because of this harsh, unfeeling
way we view mirrors, the poem
“Mirror” has the authenticity
of being right. The poem has a
slightly condescending tone because the mirror cannot understand why this woman keeps trying to regain what she lost with
lights and illusions. The meaning of the poem is the sense of
being trapped inside your life.
While the mirror may tell the
truth, here we feel the truth. The
woman feels it; we all feel it-cold, hard truth.
Plath’s “Mirror” touches on
the fact that women were expected to play a certain role in
society. They were supposed to
cook, clean, raise the kids, look
perfect and be happy about it except, many women felt trapped
by that life and still do. Today
we can get divorced without too
much trouble, but back then it
would have felt like there was
no way out of the domestic life.
Today society likes to go on
about how we are open-minded,
but if a woman says she doesn’t
want kids or that she can’t stand
being a mother, she is met with a
raised eyebrow and a brush off.
Sylvia Plath’s poem “Mirror” addresses the issue of a
woman who feels cornered by
convention. She has done the
“right thing” by getting married
and having children, but in doing
so she has given up too much of
herself. The poem also addresses the subject that you can lie
to others about your happiness,
you can even lie to yourself but
your reflection in the mirror and
the water will always show the
truth.
proved the biases placed upon
them to be entirely unfounded,
but also influenced the direction
of the world at large. Since this
time, and only once prior (The
European Renaissance C. 14th –
17th Centuries A.D.), the world
has not seen such a collection of
influential personalities within
such a short period of time.
From this should be gathered
not only the ridiculousness of
the idea of color affecting intellect and ability, but also the
realization of the importance of
the acquisition of knowledge,
something obviously apparent
to those who have been denied
it.
In my opinion, the world
has been made a better place
because of the individuals of
this age, and while I know collectively we have the tendency
to fall back into the old habits
of fear and hatred, I hope that
in the future we will be able to
look past our individual differences entirely and realize the
truth within the fact that ethnicity does not determine race, process of thought, or ability; it is
only at this point that we will be
able to realize the true extent of
our collective potential.
Sources:
http://www.sylviaplath.info/biography.
html
http://www.sylviaplath.de/
Photo courtesy of http://womensvoicesforchange.org/tag/sylvia-plath
Poem reprinted from The Norton In-
troduction to Poetry, W. W. Norton
& Company; 9th edition (October
5, 2006)
The Harlem Renaissance
With an eye on February’s
being Black History Month and
an eye on the upcoming jazz festival in Seaside, reporter Isaiah
Pixler found himself thinking of
the early days of jazz, and his
thoughts turned to the Harlem
Renaissance.
Too often, throughout the
course of our existence, we
have seen the subjugation of a
particular “group” of people by
those arrogant enough to believe in their own superiority.
Even our own country, allegedly
built upon a foundation of the
natural freedoms inherent to all
people, has found itself guilty
of this crime against humanity.
It is because of this fact that we
have nationally dedicated an
entire month, albeit the shortest one, to the remembrance of,
and reflection on, our shortcomings as a people. While I wish I
could say these times have long
since passed, the truth is, not
only are the scars still relatively
fresh, but there are also particular groups within the population at large who have not let
go of these mindsets. However,
I am not here to lecture on the
around campus
NANCY
Photo courtesy of the Plus Program
Nancy Nelson-Smith,
graduation June 2007.
events connected to the
college. Regardless of
the setting, Nancy had
her warm smile for everyone, and she always
made them feel at home.
Her workplace was literally her personal kitchen,
and her customers were
her friends who dropped
by for something to eat
and a little conversation.
She made us all feel special, and it’s a rare person who has that quality.
When various people
here at the college were
asked about Nancy and
February 2013 | The Bandit 7
Continued from page 1
what they remembered
the most, invariably they
said her smile. They
spoke of her warmth
and generosity of spirit,
her strength and love of
family and friends. They
spoke of her love of
competition and how she
enjoyed playing softball,
darts, and pool. They all
voiced a sense of loss,
that someone who lit up
the room with her friendly smile and strong hugs
had left them. We miss
you, Nancy—and thanks
for everything.
Movie Review
GENEVIEVE
ZAMORA
VIRGINIA
HALL
REPORTER
REPORTER
“Warm Bodies”
Photos courtesy of
Sandi Falkner
“Warm Bodies” tells the famil- and longs for change. His home,
iar romantic tale of star-crossed
airplane,
is filled with collect Overlovsixty an
women
interested
ers trying to find love, only
this time
ible human
items
in going
to college
attended
the suggesting that he
with a zombie twist. This
to be Coualive again. He often
Lisa quirky
Nyberg, wishes
the Career
comedy is a film adaptation
gram of
in the
Alderlistens
Hall.to vintage
Contactvinyl records and
novel “Warm Bodies”Rinda
by Johanson
Isaac stares
off into
or e-mail
hertheatdistance yearning
Marion. The film is written
and for a life free from mindless [email protected].
directed by Jonathan Levine,
who dering and eating flesh. “R” feels
directed such films as “The Wack- bad that he must kill humans but
ness” and the critically acclaimed, knows it’s a necessity for survival.
“50/50.”
“R” discovers that if he eats the
“Warm Bodies” is set in a post- brains of his victims, he can see and
apocalyptic world. Earth has been feel their memories. He looks fortaken over by zombies for some ward to this “high” as it is the clostime, and only a few groups of hu- est to feeling alive he can get.
mans survive. The humans live One day, while out slowly huntbehind a giant wall built to keep ing for humans, “R,” his best friend
out the zombies and the even more “M,” and several other zombies
threatening “bonies,” zombies who run into a group of young humans
are so far gone they have become in search of medical supplies to
skeletons with only one thing on bring back home. While devouring
their mind: eat anything with a a young man’s brain, “R” sees his
heartbeat. Humans have adopted memories and starts to have feela shoot-on-sight attitude towards ings for the man’s girlfriend, Julie
anything that appears undead.
(Teresa Palmer). “R” sees Julie dur The main character is a young ing the zombie attack and decides
zombie named “R,” played by to save her from being killed. He
Nicholas Hoult (About A Boy), leads Julie to his airplane and keeps
who spends his days wandering her safe there from other zombies.
the terminals of an abandoned air- Over a period of a few days, the
port. As zombies don’t have con- pair begins to form a bond. “R”
trol over their speech besides grunts communicates through music and
and groans, much of the story is forced one-syllable words. The
told through comedic voiceovers to two “hang out” like normal young
show what “R” is thinking. “R” is people. They dance to records, take
bored with his non-living existence a drive around the airport, and play
games to pass the time.
The more time “R” spends
around Julie, the more lifelike he
becomes. His speech becomes
clearer, his moves become faster,
his capacity for compassion grows,
and his heart begins to beat. Julie
starts to see that what her father,
played by John Malkovich, has always preached about zombies never
being able to change is not true.
When the other zombies see
the budding romance between “R”
and Julie, a change starts to occur
within them also. They are awakened to being alive. They begin to
dream and have memories of their
past lives. Once the zombies’ hearts
begin to beat, the “bonies” turn on
them with the intent to wipe them
out. “R,” Julie, and the zombies
head to the human city to warn
the humans of the “bonies” and to
spread word that the undead are
coming alive. It seems “true love”
is curing them.
Liberties have been taken with
some of the more classic zombie
lore, but there is nothing diehard
zombie fans should take offense to
if an open mind is kept. There is
plenty of zombie action, but gore is
limited and mostly off screen, keeping the film’s rating PG-13.
While the zombie element adds
a unique twist, at heart “Warm Bod-
Movie poster courtesy of
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3875646464/
tt1588173
ies” is a witty romantic comedy.
The story pays homage to William
Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
The character’s names, “R,” “M,”
and Julie draws parallels to Romeo,
Mercutio, and Juliette. Julie’s father
acts as the force keeping his daughter from falling in love with a boy
from the wrong side of the tracks.
There is even a short balcony scene.
Hoult’s portrayal of “R’s” fumbled efforts to impress the girl and
appear “alive” hit the right spot in
being comical but not overacted.
Palmer’s devilry at times falls flat,
reminiscent of Kirsten Stewart’s
Bella, but lulls are few and quickly
recovered. Malkovich is as intense
as ever, blending the right amount
of militant attitude, loving father,
and comedy.
Overall, “Warm Bodies” is a
brilliantly scripted, witty comedy
that will warm the hearts of both
zombie fans and romantics alike.
This film is perfect for a Valentine’s
Day date as it offers a little bit of
something for everyone. Four out of
five stars.
The Arts
Conversation leads to “Community Ground”
8 The Bandit | February 2013
MAMIE LEE WOOD
CORRESPONDENT
Photos by Lynette Vollmer
The CCC Art Department kicked off winter term
with a showing of “Community Ground,” which opened on
Thursday, January 7th. Composed of work by eighteen different artists who work as faculty at Linn-Benton and Mt.
Hood Community Colleges, the
exhibit runs until February 14th.
The 6:00 p.m. gathering was
hosted by art instructor Richard
Rowland who acknowledged fellow art faculty and invited a few
visitors to share their thoughts,
notably Director of Institutional
Research and Adult Basic Skills
Tom Gill and local art scene
advocate Michael Foster. Gill
found the exhibit to be “eclectic”
with some pieces prompting a
chuckle while Foster offered that
“it was a wonderful show” and
“a small college doing a large
exhibit.”
Rowland then introduced all
of the artists present, several of
whom shared a bit of their background with the audience. Most
of those who spoke indicated a
strong connection to nature as
both an inspiration and subject of
their work, and some expressed
a deep concern for the environment such as painter Gary Westford. His picture “Onramp,” a
black and white acrylic on canvas depicts a polar bear far removed from his natural habitat,
standing on a highway ramp and
perhaps considering his options.
Painter Analee Fuentes attributed her strong use of color
to growing up in San Diego
surrounded by the colors of the
Southwest. She also told the audience that “in another life” she
had been a nurse so her knowledge of anatomy influenced her
depictions of the human body
and assisted her work as an art
instructor, especially when conducting a figure drawing workshop. Ceramicist Jan Edwards
told how being dyslexic caused
her to find a creative outlet in
drawing, and then she moved to
work in clay.
Each artist who spoke was
clearly happy and grateful to
be a part of the show, and they
all spoke warmly of Rowland,
particularly ceramicist Jay Widmer, who cited Rowland as an
influence on his work. As Gill
observed, the exhibit is indeed
eclectic with paintings, drawings, ceramics, photographs,
and found art pieces. The eighteen artists in the show described
themselves as painters (five),
visual artists (three), a calligrapher/visual artist (one), ceramicists (five), photographers (two),
a printmaker (one), and finally a
jewelry maker/metalsmith (one).
Of special interest is the
technique employed by photographer Rich Bergeman. His four
photographs of plants along various roadsides were made from a
pigment ink print taken from a
pinhole camera negative.
The art department did a fine
job in displaying the various
pieces, and Rowland said that of
all the submissions only one or
two items were not on display
because of a lack of space.
This faculty show came
about through casual conversation between Rowland and some
of the exhibitors, and it marks
the beginning of an exchange of
shows by art faculty at different
Oregon community colleges.
(Top photo) “Wings to Wear” by Georganne Watters,
Woodcut Print
(Top left photo) “Bottle” by Don Sprague,
Porcelain, Soda Fired
(Middle left photo) “Nut Boll” by Joe Davis,
Colored Porcelain, Rayon Flocking
(Bottom left photo) “Stop (1)” by Mary Girsch,
Digital Print
(Bottom photo) “Scribble Platter with Birds”
by Jan Edwards,
Terra Cotta Clay, Slips, Stains, Sgriffito
The name “Community
Ground” reflects both the idea of
common ground and community
colleges rather well. The pursuit
and promotion of art is the common ground where most artists
meet sooner or later.
In their roles as instructors,
these artists also held workshops
and a forum with a slide presentation. Bergeman also visited the
class of David Lee Myers, where
the classroom had been darkened
by black plastic so that students
experienced what it was like to
be inside a pinhole camera.
While the CCC art faculty—Kristin Shauck, Royal Nebeker, David Lee Myers, Lucien
Swerdloff, and Rowland—already have a collective showing
(“Metamorphosis”) in Astoria’s
RiverSea Gallery, at some future
time they will be taking their
work on the road to display their
talents at another community
college.
“A small college doing a
large exhibit.”