November 06, 2012 - College of Idaho

In this Issue:
Feature:
C of I Blood
Drive
Review 20
Feature:
Pericles
Preview
Review:
Holy Musical
Parody
THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO
6 NOVEMBER 2012- ISSUE 4
2
10 The Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly: Regsitration
MEGAN MIZUTA
11 Save America, Batman!
STEPHEN ANDERSON
7 Coyote Tales
LORRAINE BARRERAS
8 Texts From Last Night
14 The Prince Pericles Adventure
GABRIELLE NELSON
11 Cuddle Weather
ADDY SOMERVILLE
11 Fall Break Moon
ANNIE SRIVANICH-RAPER
13 By the Numbers
DANIELLE BLENKER
16 Howl Outs
6 Campus News
DANIELLE BLENKER
6 National and International
News Update
GEORGE FIADJOE
7 News Blurb
LORRAINE BARRERAS
REVIEWS
A&E
16 An Interview with Artist and C
of I Alumna, Cassandra Schiffler
ADDY SOMERVILLE
17 Featured Artist
KRYSTI GARCIA
18 Chicken Chasing: Taking Part
in the Chick-Fil-A First 100 Event
LORRAINE BARRERAS
21-23 Events Calendar
LORRAINE BARRERAS
MEGAN MIZUTA
24 Benching with Berger
DR. HOWARD BERGER
NEWS
FEATURE
OPINION
FEATURE
3 Editor’s Note
DANIELLE BLENKER
4 From the Men’s and Women’s
Center
NECIA HUNTER
4 Ryan Gibson: October’s ILS
Award Recipient
DANIELLE BLENKER
5 Use Your Brains. Give Blood.
JENETTE NOE
8 And the Winner Is...
KATHARINE HOEHNE
9 Becoming Peter
BEN SCHWARTING
9 Why You Need a Mr. Squiggles
SARAH TSCHOHL
10 C of I Winter Culture
TYLER HATCH
12 Bringing Cultural Diversity to
the Greater C of I CommunityCAMILLE FLOURNOY
12 Seniors, Now is the Time
DANIELLE BLENKER
SPORTS
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE COYOTE
13 Wet Dogs Taste Victory
SKYLAR BARSANTI
13 Conference Champions and
Cascade Coach of the Year
JASON HUNT
15 Fashionably Forward C of I
TUCKER SILVA
18 Popular Culture- XV
BRADY HARRISON
19 Pokemon Black and White 2
NICK STOUT
19 Bargain Shelf Book Reviews:
Veronica Roth’s Divergent
LORRAINE BARRERAS
20 Fall Features
SKYLAR BARSANTI
20 Holy Musical Parody!
ERIN MOORE
THE COYOTE
EDITOR’S NOTE
When I was in high school, I did the
coolest activity a high school student can
do. I was a cheerleader… for the marching
band. Sexy, right? Okay… so maybe
color guard wasn’t exactly considered the
“popular” thing to do, but I’ve never been
a lemming kind of girl, so oh well.
One day after band camp (seriously),
I was offered a ride home by one of the
trumpet players. I found his offer unusual
because while we weren’t friendly towards
one another. He’d never before been so
sweet as to offer himself as an alternative
to the city bus, which was my typical mode
of after-school transportation. Feeling
lucky, I climbed into his truck. We had not
made it out of the parking lot before he
turned to me.
“You’re liberal, right?”
“Yes…”
“So you’re like… super into protecting
the environment, right?”
“Er… I mean, I recycle…”
“But… like… you believe in Global
Warming and stuff.”
“Um… well the polar caps do seem
to be shrinking and the world is awfully
polluted so… yes?”
And with that, I sealed my fate. Trumpet
boy slammed on the breaks, and, putting
the truck into park, hit the accelerator,
revving his engine so that we were soon
surrounded by a noxious cloud of carbon
monoxide and nasty little hydrocarbons.
“How does this make you and your
environment feel?” he asked. I was
speechless.
Years have gone by since this encounter
with a super-conservative from band
camp. Now and again, I look back on
that day and try to imagine what I could
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Danielle Blenker
COPY EDITORS
Jason Hunt
HEAD LAYOUT EDITORS
Skylar Barsanti & Lorraine Barreras
PAYROLL MANAGER
Jason Hunt
PUBLICITY MANAGER
Nick Stout
COVER
CONTRIBUTORS
Danielle Blenker, Necia Hunter,
Jenette Noe, Katharine Hoehne, Ben
Schwarting, Sarah Tschohl, Megan
Mizuta, Tyler Hatch, Camille Fournoy,
Addy Somer ville, Kr ysti Garcia,
Lorraine Barreras, Dr. Howard Berger,
Stephen Anderson, Gabrielle Nelson,
Annie Srivanich-Raper, Tucker Silva,
George Fiadjoe, Skylar Barsanti, Jason
Hunt, Brady Harrison, Nick Stout,
Erin Moore
Krysti Garcia
FACULTY ADVISOR
Alan Minskoff
LAYOUT
have said. The glaring answer might be,
“It’s you’re air, too. You tell me.” Today,
while I still consider myself more liberal
than anything else, I would not say that
I am one of those super-conscientious
environmentalists. Sure, I recycle and I
take paper rather than plastic bags at Win
Co; I remember to shut my lights off
when I’m not using them; I make a special
trip to the glass recycling plant now and
again. But let’s be honest, I don’t actively
live my life so I might leave the next
generation with an earth as clean as it was
when I was born. Overall, I think most
college students probably are a lot like me
in this regard.
When I was in Boston this summer,
I had the privilege of seeing how big
cities handle their waste, and let me say—
sustainability is a much bigger deal there.
At the dorm I stayed in, there were not
only recycling bins on every floor, but in
every room. Driving past the University
of Massachusetts in Amherst, I was
astonished to find out that the university
had its own award-winning central
heating plant (the plant has reduced the
campus’s greenhouse emissions by 30%).
The school also boasts 70 solar panels
on its land in South Deerfield with plans
to build more panels that will provide
60-100 kilowatts of energy to power the
university’s visitor’s center in Amherst
(this will save the university $70,000 every
year), as well as a wind energy center.
Granted, the University of Massachusetts
in Amherst has over 28,000 students.
But does that mean that we can’t also be
striving to become less energy-dependent
within our own college?
I applaud the work done by the
Skylar Barsanti, Lorraine Barreras, Danielle Blenker
sustainability stewards and by TERRA.
Bringing farm-grown organic foods to
students and reminding us all to turn
our lights off are noble causes that can
have a huge affect over time. Now, I too
would like to pose some suggestions. The
simplest would be to put recycling bins
around campus—one beside every trash
can and one on every floor of every dorm.
Right now I have a small bag of plastic
bottles that need to leave my room, but
I keep forgetting to take them out to the
big dumpster outside/am too lazy to do it
most of the time. Having a recycling bin
on my floor would help encourage me to
recycle more often.
Second, I propose that we start a
program investing in solar power. From
what I’ve heard, solar panels are expensive,
but they also pay for themselves in time,
and eventually can even produce a surplus
of clean energy. I’d like to list a few facts
from Renewable Green Energy Power that
support why I think an investment in solar
power would be well worth the initial cost:
“A 10 kw solar panel installation
(under certain conditions) is estimated to
generate about 17,000 kWh in a year. In
environmental terms, this is equivalent
to avoiding the emission of 11.7 metric
tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the
atmosphere.”
“A solar panel with capacity of 1kw can
produce, on average, between 1,500 kWh
and 1,750 kw in one year.”
As I stated previously, solar panels
are expensive. The cost of putting up
solar panels would depend on factors
more complex than simply going out
and picking out a couple to stick out on
the roof. According to getsolar.com, for
About:
The Coyote is the student-run campus
publication of The College of Idaho. We
provide a forum for student, faculty, staff
and administrative voices. The opinions
presented here are not necessarily those
of The Coyote or The College of Idaho.
Articles may be submitted by emailing
them as a Microsoft Word file to danielle.
[email protected] or
[email protected] Or, submit
to the Coyote Student Newspaper Group
on Facebook.
Letters to the editor are welcomed and
will be printed as space allows. Letter
may be edited for grammar. Letters can
be emailed to coyote@collegeofidaho.
edu or sent to the address below:
The Coyote
The College of Idaho
2112 Cleveland Blvd.
Box 52
Caldwell, ID 83605
Anonymous letters will not be printed.
Payment:
The Coyote pays $0.03 per word, $15
for an original piece of art, $30 for an
original cover and $5 per photograph.
Writers will be reimbursed for costs
pertaining to reporting at the discretion
of the editorial board. Reimbursement
must be sought in advance.
Advertise and Anything Else:
Contact Editor-in-Chief Danielle Blenker
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Student Newspaper.
one kilowatt of panels, the cost would
be about $1,700-$2,500. In our state, one
kilowatt would translate to about 1,700
kilowatt hours (kWh) per year. While this
may not seem like much compared to how
many kWh the college goes through in a
year (an average household uses 11,000
so imagine how many the college takes),
imagine what twenty solar panels could do.
All the sudden, we’d have 34,000 kWh…
perhaps enough to power one of (or at
least part of) the dorms. For $40,000 one
year, we could produce 34,000 kWh not
just that year, but for years afterward, and
since solar panels have a 20-30 year life
expectancy, imagine how much money
would be saved in the end.
Where would the funding come from?
I would propose a rollover plan in which
one solar panel would be purchased
up front through perhaps the Boone
fund. The solar panel could be installed
anywhere as a sort of experiment. Over
time, the money it would save the college
by helping cut down on the electric bill
would be put into a separate account
which would also include donations, etc.
The money from that account would
then, once it reached its quota, be put
forth to purchase another panel, and then
another. As the panels grow in number
and continue to help save the college
money that saved money could go towards
helping purchase more panels.
Where would we put them? On the
roofs of course! (but protected by fences
perhaps to help keep roof-adventuring
college students from accidentally
damaging them in their night escapades)
Solar panels are not our solution to
creating a better world—I’m not even sure
they’d make for a better Caldwell. But we,
as community members of the College of
Idaho, could feel great pride in our school.
Imagine the press releases! Imagine the
new energy classes that could be created to
study our own solar power! Imagine being
able to tell perspective students that the
College of Idaho is energy independent!
Imagine being a school ahead of its time.
Always,
Danielle Blenker
Coyote Editor-in-Chief
3
FEATURE
From the Men and
Women’s Center
by NECIA HUNTER
Relationships can be tricky business.
While they should be both safe and
fun, they also involve a lot of work and
compromise and even the occasional fight.
In fact, sometimes it can be difficult to
tell if a relationship has crossed the line
between healthy and unhealthy, especially
amid all the end-of-semester stress. To
help you make sure that your relationship
is still on track, ask yourself if it has the
following three qualities of a healthy
relationship:
1. Mutual Respect. Does your partner
make you feel like you and your ideas are
important? Does your partner help you
feel confident, or do they put you down
and make you feel uncomfortable on
purpose, even in public? Mutual respect
means that both partners are allowed to
talk openly and honestly to each other,
without being made fun of or put down.
It also means that both partners respect
each other’s sexual boundaries, backing
off when something makes their partner
uncomfortable, instead of pushing them
to go further. These boundaries also mean
that there should be absolutely no physical
violence—or even the threat of physical
Ryan Gibson: October’s
ILS Award Recipient
by DANIELLE BLENKER
Recently, Ryan Gibson became this year’s
very first recipient of the Integrity, Leadership,
and Service Award. Recognized by the Student
Affairs Division, the award celebrates students
who embody community, integrity, leadership, and
service. Last year was the first year the monthly
award was given. Ryan is the award recipient for
this year’s month of October. Recognized for his
many leadership activities such as being a third
year RA, the starting goalie of the C of I lacrosse
intramural team, a senator for Simplot, a member
of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and a volunteer in
Bangladesh this summer, Ryan answered a few of
my questions regarding his pursuits and experiences.
What was your volunteer trip like?
How did you find yourself growing
on a personal level? What were some
of your favorite or life-altering experiences?
Going to Bangladesh this last summer was an extremely powerful experience. I participated in an internship with
a non-governmental organization called
Poverty Eradication Program with Kendra
Knighten. In many ways it reaffirmed
the studies that I have completed at the
4
College concerning development and
poverty. However it also simultaneously
transformed and challenged some of my
assumptions about the subject of development as well as my career pursuits. One
instance that epitomizes the transformative nature of this trip was when Kendra
and I were cataloging some daily activities
of the poor rural villagers in Bangladesh.
I was taking pictures of the impoverished
families and was expected to photograph
a young girl brushing her teeth. I was astounded that the girl turned, plucked a leaf
straight off of a nearby tree and began
to fold it in a way that it could be used to
scrape her teeth.
Despite this being in the second month
of our trip, I was shocked to find that I
expected the girl to have a western style,
reusable toothbrush. It was this experience
that illustrates, for me, the nuance and
yet overwhelming difficulties that poverty
creates in the villager's lives. This example
seems small, but was so incredibly powerful and humbling.
What is your passion?
I have never had a singular passion,
however, I would say that I have a passion
THE COYOTE
violence—in a relationship.
2. Trust. Does your partner respect
your privacy, or do they screen your calls,
text messages, and emails? Does your
partner respect your time apart, or do they
keep checking in on you and demand to
know where you are? One of the major
parts of trust is honesty. Does your
partner tell you the truth when you ask
him/her a question, or do you regularly
catch them lying to you? In turn, are you
honest with your partner? While jealously
is a normal emotion, the way that you and
your partner act on that emotion says a lot
about your relationship—it is impossible
to have a healthy relationship without
trust.
3. Support. Is your partner there for
you during good and bad times? Do you
feel like your partner is someone you
can depend on? This quality goes both
ways—are you willing to be there for your
partner for his/her good and bad times?
While both partners should offer each
other support, it is also unhealthy to have
an absolute attitude toward a relationship.
In fact, many abusers use the idea of
unconditional love to manipulate their
partner to stay in the relationship. It is
completely within your right to leave any
relationship that is draining or abusive—or
even simply unsatisfying—in any way. By
understanding how much and what type
of support you can give your partner and
what you expect in return, you can better
create an equal relationship that fulfills
both of your needs.
While this list is most certainly not
comprehensive, it is a good start to
evaluating the health of your relationship.
If you are in an unhealthy or dangerous
relationship and you would like to find
help, you can call Campus Safety (208-4595151), the Advocate Hotline (208-3401394), or the Counseling Center (208-4595561) for more resources.
for life. Everything I do, I do it big.
You said you've never won an academic award before this— how does
it feel to be the first student this year
recognized for such an award?
My mom used to always tell me, "It's
not your lot in life to win things." I proved
her wrong when I won "Best Legs" in
high school. I suppose I proved her wrong
again, and it is a really incredibly feeling to
receive this award. I do things on campus
because I love to do them, but it was so
incredibly humbling for Student Affairs to
recognize me.
What are your goals for the rest of
the school year and for your life after
college? Are you going to grad school?
What do you hope to do for a career?
This school year I want to create and
strengthen friendships all around campus.
I am learning lots in classes and
attending many events, but it is the
memories and friendships from
college that I have cherished thus
far. I can only hope that the rest of
this year will challenge me to grow
as a person, and will foster the relationships that will stick with me.
After college, I expect that I will
take a year off to work an underpaid job, volunteer, and study for
standardized testing. Following
that, I plan on pursuing graduate
studies in developmental economics, international legal studies, or international relations. I don't know what kind of
career I want, but I know that I want to
help people and make a positive difference
on the world (as silly as that sounds, it is
true).
What is your advice to students on
campus looking to stand out in the
fields of integrity, leadership, and
service?
Those that stand out in terms of integrity, leadership and service do so because
they are themselves. I seek to be as genuinely myself as I can, and I consequently
feel a profound connection with this campus. If the campus hadn't opened itself up
to me, then I may never have been able to
be as involved, and could never have felt
as "at home" as I do here today.
FEATURE
THE COYOTE
USE YOUR BRAINS. GIVE BLOOD.
by JENETTE NOE
We all know your staple zombieinvasion survival tools: shotgun, baseball
bat, first-aid kit, bottled water, and MREs.
But does your apocalypse survival plan
include access to blood transfusions? In
the event of a zombie outbreak, blood
will surely be low in supply and high in
demand. It’s difficult enough to keep a
steady supply of fresh blood in a zombiefree world. According to the American
Red Cross, every two seconds someone
in the U.S. needs blood, and 44,000
donations are needed every day. One
donation, a pint of blood, can save up to
three lives.
With statistics like that, why not take
a zombie-prep step and contribute to
the Red Cross blood supply today? The
donation process only takes about an
hour, and lucky for you, there’s a blood
drive conveniently coming to campus on
November 9th.
There are a couple of changes you may
notice about the blood drive this year.
First off, if you’ll excuse the pun, we have
some new blood in leadership. Mindi Price
and Jenette Noe are C of I’s current blood
drive veterans, and it is our pleasure to
welcome Kelsey Nelson, Angelica Price,
and Avery Strong to the ranks of campus
blood drive coordinators.
The second thing is a time change.
This year the fall blood drive will be held
from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This is a big
difference from the traditional 9:00 a.m.
– 2:00 p.m. We heard a lot of complaints
from students who wanted to donate
blood but were unable to do so because
they weren’t out of class in time. It is our
hope that by adjusting the schedule we will
enable more students to donate.
Are you interested in donating yet?
To schedule an appointment, email
[email protected] with
a time slot of when you can make it.
Schedule so that you have about an hour
before you have class or any other time
commitment. Appointments can be made
every 15 minutes between 11:00 a.m. and
4:00 p.m., with two or three people per
time slot.
General requirements to donate include
being healthy the day of the donation,
weighing more than 110 pounds, having
not gotten a tattoo within the last twelve
months, and not having the zombie
virus. Zombie jokes aside, if you have
any questions about donor eligibility
requirements, check out the informative
Red Cross website, www.redcrossblood.
org. In addition to donor requirements,
this website also has tips for preparing for
a successful donation, or what to expect
if you’re a first-time donor. Primary steps
include:
• Get a good night’s sleep.
• Increase your water intake (16 oz.)
at least 24 hours prior to donation.
• Eat iron-rich foods such as
spinach, red meat, beans, and
iron-fortified cereal, starting
several days before.
• Eat a healthy breakfast and
possibly lunch, depending on
your appointment time. This is the
best way to avoid passing out postdonation.
• Avoid fatty foods. Fat can interfere
with the results of tests for infections.
• Bring your donor card or driver’s
license (or two other forms of ID if
you have neither of these).
• Wear a short-sleeved shirt or one
that can easily be rolled up to
above the elbow.
Whether you want to boost blood
supplies in anticipation of the zombie
apocalypse, or because you know a friend
or family member who is alive today
because of a blood transfusion, I hope
you will seriously consider making an
appointment to donate at the upcoming
campus blood drive.
Campus Blood Drive
Friday, November 9, 2012
Shannon Lounge (Upstairs KAIC)
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Email blooddrive@collegeofidaho.
edu to schedule an appointment!
Facebook Event Page: http://
www.facebook.com/#!/
events/394750163924663/?fref=ts
Howl Outs
Thinking of you is
hard. Forgetting
you is harder. I
don’t think I could
if I tried.
You be Don
Draper. I’ll be
the secretary.
No matter which land of the
seven elements surrounds us,
you will all be a part of my
favorite senior year memories.
Submit yours anonymously to danielle.
[email protected]
5
THE COYOTE
NEWS
National and International
News Update
by GEORGE FIADJOE
The U.S election having just taken
place, and the election debate is behind
us. That being said, here’s what’s in other
news:
“Frankenstorm” is what forecasters
are calling an unexpected team-up of a
hurricane and cold winter winds to create
the perfect scary storm. The hurricane
component of Frankenstorm, hurricane
Sandy, is currently making its way from
Cuba to the Eastern seaboard of the U.S.,
and will join up with its freezing windy pal
from Canada to create a wet mess in the
eastern region of the U.S.
Outside the U.S, Muslims around the
world will be celebrating Eid al-Adha, the
feast of the sacrifice this October. Syria,
which has been experiencing a civil war
over the last year, has ceased fighting to
celebrate the holiday. Eid al-Adha is festive
occasion for all Muslims around the world
as they celebrate the story of the faith of
the prophet Abraham/Ibrahim as told in
both the Bible and Koran.
The civil war currently in Syria, which
stemmed from the Arab Spring uprising,
seems to be finding its way into Lebanon,
with car explosion earlier this month.
Lebanon, a neighbour to Syria, has
sheltered itself from the unrests, but the
recent explosion which killed 80 people,
among them a Lebanese Security official
who was an enemy of Syria, has many
Lebanese worried.
Sudan has accused Israel of a random
bombing at a factory in its capital city,
Khartoum, with rockets from military
planes, killing two people and injuring
another. The accusation has come as a
surprise, since Sudan and Israel don’t have
any known diplomatic issues or relatively
close geographic proximity. Israel has
failed to confirm or deny the attack. But
like a script out of a spy movie, an Israeli
spy anonymously confirmed that Israel
perpetrated the “anonymous” attacks.
The spy linked the factory to supplying
ammunition to Hamas— an anti-Israel
Palestinian movement— and channeling
guns from Sudan to the Gaza strip, near
Campus News
This past month has been a busy time
for the College of Idaho. For those who
haven’t been keeping up with your emails,
here are a few of the most prominent news
points.
News you should Know:
• Currently the college is searching for a
new Vice President of Enrollment. The
candidates have been narrowed down to
three: Timothy L. Albers, Lorna J. Hunter,
and Amber Schultz. While all candidates
appear to be qualified on paper, this editor
is rooting for a female VP—it would be
nice to have more women in the higher administrative offices at the college (though
may the best candidate win).
• Registration is currently taking place
with Seniors already finished, Juniors having started November 5, Sophomores filing
in on November 12, and Freshmen duking
it out for whatever is left on November 19.
6
Israel. Coincidentally, the U.S embassy in
Sudan was vacated just before the attacks.
Hamas and Israel having been ensnared in a
battle for years for land they both believe to
rightly own in the region causing what has
proven to be one of the longest unsolvable
foreign affair issues ever.
Bo Xilai, a former leader of the
communist party in China, has been
officially expelled from the party on
accusation of misuse of power. Bo Xiali
whose wife was recently accused of
murdering a British national, was given the
death sentence after a one-day trial. Bo Xilai,
who has been under public scrutiny since
the beginning of the year, has also been
striped of his immunity and is expected to
be prosecuted. This comes as a surprise for
a country that is keen to protect its leaders
and recently blocked Chinese access to the
New York Times website because the news
organization wrote an article on the wealth
accumulated by the family of the Prime
Minister. China, among other things, has
blocked sites such as Facebook, twitter and
YouTube, limiting its citizens’ rights to freely
express themselves.
A 15-year-old girl from Pakistan was
recently shot in the head for speaking
against an extremist group in her country.
The young girl, Malaya Yousufzai, was an
outspoken critic of the Islamist group,
and advocated for girl child education
in her country. She posted comments
on her blog, condemning the Taliban,
which firmly opposes female education.
The Taliban has attacked hundreds of
schools for educating girls, forcing many
schools to shut down or stop enrolling
girls. The Taliban claimed responsibility
for the shooting, and promised to “finish
her off ”. The incident in Pakistan has
united the country against the Islamist
group, supporting Yousufzai and her
plea to get more girls into school and
fend off the Taliban from Pakistan. Mala
Yousufzai sustained a head injury from
the shot to her head, and is expected to
recover.
Ukraine recently saw an interesting
feminist strike against what its leader,
Inna Shevchenko, describes as “[A]
fight against patriarchy, in its three
manifestations: sexual exploitation of
women, dictatorship and religion.”
Women of the feminist movement
walked topless in the streets, painted
with their message symbols. This
movement has since caught on in
France and symbolizes another feminist
revolution.
Now, our featured story is an interview
with President Henberg about the recent
news that C of I was named among
America’s Best Values in Liberal Art’s
Colleges by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
magazine. Out of 200 schools, C of I came
in 82nd—17 spots higher than last year.
When asked what this means, Henberg
replies, “It means we’re known for both
quality and affordability. That’s a very
good thing when the costs of education
are rising. It puts us in a great competitive
position.” While years ago, being known
as an “affordable” school might have hurt
the college’s reputation (Better means a
bigger price tag, right?), today, being a
more affordable school puts the college at
an advantage. While Henberg is pleased
with the recognition, he made it clear that
this survey by no means gives the college
the amount of recognition it deserves.
Coyote News Blurb
THE COYOTE
Significant and Insignificant Tidbits of Happenings Beyond Campus
by LORRAINE BARRERAS
// Odds and Ends // The Mouse Strikes Again
Disney buys LucasFilm for $4.05 billion and plans a
new Star Wars
● Air1 Radio ● October 30th, 2012 ● Online
// Technology // How Paintballing Could Save the Earth
New studies show that pellets full of paint powder
could help save the earth from an asteroid, by bumping
its trajectory off course
● Air1 Radio ● October 29th, 2012 ● Online
// Animal Kingdom // Flying Sharks
A shark appeared in the middle of a golf course after a
bird of prey left its catch behind
● Yahoo News ● October 25th, 2012 ● Online
// Science // Birth Month May Effect Your CEO
Chances
Recent studies show that there are some months that
make you more likely to become a boss later in life
● Time Magazine ● October 26th, 2012 ● Online
// Odds and Ends // Gun in a Library Book
A library in Valparaiso recently found a gun in a
hollowed out book that was donated to the library
● NBC News ● October 31st, 2012 ● Online
by DANIELLE BLENKER
May the force be with you.
• There is now a “Pub” in the McCain
Pub. Monday through Thursday, from
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., alcoholic beverages (beer and wine) may be purchased
with a meal plan or Coyote Cash by Pub
members. To be a member you must be
21 years are older, you’ll need to go to
Campus Safety with your Driver’s License
and pay a $5.00 fee for the year, and you’ll
have to sign a campus and pub alcohol
policy. Members are limited to three
drinks per night.
• November 5-11 is Homecoming
week! Come join your fellow Yoties
for events such as a pep rally, a tailgate
party, a homecoming game, a homecoming DANCE (truly times have changes,
Yotes), and other fun events. Check the
email sent out by Eddy Walsh for more
details.
NEWS
Rather than measuring the school’s
price tag, class sizes, and scholarship
amounts, Henberg believes these
surveys should look more closely at
CLA exam scores—an assessment that
measures an institution’s contributions to
curriculum as well as the school’s student
evaluations (among other points). With
this in mind, Henberg does not revel in
the college’s placement on the survey
(regardless of the good score). Rather,
he says, “You can’t legitimately capture
the spirit of the college [in surveys like
these]. I know we’re better than we show
in those surveys.”
// Fashion // How Sparklebutt Jeans are Destroying
Churches
The new fashion trend of rhinestone jeans on the back
pockets has caused some churches to ban the jeans, due
to the tears they leave in fabric and scratches they cause
pews
● Air 1 ● October 26th, 2012 ● Online
// Crime // Who Stole Their Nuts?
82,000 pounds of walnuts went missing in Northern
California, worth $300,000, and the perp is still at large
● Yahoo News ● November 2nd, 2012 ● Online
// Odds and Ends // Why We Don’t Jump On The Bed
A 4-year old boy fell down third stories when he was
jumping on his bed and flipped out the window
● Air1 Radio ● November 1st, 2012 ● Online
// Travel // Hobbits and Airplanes
Air New Zealand took a new approach to safety
demonstrations by making an inflight safety video
celebrating the premiere of the Hobbit, featuring elves
and other characters
● Yahoo News ● November 1st, 2012 ● Online
Quote of the Issue:
“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
7
THE COYOTE
FEATURE
And the
Winner
is…
by KATHARINE HOEHNE
Miss C of I has become a much
anticipated event on campus. The
Sigma Chi Fraternity hosts this annual
beauty pageant and provides a lot of
entertainment to the student body. Every
Greek organization on campus has a
philanthropy they raise money for; this
event was a fundraiser for the Huntsman
Cancer Institute. For every dollar Sigma
Chis raised to donate to the Institute, Mr.
Huntsman donated the same amount to
the Sigma Chi Scholarship Fund. This
year’s participants were Miss Kappa Kappa
Gamma: Becca Stritzke, Miss Kappa
Alpha Theta: Morgan Thornberry, Miss
Gamma Phi Beta: Pragna Naidoo, Miss
Senate: Natasha Rooney, Miss Delta Tau
Delta: Ari No- Shame Lawson, Miss Sigma
Eplison: Ashley Brewer. The judges were
Professors Kim and Hunter, along with
Eulalia Kafari. The emcees were Eddy
Walsh and Katrine Franks.
This year’s theme was centered on
presidential elections; the pageant was
broken down to four rounds:
Round 1: Sexy Polichicks
• Creativity
• Outfit/Attitude
• Bio
Round 2: Political Debate
• Overall answer to questions
• Outfit
Round 3: Talent
• Overall performance
• Audience interaction
• Outfit
Round 4: Evening Wear
• Jammies
• Closing statement
There was a new aspect to this year’s
pageant: audience members got to vote,
too. Contestants were excited about
this because this would allow more of
the Greek community to get involved.
Allowing sorority sisters and fraternity
brothers to have a say in this event’s
8
winner was a new aspect that encouraged
a larger attendance. The top three
contestants got bonus points:
• 15 points for 1st place: Ari Lawson
took this for her response when asked
about her opinion of the stimulus package.
She shared, “Once you go black you never
go back! Barack Obama!”
• 10 points for 2nd place: Hope Collins,
when asked about who her binders full of
men are, since Romney has binders full of
women, “I find it very offensive to keep
binders full of women, so I would never
keep a man in a binder. Instead, I would
lock them in the basement.”
• 5 points for 3rd place: Becca Strizke
who made everyone laugh hysterically
with her dance to “Bimbo #5” wearing a
Bill Clinton mask, accompanied by three
Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters as back-up
dancers wearing Hillary Clinton masks.
The talent portion was even more
hilarious than anticipated with Miss Senate,
Natasha Rooney (a native Australian),
wrestling a crocodile (kid’s Crocs shoes
and Jenny Wolf in a costume). Miss Delta
Tau Delta wowed the crowd with her
“Mitt Romney Style” spoof of “Gangnam
Style.” She had four back up dancers: Delt
brothers and Tyler Hatch. This act was so
funny, Professor Hunter was speechless.
Miss Sigma Epsilon, Ashley Brewer, had
a consistent theme throughout the night;
she portrayed Sarah Palin—including the
accent— and showed all the “mavericks”
what it means to be American with her
hunting calls. Miss Gama Phi Beta, Pragna
Naidoo, serenaded the judges with Luke
Bryan’s “Country Girl,” accompanied by
Gamma Phi Beta back up dancers. Miss
Kappa Alpha Theta, Morgan Thornberry,
was excited for this portion, where she was
dressed as Wonder Woman and pretended
to beat up Ryan Thielges, a Sigma Chi,
to save the president’s daughter. Miss
Executive Council, Hope Collins, created
a peace rally where she played guitar
and sang “Let it Be.” Some audience
members had been given signs with peace
messages on them to hold up during her
performance.
Another new aspect was that
contestants wore jammies instead of
dresses for evening wear. Some of them
were Miss Gamma Phi Beta in footie
pajamas, Miss Senate in a man’s white
button up shirt and socks, and Miss Delta
Tau Delta and Miss Executive Council in
patriotic pajamas, dressing as the Statue of
Liberty and wearing an Uncle Sam hat.
Ari No-Shame Lawson sealed the deal
with her campaign slogan, “Keeping
the College of I Can Do Anyone Classy
since 2009.” Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss
College of Idaho 2012-2013: Ari Lawson.
FEATURE
Becoming
Peter
by BEN SCHWARTING
“To live will be an
awfully big adventure.”
-J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Texts
from
last
night
Is there a reason
we have a tortoise
in our bathtub?
Your mom is like
cough syrup… Real
relief real fast ;)
bahahaha
Submit your
messages to
(208) 371-8808
Peter Ortmann, originally from Kimberly Idaho,
is a student attending the
College of Idaho. He enjoys
Pokémon, role-playing games,
theatre; a pretty typical
college student. But the story
of who Peter is started much
farther back into his childhood-- back when he was just
a little girl. Back when he
was still Katherine Ortmann.
In Kindergarten, Katherine
recounted very vividly an experience she had.
During recess, Katherine had a brand new watch
which in the right angle created a gleam of light on
the building wall. That light was Tinkerbelle, and
likewise, Katherine was Peter Pan. Her games
were cut short by one of her classmates. “What
are you playing?” “You can’t be Peter Pan, you’re
a girl!” That was the first time Peter can remember feeling inhibited by gender identity.
How did events like the above explained impact how you viewed your
personal gender identity?
That kind of negative reaction for
adopting a role that felt very natural to
me has been, thankfully, extremely rare
(though now that I'm out, I might see
more of it). What I've had to deal with
more has been comments- well-meaning
ones, usually- about how very non-normative I am. I've had people tell me "You're
just a gay guy in a girl's body", "You're like
the perfect blend of male and female", and
"You're not a girl", all before I came out to
them. I think it reinforced the sense I had
that I'm not just a tomboy, I'm actually not
a girl at all.
How has your gender identity developed/evolved as you've aged?
I don't remember having a very strong
sense of gender identity one way or the
other as a kid. I knew intellectually that I
was a girl, and I had an affinity for masculine-coded activities almost as strong as my
distaste for most feminine-coded activi-
ties. I went to a private school with about
thirty kids between grades one and six, so
everyone knew me pretty well and I was
allowed to behave however I wanted. This
was when I did most of my playing makebelieve, and I almost exclusively pretended
I was a male character-- someone's brother
or boyfriend or something. I remember
the day sometime during my childhood-nine years old at most-- I realized that I
wasn't going to grow up to ever be a little
old man, and it was a disappointing notion. Not long after, I
found out about gender transition
without knowing about the stigma
and the costs associated with it,
and I knew that it was something
I wanted. When I was in the sixth
grade, I transferred to a public
school in a small town. The kids
there didn't strike me as being as
accepting, so I feminized. I can't
say it made me happy. Those were
some of the most stressful years
of my life.
Is your decision to identify male
related to your sexuality?
In some ways, yes, it is related. Even
though I have exclusively dated male people, I have almost always been the pursuing member of my relationships; when I'm
interested in someone, I court rather than
wait to be courted. I am much happier in
the traditional image of "boyfriend" than
I am in the role of "girlfriend"- and in my
best relationships, we have both filled the
boyfriend role.
How has being male-identified, but
still predominantly attracted to men
impacted relationships?
It has been a complicating factor at
times, but it's often a good thing, too.
Coming out to one long-term partner
when I first started questioning my gender
resulted in both of us exploring our
genders together, which felt like I wasn't
quite being understood. When I came out
to my current partner, we also gave more
thought to our respective genders, but the
result has been very natural and I've felt
like I was being listened to and understood
the whole way through.
What has been the response by others to your decision to identify male?
In most cases, it's been nothing but supportive. The only real harassment I've had
about it is from strangers. I'm dressing
masculine but still getting read as female,
THE COYOTE
so people don't always know quite what
to do with me. Children in particular will
stare at me because they don't know if
I'm male or female, and I've heard people
whispering about me here on campus.
You get a little paranoid. You start to
listen harder to whispers because they're
more likely to be about you. You practice
the speeches you'll make to defend your
gender identity, if it ever comes up. It's a
new dimension to social anxiety. It's easy
to say you don't see gender if you've never
had to think hard about what your gender
is, even if you're the most progressive,
fair-minded feminist in the world. Gender is part of who a person is and if you
don't see that, you're not seeing the whole
person.
What has been your family's response?
My family's response has been mixed.
I came out to my mom first and, while
she helped me pick out my name, last
time I talked to her she asked me to go by
my birth name and ‘she’ at home so she
wouldn't have to explain to my nine-yearold sisters yet. She said she didn't want to
"complicate their childhood”. I feel like it
doesn't have to be that much of a complicating factor if it's just presented as natural
and acceptable instead of some weird,
scary thing.
Why You Need a Mr. Squiggles
by SARAH TSCHOHL
Academics, diversity, a small campus
– there are so many reasons why we
are all inspired to become a part of this
campus. While these were all included
in my decision, there was one event that
made me fall in love with the idea of being
a Yote. When I was a lowly sophomore
in high school, my sister was running
around the Treasure Valley trying to figure
out what college she wanted to attend.
C of I happened to be high on her list
because the brainiac was being offered a
Heritage scholarship. The final attempt the
admissions counselors made to convince
her to come to C of I was to invite her
and my mom to campus tour day.
When she came home after touring
the campus with my mom, they both
couldn’t stop laughing. I asked,
“What could be so
funny about an old
school in Caldwell?”
She replied, “A
squirrel and a donut.”
Naturally, I gave her a
look that implied she was
going off the deep end, but
she stopped laughing long
enough to explain herself.
Apparently, the tennis team
had set up a little snack
table for their players, and
it included boxes of donuts.
When no one was around, a
squirrel jumped onto the table,
opened the lid on the box of
donuts “like a tiny weightlifter,”
and scurried up the tree with a maple bar
twice his size. Obviously, these squirrels
had become smart by diffusion.
My sister ended up attending C of I,
and I spent the next year feeding powered
donuts to the squirrels inhabiting the
trees outside of KAIC while waiting to
drive her home after classes. When I fed
them, they would get the powered sugar
all over their cute, little faces and look like
miniature, fuzzy, cocaine addicts.
So, in honor of our campus squirrel
population, I decorate my living space
with at least one squirrel every year.
Currently, Mr. Squiggles, a sparkly squirrel
with a fuzzy tail, has taken residence on
my side table. I urge all Yotes to take pride
in our odd little vermin friends on campus
and find a way to incorporate them
into your living space to pay homage
to all of the weird things that make
our Yote life superior (squirrels are
inherently better than the pooplittering geese BSU has). Plus,
in case you needed a little extra
encouragement, squirrels are
up there with owls and birds
for trendy fall decorations,
and you don’t want to be
that boring guy/girl that
leaves your dorm room or
apartment plain and lifeless
during the holidays. So go get
yourself a Mr. Squiggles the next
time you are perusing Walmart or
searching Savers for the best
Bowling Night attire.
9
OPINION/FEATURE
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Registration
Registration comes around twice a
year and can pack the same amount of
anxiety usually reserved for O-Chem tests,
room draw, finals, and waiting to hear
the results of the presidential election.
Students across campus will log more
time on WebAdvisor than WebWork and
Moodle, and with less to show for it. But
registration isn’t all fire and brimstone, and
here we break it down into the good, the
bad, and the ugly.
The Good: Professors You Can Work
With, AP Credits
Flexible professors are the one saving
grace of registration. Their willingness to
add a few more people to class totals is
the one grace that keeps many a freshmen
and sophomore from weeping in their
advisors’ offices as they watch the number
of available seats drop to that fateful zero.
Seniors and juniors who foresee an extra
year at $22,600 a pop are no less grateful
to the kind soul that lets them in, despite
being first in line to register. There’s even
hope when the waitlist grows, unless
you’re in a lab or a teeny tiny classroom.
Our professors are our advisors and are
probably all the more accommodating
because they know how much missing out
on one class can derail an advisee’s next
few years.
Registration is also about the only time
that you can make all those high school
AP credits work to your benefit. That AP
U.S. History class can now bump up your
credit total and translate into a one-week
advantage over peers of your same grade.
The Bad: WebAdvisor
C of I Winter Culture
by TYLER HATCH
Since it’s balls cold outside and we
naturally need something to brighten
up our cold hearts, we felt the time was
right to share our love for the betchiest
term possible: winter term. The fact
that the inside of my soul is colder than
the emergency vodka in the back of my
freezer is beside the point... winter term
is like a little slice of heaven in this hell
known as Caldwell.
While snow may be great for those of
you insane people who think frolicking in
the snow on a piece of wood is enjoyable,
for the rest of us, it is a constant reminder
of our lack of tans and beaches. Bad
weather and trendy boots aside, winter
gives us one great thing on our campus: a
four-week term.
Sure, you may think that you’re really
good at school or perhaps even that you’re
going to pull off a major and three minors
in four years (oh wait, good luck all you
PEAKers), winter term is the time where
we Yotes reflect on our devious ways and
kick back a little bit. During this shortened
term you are limited to taking five credits...
no exceptions. For those of you who are
chronic overachievers, winter term may be
a bit of a struggle because classes are held
10
only Monday through Thursday, which
means that Tuesday is the new Wednesday,
Wednesday is for Goose hunting, followed
by a four-day weekend of any and all
activities to keep yourself warm.
Winter term allows for a lot of
unique learning opportunities for
students, including the Winter Wilderness
Experience (living in the snow for four
weeks... um, no thanks), the London Trip
(you get to travel with Steve, Garth, and
Sue... yes please), the Prison Experience,
or perhaps a ridiculously depressing
class with Mee-Ae Kim discussing
any combination of poverty, gender
discrimination, military abuse, etc. (don’t
worry, she bakes brownies to help lift
the mood and the classes were by far my
favorites). Winter term is either the easiest
semester of your college career or the
most difficult but it’s like, whatever... its
winter term.
Winter term also brings us great events
that really make this the College of I
Can Do Anything. Take for example the
Finney Fun Run, where we all get naked
and run through the dorms... it’s tradition,
right? Or perhaps Winterfest aka: Fall
Fling indoors. What about the annual
erection of the giant snow penis in front
of Hayman... so educational. Get all fancy
Registration is hard enough, but make a
wrong step in WebAdvisor and you could
have to start class selection from scratch.
WebAdvisor can run smoothly enough,
provided you don’t try to sign up for
anything that’s already full, or happen to
attempt registration at the same time an
entire grade is trying to do the same. And
heaven help any student whose advisor
forgot to approve them for registration.
The Ugly: PEAK
The College advertises 92,456
combinations of majors and minors under
PEAK. The problem with this claim
comes when students try to schedule
their particular combination—it just
with your friends and attend
the annual Delta Tau Delta
Charity Ball because if there’s
anything Zoolander taught
us, it’s that pretending to be a
good person can be fun and
exciting. The 4 day weekends are
the perfect breeding ground for
some of C of I’s most infamous
#themeparties including Hollywood,
the Jungle, and if you’re lucky, maybe
even an invite to the oh so exclusive
Senior Citizens bashes. If you thought
your social calendar was full during fall
term, just you wait, little Yoties. Winter
term is an action packed hot mess that we
call a semester.
When the weather outside is frightful,
it’s oh so easy to pull the “I can’t do
anything, ::cough cough:: I’m sick” while
you hibernate in your caccoon of blankets
to yet another season of Netflix. If you
somehow manage to make it out of
whatever bed you find yourself in prepare
yourself for the infamous winter caf sit.
You may have thought that a 40 minute
lunch in the caf was pushing it during
fall term... false. When it’s 20 degrees
and miserable outside I guarantee that
going back for seconds or fifths in the
caf will seem like the best idea that you’ve
ever had. While these four hour caf sits
are great, and don’t worry, we’ve all had
THE COYOTE
by MEGAN MIZUTA
doesn’t work. As freshmen, we’re asked
to map out our schedules for the next
four years, and if we’re lucky, that’s when
we realize that there are simply too many
scheduling conflicts to make our first
choice combination feasible. But if we
don’t have a sharp eye on the changing
four-year schedules, or prudent advisors,
we don’t realize that a minor won’t pan out
till we’re halfway done with it. To make
things harder, we’re asked to map out our
PEAK schedules using schedules that
are tentative, sometimes incomplete, and
hard to find on the C of I website. Then
factor in sabbaticals that haven’t been
announced, or even tentatively announced,
and even a successfully mapped out
PEAK plan can go awry. PEAK, you’re
a nice idea, and we want to like you, but
registration makes it
hard.
them, just
remember
that
you’re
not a
bear
and that
amassing
extra layers
won’t keep
you any warmer.
Winter term is a
time for hibernation, a
time for rejuvenation of the spirit, and
time for you to heal yourself from the
damage you put yourself through during
fall term. HA! jk jk. If there’s no such
thing as sleep for the wicked, then Yotes,
there’s never a time for us to slow down
our heathen ways... just ask Ralph Smead.
I can’t promise you that the hot
chocolate machine in the caf will work,
but I can promise all of you that winter
term is a time that you’ll never forget, and
also can’t really remember. While winter
term is a great opportunity for some to
travel abroad, I strongly encourage you
Yoties to save your trust fund dollars for a
longer period of time and that you really
invest in your uh... education during winter
term. Be sure to review those registration
applications, Yoties, and make sure that
you’re ready for the coldest/craziest
semester in all of Idaho.
OPINION/ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Save America,
Batman!
by STEPHEN ANDERSON
It is
a fact of
modern
criticism
that art
is never
innocent.
Politically,
an artwork
often says
far more
than it
means
to, and
political
discourses
creep their
way into all kinds of places we would not
expect.
One such place is Christopher Nolan’s
newish film Batman, The Dark Night Rises.
To say that Batman is a political film is
not the same as saying that its creators
have a (conscious) political agenda. But
nevertheless, Batman is a political film.
More precisely, it is a reactionary or
conservative film.
Here’s why.
Just a few months after the Occupy
Wall Street demonstrations, a movie
appears in which the super-villain is a
kind of psychotic populist, full of craaazy
ideas about giving Gotham back to the
people. His enemy is the establishment:
the wealthy elite, stock traders, the police
force.
It is no coincidence that Bane targets
the stock market in one of his highly
choreographed schemes. When a Wall
Street denizen informs him, “This is a
stock market, there’s no money for you
to steal,” Bane replies, summoning all his
egalitarian wit, “No? Then what are you
people doing here?”
This villainous ideologue is up
to no good, recruiting Gotham’s
underprivileged—the 99%, if you will—to
plunder ritzy hotels, harass congressmen,
and otherwise abuse honest folk making
over $250,000 a year. Oh, and did I
mention Bane is a terrorist escaped
from a mysterious Arabic prison? No
contemporary villain would be complete
without a Middle-Eastern background
and a propensity for blowing up public
buildings. That social reformers are
terrorists follows by common sense.
Luckily for
Gotham, the
billionaires arrive
to save the day.
When liberal
lunatic Bane has
the audacity to
interrupt the
good people’s
football game
(by blowing it
up), Billionare
Bruce is off to
the rescue in his
tax-deductible
Lamborghini. But
Bane doesn’t stop
there. He further insults his industrialist
enemies with a series of political speeches
given protest-fashion in front of some
pretty hefty government pillars. These are
deliberately incoherent, but we’re at least
able to gather that he’s a radical social
reformer who hates freedom and probably
listens to Willie Neilson.
I could not help but imagine Rick
Santorum nodding vigorously at this point
in the movie, one hand plunged into his
unbuttered popcorn.
Not convinced? How about the
city’s new source of clean, renewable
energy, which it turns out is instantly
convertible to an ATOMIC BOMB! Its
seductive environmentalist supporter, not
surprisingly, is the biggest terrorist of all.
If only they had drilled Alaska!
All that remains is an epic final
battle between the 99% and police
crowd-control, reminding us all of the
importance of the Second Amendment
for restoring order and freedom in such
situations. So in the end, the anti-capitalist
eco-terrorists are defeated by Billionaire
Bruce and friends, who lay down their
lives in the name of the status quo.
I loved this movie. The only major
disappointment was the lack of an
appearance by a President Mitt Romney,
who might have arrived by helicopter to
congratulate Gotham City on repelling
equality. Mitt always seemed more like a
movie president than a president president
to me anyway. No matter, I’m sure he’ll
be scouting for jobs in Hollywood soon
enough.
Now an analysis of this kind is open
to criticism on nearly every point; perhaps
someone could reverse it entirely and
A little
poetry to pass
the time...
CuddleWeather
by ADDY SOMERVILLE
Autumn falls into place
with a rush of pirouetting leaves
and bursts
of bright-gold Sunshine
taunt with fingers of warm light
as if summer is
desperately
trying to keep hold of the Earth
as it tilts away.
THE COYOTE
argue that Batman has a Marxist agenda.
The point is that a movie is never just a
movie. Our parents watched Bugs Bunny
shoot Indians innocently enough, and who
knows, maybe our kids will watch Batman
in disbelief—not at the dated special
effects, but at the fact that their parents
could be so naïve.
Fall Break
Moon
by ANNIE SRIVANICHRAPER
Faintly lighted, the
shrouded crescent moon curls in
a sultan’s slipper.
Students break out in scarves
rain boots come out of their
summer hibernation,
gentle drizzle
punctuates
the crisp atmosphere
and hands bury themselves
deep into pockets.
The steam from my coffee
mirrors my breath—
dragon-curls of condensation
escape into the bitter-brisk air
and tendrils of frost
ice-skate across windows
and adumbrate winter.
11
FEATURE
The Cultural Show 2012: Bringing
Cultural Diversity to the Greater C of I Community
by CAMILLE FLOURNOY
With more than 10% of our student
population comprised of international
students from over 40 different countries
in various parts of the world, there
are immense and rich opportunities to
experience a wide range of cultural diversity
within the tight knit community here at
the College of Idaho. Every year, the
International Student Organization puts on
a cultural show to provide a taste of that
international diversity that exists right here
on campus.
Senior Ixchel Lara, from Honduras,
notes, “I feel that is my duty not only as an
international student, but as an ambassador
or representative to educate people about
my culture and my country. The Cultural
Show provides a small taste of what the
world is or looks like. It shows others
here what else exists outside of Idaho—
outside of the United States.” Not only is
it an opportunity for C of I international
students to show pride and share a part
of their own country, it is also an amazing
chance for us as U.S. students, to educate
ourselves and gain an appreciation for the
wide variety and uniqueness of people from
all over the world. Every continent with the
exception of Oceania will be represented in
the Cultural Show.
This year, the Cultural Show will be
presenting twenty eight acts from all over
the world— from dancing and poetry
readings, to skits and band performances.
ISO’s very own band which is comprised
of several international students, will be
performing a selection of various songs
from around the world. Amelia Aleman,
a senior from Nicaragua, will be dancing
in a variety of dances, including a tango,
a Moldavian dance, a Palo de Mayo, and a
belly dance. “My favorite dance is one from
my country: the Palo de Mayo. It represents
the black people within my country, and
since I am half black, this is a dance I really
relate too. It symbolizes the liberation of
the body through good vibrations and
12
energy.”
Lara will also be performing a dance
from her own country of Honduras,
called a "Punta." Its roots hold their
foundation in western Africa, and it
originally hails from the Caribbean of
Honduras.
The Cultural Show will be held
on Friday, November 30, in Jewett
Auditorium. Azra Cickusic shared
some of her thoughts on the cultural
show. “Something like the Cultural
Show creates a better intercultural
understanding between international and
American students.” As a citizen of a
country that is becoming more and more
globalized and immersed into a world
community, I love the fact that I have the
ability to meet and talk to people from all
over the world right here on campus. The
Cultural Show is an event that I immensely
look forward to every year, and I would
like to thank all of the international
students out there who are putting in such
hard work to make it a huge success this
year. Thank you for taking time to share
with all of us here a taste of your corner
of the world. We are truly lucky to have
you here.
THE COYOTE
Seniors,
Now is the
Time
by DANIELLE BLENKER
Every year, the senior class works
to raise money for a gift to the Boone
fund. What is the Boone fund, you
ask? The Boone fund is the College of
Idaho’s “unrestricted giving fund.” What
this means is that the money put into
it can be used for just about anything.
Wondering why you should care? The
Boone fund just may be giving you part
of your scholarships. The fund also helps
the college attract great new professors,
enrich its academic, athletic, performing
and fine arts programs, and maintain its
facilities. By contributing to this fund,
seniors can leave a lasting impact on the
school. This is our chance to give back to
the school the way it has given so much to
us. I, for one, would not be here now if it
weren’t for my scholarships. Perhaps my
scholarships were the result of graduating
classes before me.
What we’re asking for: A donation
from EVERY senior. Suggested amounts
are $13.00 or $20.13 to symbolize our
graduating class, but you can give a
“thank you” to whomever you want in the
graduation program for a minimum of
$20.00.
What we’re giving in return: Various
Pub Crawls throughout the year and
perhaps something more... These are
not restricted to seniors only, but the
money raised will also go into the fund.
Sweatshirts will also be on sale later on,
but also given to students who donate
early.
What will happen if EVERY senior
donates: A trip to McCall to party it up
and come back to where it all started when
we were freshmen. This may seem like
a lofty goal, but classes in the past have
gotten close—VERY close. We can do it.
Where to give: Third Floor Sterry (to
Katie Miller the Boone Fund Director) or
collegeofidaho.edu/makeagift
SPORTS
Wet Dogs Taste
Victory
by SKYLAR BARSANTI
A several-year losing streak, 19
freshmen, eleven hours on a bus, and two
inelligable swimmers later, the College
of Idaho Wet Dog swim team is fianlly
developing a repuation to be proud of.
Over the fall break, the Wet Dogs traveled
to Oakland, CA, to compete against Mills
College, SOKA University, CalTech.
The day brought success for the women,
as they outswam each of their three
competitors by over 100 points, a first in
the program’s history. The final scores:
158-45 against Mills, 152-39 against Cal
Tech, and 148-47 against Soka. Freshmen
Logan Gomez, Acadia DeAtley, and
Kirby Roberts with sophomore Selena
Warburton broke the school record in the
200-medley relay with a time of 1:58.00.
Warburton also qualified in for the NAIA
National Championship meet in the
100-free with an “A” cut time of 56.50, in
addition to helping shatter the “A” cut in
the 400-free relay by 14 seconds.
The men’s team fared just as well with
a 98-56 win over Cal Tech, despite their
loss to Soka 121-64. Freshman Nolan Hill
lived up to the family legacy, making the
NAIA “B” cut in the 200-free with a time
of 1:51.56, while older brother, senior
Lucas Hill, with freshmen Tyler Maryon
and Andrew Hasbrook assisted the men in
the 400-free relay to an “A” cut of 3:28.75.
The following day found even more
national cuts in the Bay Area Invitational
against Mills, Soka, Cal Tech, and the
University of California, Santa Cruz. The
women placed 3rd overall, while the men
took 4th. The women made national cuts
THE COYOTE
in the 400-free relay and 800-free relay,
destroying the provisional marks in each
event. Freshman Madeleine Sato and
senior Chrissie Younggren also acquired
national “B” cuts in the 1.650-free.
The Wet Dogs compete next in Walla
Walla, WA, in the Northwest Invitational.
Conference Champions and
Cascade Coach of the Year
by JASON HUNT
Overcast clouds blotted out the sun and dropped steady torrents of rain on the
Portland area for the past two weeks. As a result, the course was a spongy, sodden field
that caked mud over all the competitors. The Coyotes used this uncertain ground to
their advantage and brought the race to every other runner on the course. Warner Pacific
hosted the conference Championships in Portland, Oregon this year. Over 83 athletes
competed from nine different schools on Saturday morning (November 3). On the men’s
side, Greg Montgomery took first and led the Coyotes to a second place finish overall.
Joining Montgomery on the All-Conference podium, were Dominic Bolin in sixth, and
Jason Hunt in tenth.
Hillary Holt was the lead Lady Yote, taking first, and the driving force for the women’s
race. Joining Holt on the All-Conference Podium were Sarah Johnson in fifth, Sora
Klopfenstein in seventh, and Andrea Hayes in ninth. The strong first-place finish by
Holt, and the four other runners following closely behind, knocked another Conference
Championship title for the women, the fourth one in five years. Head coach, Pat
McCurry, was voted the Cascade Conference Coach of the year by the other schools.
Both teams will compete in Nationals at Fort Vancouver, Washington in two weeks.
24
Members of the
Wet Dogs Swim Team
Pericles
9 More issues of
the Coyote to go
The Monday after Fall
Break—“Crap! That
was due TODAY???”
By the Numbers
35 The percentage
of voters expected to
have voted early this
election
The Den not being open past 10 p.m.
by DANIELLE BLENKER
The Hobbit tickets go on sale this
week!
28 The number of freshmen expected to
drop out and join the buffalo in Montana
after unsuccessfully wrestling with their
PEAK maps and registration
13
THE COYOTE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Prince
by GABRIELLE NELSON
Resurrection, incest, brothels, pillars of
fire, life threatening riddles, and flapjacks
are just some of the quirky wonders of
Pericles Prince of Tyre, performed by the
College of Idaho’s theater department
November 8-10 and 15-18 in the Studio
Theater.
A brief synopsis of the play: Prince
Pericles, portrayed by Eli Nary, is looking
for the perfect girl with which to tie the
knot. After many misadventures, he finally
finds the princess of his dreams: the
lovely Thaisa (played by Ellen Campbell).
Unfortunately, Fate tears the lovers apart
after the birth of Pericles’s daughter,
Marina (performed by Jordon Bowman).
The play leaps ahead 16 years and follows
Marina, who has been left at an island
palace by her father. After escaping several
dangerous situations filled with swords,
mayhem, and sexuality (see the play to find
out more), charming Marina finds herself
with a silent man who will change her life
forever.
Director Jenny Newbry Waters, a
College of Idaho alumna, brought the
eleven member cast together to enlighten
and enthrall. She explaines her vision of
the play, saying, “When I read Pericles, I
am reminded of Peter Falk in The Princess
Bride, telling his grandson, ‘When I was
your age, television was called books.’ In
that story within a story, the grandfather
reads to his sick grandson.” She continues,
“Our play, Pericles, has a storyteller too,
Gower, who guides our audience through
Prince Pericles’ harrowing, comical, heart-
14
returns to the stage in Pericles.
Waters’ vision of the play is coming
together with the help of Scenic Designer,
Mike Hartwell, and Costume Designer,
Meghan Ann Richardson. Waters says,
“My inspiration sparked in the challenge
of telling a story that occurs in so many
different locations. How to distinguish
Adventure
wrenching, and fundamentally human
journey to discover who he is and what he
values most.”
Gower will be played by Danielle
Blenker. She says, “I didn’t think I’d get
a part when there were so many other
talented and more experienced students
to pick from. Getting a role in Pericles has
definitely been the highlight of my senior
year so far!” This is also Taylor Hawker’s
last year performing at C of I. In this
production, he is joined by several new
faces: Addy Somerville, Madai Montes,
and Briana Krebs are participating in
their first performance at C of I. Gabriel
Woodworth, and yours truly acted in Hot
L Baltimore fall 2011, and Zachary Buker
who was in the 2011 spring production,
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,
between them? Combining the Greek and
Chinese elements, we have seven: earth,
air, fire, water, wood, metal, and spirit.” In
order to portray the cities and elements,
Hartwell has built a stage that will rotate
from scene to scene (with the aid of the
actors’ strength), around an 8 foot tall
pillar; each scene on the set will represent
one of the elements Waters described.
Waters explains, “In our play, the
ensemble of actors playing multiple
roles (and driving all the set and costume
changes before the audience’s eyes as
well) guides the story along with Gower,
creating a sense of movement and
ensuring that as Pericles struggles to find
himself, he is never alone in the process.”
The change from character to character
is seamless, thanks to Richardson’s creative
costumes which the actors
can slip on and off as easily as
they alter their personas. The
actors also sing, chant, dance,
and perform secret handshakes.
Richardson has designed knee
length costumes for the boys
and tight calf high sandals,
reminiscent of Disney’s Hercules
look. In short, very sexy.
Recognition must be given to
Deborah Penrod who is creating
the mystic lighting for the show,
and Freddie Loucks who is
designing the sound elements,
including a storm at sea.
Pericles Prince of Tyre is unique,
partially because of the mystery
surrounding its authorship.
Waters describes the Pericles enigma,
saying, “Scholars widely agree that
Pericles was co-authored by Shakespeare
and a contemporary, George Wilkins,
around 1607. This presents a unique
challenge, as the first roughly half of
the text is not ‘Shakespeare’s voice.’ One
of Shakespeare’s later plays, the scope/
breadth of the story is larger than most of
his other plays.”
Noble kings and deceptive queens,
wise spirits and powerful doctors, ethereal
goddesses and salty pirates all make
an appearance in this unique, partiallyShakespearean, adventure. Students can
see Pericles Prince of Tyre for FREE with an
ID card, so set sail November 8-10 and
15 -18 for the Studio Theater in Langroise
to experience a magical ancient land in
Caldwell. “Thou shalt be welcome,” and
“Performance shall follow” your arrival.
Photos by Leslie Andersen
THE COYOTE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Fashionably Forward C of I
by TUCKER SILVA
Megan
WagnerBrooks
Pretty much everyone has a pair of sneakers. Whether you are working out
or just walking to class, having comfortable shoes is great. However, try not
to
lose sight of style when you go for comfort— you can have both! As
we enter into winter, many people’s wardrobes start to get darker and
duller. A really great way to lighten up your outfits all winter long
is with bright, neon, or retro inspired sneakers. Bright colors
give a great pop of excitement to your outfit, while also
giving off a very tech and sporty feel. Retro looking
sneakers like Olivia’s can be a lot of fun. They're
sporty without trying too hard.
These are good for getting that runner look without looking
like you are actually about to go on a run. Puma is practically
a fashion standard for running style shoes (at least for
those people who don’t plan to do any running). Shoes
that are fashionable and good for actually working out
in are super light-weight sneakers like Megan’s Brooks
or Zach’s Nikes. What is comfortable to run in is comfortable to
walk in, and these pairs of shoes will put zero extra stress on your feet.
Chuckie’s Asics are on the crazier end of the neon spectrum and add a lot of
fun color to any look in the gym or in the classroom. If you are feeling colorful
shoes but prefer a toned down pair, look for something like Simphiwe’s Adidas sneakers.
Green is the color of the season and these shoes could honestly be worn with anything.
You could even try pairing sneakers like this with dressier clothes; the idea that sneakers
are sloppy is disappearing. Just make sure your shoes are clean. Room for a new pair of
sneakers can be found within anyone’s budget. Check out the Nike outlet store in Boise
for a cheaper find or search the internet.
Olivia
Poland –
Puma
Chuckie CarboneAsics
Simphiwe NgwenyaAdidas
Zach Shenk- Nike
Shows:
November 8-10, 7:30 p.m.
November 15-17, 7:30 p.m.
Novmeber 18, 1:30 p.m.
15
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
An Interview with Artist and C of I
Alumna, Cassandra Schiffler
THE COYOTE
by ADDY SOMERVILLE
The exhibition In Formation, by Cassandra Schiffler (an alumna from the College
of Idaho) will be on exhibit in the Rosenthal Gallery, Blatchley Hall, at the College
of Idaho, from November 10 through
February 1, 2013, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.,
Monday – Friday. For more information,
visit the artist’s website at CassandraSchiffler.com
You explain on your website that
nature influences your work. What
aspects of nature do you find most
influence you and make their way into
your paintings?
“Nature” has many connotations. I use
nature not in the sense of flora and fauna,
but in the sense of nature as a greater
physical and psychological environment
constantly surrounding us. I don’t try to
paint the exact colors I perceive; instead
I paint imagined colors, influenced by my
specific geographic location and cultural
context. They are deep brown umbers,
cobalt blues, yellow ochres, sap greens, and
gray hues. The shapes I use are inspired
by an abstract sense of absolute forces
in nature. Forces like gravity: a constant
downward and vertical force upon your
body. Forces like horizons: an inescapable
line across your vision.
You have a very unique style to express
human senses and natural as well as
constructed elements through your
paintings. How did you discover this
style? My style comes from lots of
experiments that resulted in lots of failures
and some successes. I make lots of studies
in different mediums, and try lots of
compositions until I discover something
that I find particularly engaging that I
think conveys a certain feeling and imparts
a certain kind of visual curiosity.
Has your style changed over the years?
Yes, very much so. I can hardly look at
the work I made several years ago without
wanting to tear it apart or paint over it. It
was luridly bright, overly busy, and full of
mistakes. However, although the palette
shapes and sensibility in those works
was completely different than what I’m
creating now, I still come back to some of
the same abstract, aesthetic issues over and
over.
How long does it take to complete a
piece?
It’s always difficult to answer this, because it depends on how you measure it.
I always have about a dozen pieces in my
studio at any given time that I’m working on concurrently. Some days I focus
on just one piece, and some days I work
on a series of several pieces at once. Plus
there’s this whole process of things that
lead up to a work of art: life experiences,
experimentation in new mediums, trial and
error, failed work, stretching canvas, preparing paper, studies leading up to a work,
contemplation, envisioning, and thinking
about how to display work when it’s finished. So, some pieces develop in a single
day, but most take weeks, others months,
and a few have been ongoing for almost
a year. Overall, I’ve been developing this
body of work for this
exhibition for the last
three years.
it might come out as an interior monolog
that goes something like this: “If I put
a line like this there, then maybe I could
bring this shape over here… then I could
emphasize this line and draw back that
gray area into this mass of darkness,
but it would cancel out this area which
feels about right, so maybe I could move
this over.” It’s a process of continual
adjustment and looking, searching for a
balance of tension and resolve, a visual
correctness, all the while maintaining an
idea about something.
(If you don’t mind
sharing) What
is your creative
process?
I usually start with
small sketches and
studies, then I pick
out the studies that I
find most interesting
and I continue to
develop them. If I
am thinking about
something as I work,
FEATURED ARTIST
THE COYOTE
Krysti Garcia
As an artist, musician and person, I strive to continuously explore my passions with the hope that I may grow
and learn more from my experiences. I am human, and as
a result, I am eager to share both my successes and failures
along the way. When it comes to art, I enjoy scavenging
through various styles and media; the exposure of these
new concepts aid to stimulate my own creativity and imagination. These elements also serve to enlightened me and
help me yearn to learn
more about my purpose
in life. Though I do not
know where I will go with
art in life, I thank God
for placing its presence
so tastefully in my innermost self.
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to
serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its
various forms." -1 Peter 4:10
Jockstrap Got You Down?
Become a sports writer for the Coyote and skip all the extra
padding!
Email Danielle Blenker at [email protected] for more information
-Get paid for writing and pictures
-Great Experience for writers needing resume material to
achieve positions in journalism or sports commentary
16
17
THE COYOTE
FEATURE/ REVIEW
Chicken Chasing: Taking Part in the Chick-Fil-A First 100 Event
by LORRAINE BARRERAS
About Chick-Fil-A
Chick-Fil-A is a fast food restaurant
known for their delicious chicken
sandwich. A breaded chicken breast with
pickles and a side of waffle fries make a
meal that began a legacy. With over 1,615
locations in over 39 states, this privately
held and family owned company is beyond
fast food; it is great customer service, a
family friendly environment, and fun 6six
days a week (they are closed Sundays).
This October, we got blessed with the
state’s first free-standing Chick-Fil-A’s: one
in Meridian and one in Boise. These two
grand openings brought the opportunity
to participate in a longstanding tradition:
the First 100 Event. Whenever ChickFil-A has a grand opening, the first 100
customers get one free meal a week for a
year, and it is something raving fans love
to take part of.
The First 100 Event… In 500 Words or less:
My adventure started at 5:00 a.m.
Wednesday morning. Tired and cold,
I huddled in my snowboarding jacket
outside the restaurant with my fellow
fans. At 6:00 a.m., we finally made our
way inside, and the first 50 participants
signed our commitment to stay on the
premises until the grand opening in 24
hours. From 6-8, I set up my tiny tent, got
some sleep, and got to know my fellow
neighbors. (One individual came all the
way from Florida, and had been to over 84
grand openings). At 8:00, we conducted
our first line check. One by one (in order),
each of the 54 participants confirmed we
were present (I was number 23), then we
received free breakfast: a delicious chicken
biscuit served through the drive thru. After
relaxing some more, I played some games
with my neighboring kids, participated in a
cracker eating contest, took some Zumba
lessons provided at 11, then enjoyed lunch
at noon with another line check. After
Bingo at 2, short bathroom breaks (that
allowed you to go inside where it was
warm, very appreciated!), and a scavenger
hunt, time started to pass at a quick pace.
Standing outside in weather under 30
degrees never felt better!
As the day wore on, our numbers
steadily increased. My mom and little
Popular Culture – XV
XV has been releasing his material
at Lil’ Wayne proportions, at seven
mixtapes in three years. His new effort,
Popular Culture, takes his consistent use
of pop culture references to frame his
intent to a thematic level that spans the
whole mixtape. The references are well
implemented as extended metaphors than
name dropping (“I find a way to call it right
when I get in the lab (20 miles) In the game, I
want it breaking bad”). The tracks mostly
avoid the trappings of a theme record, but
the ones that don’t are more tongue and
cheek references than planed out clichés.
At his best, XV presents a genuinely
introspective look into his own personal
trials and struggles in his own life, while
18
sister arrived at 5 as participant number
74 (Amber was a guest, she didn’t earn
free chicken), and my family pitched a
larger tent for the night… in the pouring
rain. We ate dinner inside the restaurant,
and then we learned to line dance in the
parking lot. I can only imagine what it
looked like seeing 80 people dancing in the
restaurant parking lot in the pouring rain
as the cars drove past…
by Jenette Noe
Pic of the Issue
by BRADY HARRISON
staying true to the mixtape’s theme with
impressive allusions to the media that
shapes current trends (Breaking Bad,
Zombieland, etc) and TV shows, movies,
and people of his childhood (“Aaahh! Real
Monsters,” and “Willy Wonka”). While
the pop culture theme of the album adds
an entertaining level of depth, it is his
confessional nature that really brings in
listeners. Sonds that describe dealing with
being yourself against what’s expected
(“Be there, Be Square”), dealing with the
death of a friend at their own hands (“Go
On Without Me”), and long distance
relationships (“Her Favorite Song”) let you
into XV’s mind, which is where he really
shines.
We made it to bed by 10, and by 2 a.m.,
I woke for the final countdown to the
opening. We talked outside under a heater
someone brought, cleaned up, and finally
lined up at 6 for our free chicken. Then,
tired and groggy, with 52 meal coupons
in hand, my family went home, a proud
participant of the first 100 event.
Standing in line was never this much
fun.
The mixtape does not lack features
from well-known artists in the up and
coming hip-hop community” ScHoolboy
Q, Irv Da Phenom, and Emilio Rojas.
There is a B.O.B. verse toward the end of
“Aaahh! Real Monsters” that’s probably
the biggest cameo, but he doesn’t outshine
the general mood of the rest of the songs.
A key track for me was “Her Favorite
Song” for its honest and fun approach
to the feelings of being in a long distance
but long term relationship— a topic most
college students can easily connect with.
Another is “Wonkavator” for a great
sampling of the Gene Hackman classic
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and
the chopped up flow over a great beat.
Also, “Jedi Night” for the best puns.
Finally, “Go On Without Me” has the
kind of perseverant defiance in the face
of grief that speaks volumes to anybody
dealing with hardships great (the death of
a friend) or small (a really shitty day). For
all that I would give Pop Culture 4 out of 5
stars with XV as a definite artist to watch
out for in the near future. Hopefully an
executive at Warner Bros. Records will pull
their head out and give this Wichita native
a real full album release, but until then,
look out for XV.
You can find the full album available
at XV’s home site: iamxv.com under the
mixtapes tab, or if you just want to sample
a few of the key tracks, you can find him
on soundcloud at soundcloud.com/
xvmusic.
REVIEW
After two years of waiting Pokémon
Black and White 2 has finally hit the
Nintendo DS. A direct sequel to Pokémon
Black and White, its sequel takes place two
years after the ending of the first game.
This is the first time a Pokémon game has
been a direct sequel like this, so now you
can see an impact on the characters you
haven’t encountered since the ending of
the previous game. Your rivals from Black
and White are now a gym leader and a
professor’s assistant. Evil Team Galactic
has disbanded and restructured with new
leaders (and a pseudo pirate theme...). You
can even transfer your saved data over
from your last game and see additional cut
scenes and bonus content based off of
that game’s progress.
The game itself is totally new. Unlike
the previous Pokémon generations, which
offered two initial games and then a third
“best of ” experience a year or two later,
Black and White 2 takes its status as a sequel seriously. You won’t fight through the
same gyms, encounter the same Pokémon,
or go through the same journey. A lot of
the areas you discovered in the first game
have changed, and it is up to you to explore and experience these all over again.
There is even a Pokémon World Championship where you can battle trainers from
all the past Pokémon games; you can once
again battle Brock, Lance, Misty and Red
Pokémon Black and White 2
by NICHOLAS STOUT
(just to name a few).
A lot of what people found jarring in
the original Black and White was the total
emersion in a region with new Pokémon.
Until you finished the main story, you
could only capture and train a new 150
or so Pokémon that had never been seen
before. Black and White 2 mixes this up
THE COYOTE
by not only bringing old Pokémon back,
but also allowing you to catch fairly rare
Pokémon in the wild. Ever thought you
couldn’t catch an Eevee? You can now! It
seems that the team at Game Freak has
analyzed the players to find out which
Pokémon they actually want to have in
their party. This has allowed them to build
that team earlier in the game. There is a
fan favorite selection of Pokémon in the
wild and they are all up for grabs.
In the end, Black and White 2 gives the
fans exactly what they want out of a Pokémon game: A new story, the Pokémon
they want to catch, and the extras like the
Pokémon World Championship to keep
them coming back for more. The only real
gripe that I have with the game is that it
is for the Original DS, not the 3DS. This
was more or less a design choice to keep
the compatibility with past games simple
and at low cost. It also allows the most
people to purchase it. However, given the
power difference between the two systems,
it does seem a little underwhelming to still
be playing a now dated Pokémon game.
If you’re a fan of the series, or are new
to the world of Pokémon (seriously...who
are you?) then you will love Black and
White 2. Its simplistic and addictive nature
will pull you in and keep you playing, just
like it has been for nearly 20 years now.
Bargain Shelf Book Reviews:
Veronica Roth’s Divergent
by LORRAINE BARRERAS
Divergent is an engaging read that
explores the underlying complexities of
human nature in a fast pace, futuristic
society. In a world torn apart by war,
readers follow sixteen-year-old Beatrice
Prior who has to choose between five
factions to define her identity for the
rest of her life; Candor (the honest),
Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the
brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite
(the intelligent). Each faction is shaped by
their particular virtue and is dedicated to
building their civilization in the dystopian
Chicago world. There are the brave to
protect their city, the peaceful to nurture
it, the selfless and honest to govern, and
the intelligent to improve. Every child
chooses a faction, typically that of their
family. But when the time comes for
Beatrice to choose, she finds that she is
part Abnegation, part Dauntless; the mix
is what they call Divergent.
As Beatrice renames herself Tris, and
tries to find a place in her new home with
the Dauntless, she finds that she has to
hide who she really is to escape danger.
Being Divergent puts a target on her that
would mean her death if the secret was
discovered. As the book evolves, Tris soon
realizes that there is more going on in the
Dauntless home than meets the eyes, and
it is up to her and her friends to prevent a
catastrophe beyond their imagination.
Divergent is the first book of a trilogy
and is definitely worth picking up. I
grabbed a sample on nook, and it is such
an engaging read I went to our school
library and got a physical copy. The genre
is somewhag reminiscent of The Hunger
Games, (heck, even Harry Potter), and
Veronica Roth really makes everything
come to life. Strengths of this story are
the compelling plot and engaging story
line. Some flaws could be that Beatrice
herself is a little annoying in the beginning
(common problem with first person
narratives—Ssometimes we get too much
of what is in the main character’s head).
Overall, great story, highly recommended!
19
THE COYOTE
REVIEW
Fall Features
Cloud Atlas
by SKYLAR BARSANTI
The Basics:
Release Date: Now playing
Familiar Faces: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry,
Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess
The Gist:
Quite fittingly, this movie has been dubbed
a film about everything, or a representation
of every major genre…ever. In its most
basic form, Cloud Atlas is an epic tale of
mankind’s quest for peace and companionship
throughout the ages. At this point, there’s no
way to name a central character; every major
actor plays at least six different characters,
whose storylines all connect through the
distant past, present, and post-apocalyptic
future. It’s the story of how a person can be
a killer in one life and a hero in another, and
how every act of kindness, however small, has
the power to transcend time and space.
The Verdict: Pay for It
Though sadly, the film continues to underperform at the box office (barely two weeks
since its release and it’s only brought in about $18.3M), that shouldn’t deter moviegoers
in the coming weeks. Both the film’s special and make-up effects have been hailed by
critics, even if the narrative that holds them is a bit of a bumpy ride. Hollywood is in a
bit of a transitionary period now that the demand for horror movies has passed, and the
world gears up for winter blockbusters, but Cloud Atlas is just what this time of the year
needs, an intellectual stucture with a powerhouse kick.
The Verdict: Pay for It
Life of Pi
TIME calls Life of Pi “The next Avatar.”
The Basics:
That’s
high praise considering what Avatar
Release Date: November 21
did
for
special effects and filmmaking
Familiar Faces: Suraj Sharma
alone.
Hard
to believe any movie would be
The Gist:
comparable
on
the same level, but Life of
In 1977, Pi, the son of a zookeeper,
Pi
is
slated
to
come
very close. Directed by
escorts his family’s collection of exotic
Ang
Lee
(of
Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon
animals on a cargo ship en route from
fame),
Life
of
Pi
is
a
visual
masterpiece,
Pondicherry, India to Canada. Shortly
and
a
definite
contender
to
sweep every
after leaving port, the ship is caught in
visual
effects
category
at
the
85th Annual
a treacherous storm, and sinks to the
Academy
Awards.
Refrain
from
seeing
bottom of the ocean. Stowed away on a
Breaking
Dawn:
Part
2
for
the
fifth
time,
lifeboat, Pi survives over 200 days adrift
and
go
with
something
a
little
more
in the Pacific Ocean with a hyena, a zebra,
optically stimulating.
an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger named
Richard Parker.
20
Holy Musical Parody!
by ERIN MOORE
Do you like musicals? What about
parodies? What about musical parodies?
Then the Starkid musicals are exactly
what you’re looking for. Starkid first
became viral on the internet with their
videos of the musical they put on at their
college, A Very Potter Musical. That’s
right, a Harry Potter musical. And if you
know anything about me, you’d know
that is a combination of my two favorite
things. They also have a sequel, A Very
Potter Sequel, and they recently did a play
reading at LeakyCon for the third and final
installment, A Very Potter 3D: A Very Potter
Senior Year. Glee’s own Darren Criss stars as
Harry Potter (some would argue that is how
he got his role on Glee) and he also wrote
the music and lyrics. Their YouTube name
even comes from this play, when Draco
mockingly calls Harry “Starkid Potter”.
The Very Potter Musical series was made
by people who are both passionate about
Harry Potter and theater, but they also
Silver Linings Playbook
The Basics:
Release Date: November 21 at The
Flicks, Boise
Familiar Faces: Bradley Cooper,
Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Chris
Tucker
The Gist:
After serving eight months in a state
psychiatric institution, Pat Solatano has
been condemned to life in his parents’
house while battling the remnants of a
mental disorder, while trying to reconnect
with his estranged wife. Things get
complicated when Pat meets Tiffany, a
young widower with cognitive stability
problems of her own. When the two
aren’t trying to one-up each other on
their extensive lists of medications, their
budding relationship leads them both to
happier endings.
The Verdict: Pay for It
This is the perfect film for the
autumn season. It’s not a mind-blowing
blockbuster, but it’s not an obscure indie
either. With a creative blend of comedy
and tragedy, Silver Linings Playbook is right
up the alley of your average sardonic
youth, something C of I has no shortage
of.
have a great time making fun of the book
series and other media references (like the
repeated High School Musical theme). The
videos started out as a way for the actors
to share the musical with their friends
and family who couldn’t make it to the
shows, but now their channel has nearly
140,000,000 video views.
Along with the Harry Potter parody
they’ve also written, produced, and acted
in several more musicals that they posted
online, including Me and My Dick (yep, it’s
exactly what it sounds like), Starship, and
Holy Musical B@man!. Me and My Dick is
the story of one of their cast members
in high school, Joey, trying to lose his
virginity. Oh yeah, and his dick is its own
character, with an actor in a full on penis
suit. Starship is basically Avatar, but with
singing and giant bugs instead of blue
people. And Holy Musical B@man! (notice
the change in spelling to keep them
from being sued) is a Batman musical,
and coming from a huge Batman fangirl
perspective, that’s pretty freaking awesome.
Each of these musicals takes about three
hours to watch. I know, you don’t have
time. You’re too busy attempting to
write a paper while really procrastinating
doing something else. But if you are a
fan of musicals, Harry Potter, or Batman,
definitely check these out.
Youtube.com/starkidpotter
Events Calendar
THE COYOTE
EVENTS
School events by LORRAINE BARRERAS
Local events by MEGAN MIZUTA
Odds and Ends
Reoccurring Events
In Formation: Paintings
and Prints by Cassandra
Schiffler
Nov. 7, 8, 9 (8:00a.m.-5:00p.m.),
Nov. 10 (4:30p.m.-7:30p.m.), Nov.
12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22,
23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30; Dec. 3, 4, 5
(8:00a.m.-5:00p.m.)
On Stage
Damascus
Nov. 28, 29, 30 at 8 p.m., Dec. 1, 5,
6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 at 8 p.m., Dec.
8, 15 at 2 p.m., $13 Preview Nights/
$10 Under 30/$15 General, (Dynamic pricing as show approaches)
Boise Contemporary Theater
Every Christmas Story
Ever Told (And Then
Some!)
Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15 at 8 p.m.,
Dec. 6, 13 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 2, 9, 15
at 2 p.m., Students & Seniors $9/
General $12.50, Boise Little Theater
The Gifts of the Magi
Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22 at
6:15 p.m., Dec. 6, 13, 20 at 7 p.m.,
Thursdays— Show only $18 General/ $15 Student, Senior, Military.
Friday and Saturday— Dinner &
Show $39 General/$20 Show only. Student Rush--Anyone with a valid
student ID may purchase discounted tickets beginning 10 minutes
before curtain time. Thursdays $10,
Friday and Saturday $15. Knock
‘Em Dead Dinner Theatre
Tigers Be Still
Nov. 7, 8, 9 at 8 p.m., $13 Preview
Nights/ $10 Under 30/$15 General, (Dynamic pricing as show
approaches) Boise Contemporary
Theater
Events and Festivals
Canyon County Festival
of Trees
Nov. 24 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Nov.
25 Noon-5 p.m., Nov. 26 10 a.m.7 p.m., Nov. 27 Gala Dinner and
Auction 5 p.m., $4 Adult/$3 Senior/$2 Child/$12 Family
Christmas Gift Show
Nov. 16, 17, 18 at 11 a.m., $3
Adult/$2 Seniors/Free for 12 and
under, Idaho Center
St. Alphonsus Festival of
Trees
Nov. 21, 23, 24, 25 10 a.m.-9 p.m.,
Nov. 22 2-9 p.m., $7 Adults/$4
Children/$4 Senior/$30 Family,
Boise Convention Center
Winter Garden AGlow
Wednesday, November 7th
Events
Public Planetarium Show
7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Boone
Clubs
Warren Miller’s Flow
State
Nov. 15, 16 Doors 6 p.m./Show
7 p.m., Nov. 17 at 4:30 p.m., 7:30
p.m., $17, The Egyptian Theatre
Gwar
Doors 6:30 p.m./Show 7:30 p.m., $23-35,
Knitting Factory, 18+
James Orr
10 p.m., No cover, Reef
Of Mice and Men
7:30 p.m., $44, Nampa Civic Center
Brandt Auditorium
Late Night
7:45 p.m.-8:45 p.m., KAIC
On Stage
Colt Ford
Doors 7:30 p.m./Show 8:30 p.m., $18-45,
Knitting Factory
Club Rev
8 p.m., $5-250, Revolution Concert House
& Event Center, 16+
Jac Sound
8:30 p.m., No cover, Reef
Skeletonwitch
Doors 6 p.m./Show 6:30 p.m., $10-12,
The Venue
Slam of Steel
Workshop 6 p.m./Signup 6:45 p.m./Show
7 p.m., Student $1/General $5, Woman of
Steel Gallery
Nov. 22-25 6-9 p.m., Nov. 30-Jan. 6
6-9 p.m., $8 Non-member Adult/$4
Member Adult/$4 Children 5-12,
$20 Carload (max 6 people) on
Mondays, Idaho Botanical Garden
Screen
On Stage
Thursday, November 8th
Sports
Lady Yote Basketball vs LewisClark State
2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Salt Lake City, UT
C of I vs NNU United Heritage
Game
7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., JAAC
Events
Fall Production: Pericles by
William Shakespeare
7:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m., JAAC
Events and Festivals
Idaho Wine Commission’s Sippin
in the City
6:30 p.m., Linen Building, 21+
Friday, November 9th
Events
Red Cross Blood Drive
10:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., KAIC
4th Annual alumni Noon Ball
Reunion
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., JAAC
Lunch and Interaction with
Current Students
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m., Simplot Dining
What is PEAK? Open Forum
3:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Sterry
Lady Yote Basketball vs.
Montana Western
4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., Off Campus
Yote Basketball vs. Lewis-Clark
State
7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Lewiston, ID
Pericles by William Shakespeare
7:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Langroise
Friday at the Museum
1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Boone
On Stage
Jonathan Warren & The Billygoats
10 p.m., $5, Reef
Readhead Express
7:30 p.m., $11 Seniors/$14 General/$6
12-18/Free Under, Nampa Civic Center
Brandt Auditorium
WTF One
Doors 6 p.m./Show 7 p.m., $15-62.50,
Revolution Concert House & Event Center
Screen
Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival
Doors 6 p.m./Show 7 p.m., $12.25, The
Egyptian Theater
21
THE COYOTE
EVENTS
Saturday, November 10th
Events
Inaugural College of Idaho 4k
Classic
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m., On Campus
CofI 4k Classic Breakfast
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m., Simplot Dining
Coyote Kids Star Show
10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Boone
Fine Arts Audition Day
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Langroise
What is PEAK? Open Forum
10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Sterry
Sunday, November 11th
On Stage
The Ghost Inside
6 p.m., $10-12, The Venue
In the Mood, A 1940’s Revue
4 p.m., $19.50-39.50, Morrison Center
Screen
Boise Bully Breed Rescue presents:
Shelter Me
1 p.m., $10, The Flicks
Events and Festivals
Country Harvest Hoedown
2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., $8 Students & Seniors/$10 Adult/$7 Child, Nampa Civic
Center Brandt Auditorium
Markets
Holiday Farmer’s Market
10 a.m.-2 p.m., Free, Downtown Boise
On Stage
Andrew Jackson Jihad
7 p.m., $10-12, The Venue
Black Tooth Grin with Sil Shoda,
Uintahs, P36
Doors 7 p.m./Show 8 p.m., $6-8, Knitting
Factory
E-40
Doors 7 p.m./Show 8 p.m., $20-35,
Revolution Concert House & Event Center
Medicine Man
10 p.m., $5, Reef
Trey McIntyre Project
2 p.m. & 8 p.m., $20-63, Morrison Center
Screen
Honor Among Thieves
3 p.m., $5, The Flicks
Monday, November 12th
Clubs
Greek Week Kick Off
10:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m., QUAD
Sports
Datsik
Doors 7 p.m./Show 8 p.m., $19-45,
Knitting Factory
Events
Ada County Luncheon
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m., Off Campus
Kappa Kappa Gamma Pie Walk
4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., McCain Patio
Late Night
7:45 p.m.-8:45 p.m., KAIC
On Stage
Attila
6 p.m., $12-14, The Venue
Club Rev
8 p.m., $5-250, Revolution Concert House
& Event Center, 16+
Brewfish
10 p.m., $5, Reef
The Fresh Beat Band
7 p.m., $26.50-$39.50, Morrison Center
Thursday, November 15th
Events
Chicken and Waffles
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Simplot Dining
Tuesday, November 13th
Events
Club Leadership - Budgeting and
Money Matters
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.5:30 p.m., McCain Theatre
Lady Yote Basketball vs.
Northwest Nazarene (Exhib.)
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., JAAC
Kinesiology Seminar
7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., JAAC
On Stage
Crown Point Album Release
9 p.m., $5, Reef
22
Wednesday, November 14th
Pericles by William Shakespeare
7:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Langroise
On Stage
Hostage Calm
7 p.m., $7, The Venue
Joanna Richard
9 p.m., No cover, Reef
MYKA 9, Paranoid Castle, Grave
33, Dj Factor
7 p.m., $8, The Shredder
RAWards
Doors 7 p.m./Show 7:30 p.m., $15
adv/$20 door, Revolution Concert House
& Event Center, 18+
Winter Jam 2012
Doors 4:30 p.m./Show 7 p.m., $10, Taco
Bell Arena
Friday, November 16th
Sports
Yotes Swimming: Northwest Invite
8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Off Campus
Lady Yote Basketball vs New
Hope Christian
3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Lewiston, ID
Yote Basketball vs. Montana
Western
7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., JAAC
Events
Friday at the Museum
1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Boone
16th Annual Cultural Dinner
5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Simplot Dining
Pericles by William Shakespeare
7:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Langroise
Events and Festivals
Christmas Show
Noon, $3 or toy donation, Revolution
Concert House & Event Center
Ned Evett Release Party
7:30 p.m., $10 adv/$15 door, Linen
Building
On Stage
Andy Hackbarth
7:30 p.m., $28, Nampa Civic Center
Brandt Auditorium
Ballet Idaho & Philharmonic Master
Chorale
8 p.m., $23-43, NNU Swayne Auditorium
The Devil Makes Three
Doors 8 p.m./Show 9 p.m., $15 adv/$18
door, Visual Arts Collective, 21+
Eric Church
7:30 p.m., $37.50-47.50, Taco Bell Arena
Pilot Error
10 p.m., $5, Reef
Set It Off
7 p.m., $8-10, The Venue
THE COYOTE
EVENTS
Saturday, November 17th
Sports
Yotes Swimming: Northwest Invite
8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Off Campus
Yote Basketball vs. Westminster
8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m., JAAC
Cross Country: NAIA Championships
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., JAAC
Lady Yote Basketball vs Trevecca
Nazarene
3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Lewiston, ID
Events
Boise WaterShed weekend
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Off Campus
GPB: Pancake Feed
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., JAAC
GPB: Pancake Feed
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., JAAC
Pericles by William Shakespeare
7:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Langroise
Events and Festivals
Christmas Show
Noon, $3 or toy donation, Revolution Concert House & Event Center
Markets
Holiday Farmer’s Market
10 a.m.-2 p.m., Free, Downtown Boise
Sunday, November 18th
Sports
Yotes Swimming: Northwest Invite
8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Walla Walla, WA
Events
Perecles by William Shakespeare
2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Langroise
Events and Festivals
Chef Robert Irvine
Doors 6 p.m./Show 7 p.m., $35 general/$150 VIP, Revolution Concert House
& Event Center
Hymns of Thanksgiving
7:30 p.m., Free, CenturyLink Arena
Wednesday, November 21st
Events
Late Night
7:45 p.m.-8:45 p.m., KAIC
On Stage
Alice Cooper
Doors 7 p.m/Show 8 p.m., $35-55, Revolution Concert House & Event Center
Secondhand Serenade
Doors 7 p.m./Show 8 p.m., $17-30, Knitting Factory
Slam of Steel
Workshop 6 p.m./Signup 6:45 p.m./Show
7 p.m., Student $1/General $5, Woman of
Steel Gallery
Monday, November 19th
Notices
Last day to withdraw/elect pass/
fail from courses
On Stage
Thursday, November 22nd
Sports
Thanksgiving Break Begins
PoetrySlam Delux
Signup 7:45 p.m./Show 8 p.m., $5, Neurolux, 21+
On Stage
Ballet Idaho & Philharmonic Master Chorale
8 p.m., $38.50-76.50, Morrison Center
I Fight Dragons
6 p.m., $12-14, The Venue
Karin Comes Killing, Ashes of
Abaddon, Villainous, Unto the
Legions
Doors 7 p.m./Show 8 p.m., $6, Knitting
Factory
Pilot Error
10 p.m., $5, Reef
Friday, October 19th
Tuesday, November 20th
Notices
Half Century Luncheon
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Simplot
Jazz Quintet with Strings Concert
7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Langroise
On Stage
Cirque Dreams Holidaze
7:30 p.m., $30-50, Morrison Center
Leogun
Doors 7 p.m./Show 8 p.m., Free, Knitting
Factory
Saturday, November 24th
Sports
Lady Yote Basketball vs.
Westminster
2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., JAAC
Events and Festivals
Boise Holiday Parade
9:45 p.m., Free, 11th & Jefferson/4th St/
Bannock St
Downtown Boise Tree Lighting
5-7 p.m., Free, Grove Plaza
Sports
Mz Krazie
5-7 p.m., Free, Grove Plaza
Monday, November 25th
Sports
Thanksgiving Break Ends
On Stage
The Irish Tenors
7:30 p.m., $25-35, Morrison Center
Story Story Night, Fork: Stories
of the Road Not Taken or Less
Traveled
Doors 6 p.m./Show 7 p.m., $7 Adv./$5
Door at 6:30 p.m., Rose Room
Events
Friday at the Museum
1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Boone
Events and Festivals
Empty Bowls, benefiting the Idaho
Foodbank
11 a.m.- 3 p.m., Grove Plaza
On Stage
Black Friday “Spank You Very
Much!”, Erik Lobe
9 p.m., $6-8, Knitting Factory, 18+
23
BENCHING WITH BERGER
Why Would
You Party At A
Circumcision?
THE COYOTE
by DR. HOWARD BERGER
Circumcision. In Hebrew-"breet
me'lah." This unusual rite was commanded
by God to be performed by ALL Jewish
MALES as an everlasting covenant
between God and the Jewish people. It
is to be done eight days after birth, and I
have never met a Jewish boy who was not
circumcised. Though I don't remember
mine, I am absolutely sure that it hurt. It is
introduced in the 17th chapter of Genesis,
so for all practical purposes, it has been
carried out since time immemorial. God
never mentions why this must be done,
only that it MUST be done. Muslim boys
must also be circumcised. In America,
some non-Jews also have their sons
circumcised. I do not know why--they
surely don't have to be. In a famous
episode on Seinfeld, at the gang's favorite
restaurant, Elaine notes that circumcised
sex organs are more aesthetically pleasing
than ones that have not had the procedure.
You would have to ask women on campus
to agree or disagree with Elaine's opinion.
And most physicians now assert that
circumcision does not prevent certain
STDs. Jews do it because it is a divine
command, and that is the only reason.
Recently, in San Francisco, an
organization tried to get an initiative on
the ballot to ban circumcision. One of the
more vocal advocates for the circumcision
ban was the actor, Russell Crowe. A
California court prevented the initiative
from getting on the ballot. Recently, in
Germany, a court in Cologne, did ban
the rite of circumcision until the German
Parliament— led by German Chancellor
Angela Merkel— passed a law overturning
the decision of the Cologne court.
Recently, a cabinet minister in Norway
urged Jews and Muslims to voluntarily
end the practice and develop a "symbolic"
event that will replace circumcision. (In all
these instances Jews and Muslims worked
together to prevent any ban.) In all three
places, the argument against circumcision
was that circumcision was a violent act of
child abuse and child mutilation. Holding
up the Koran and the Tanakh (the Old
Testament), Jews and Muslims asserted the
absolute centrality of the event.
So why do Jews party at the event? Jews
The body needs to FEEL
it is involved in serving the
Eternal. When my hands feel the
cold water in the morning, both soul
and body know they are beginning the
day serving God. When, at eight days, the
flesh at the top of my penis was removed,
my body and my soul, as well as everyone
at the very public event, knew that my
life in service to God had begun. When it
is physical— you know! No matter what
happens— whether I live a good life or
a bad life— whether I live alone or with
“The body needs to FEEL it is involved
in serving the Eternal. When my hands feel
the cold water in the morning, both soul and
body know they are beginning the day serving
God.”
are a very physical people. So very, very,
much of Jewish practice is physical. I
must wash my hands a certain way when
I wake up. I must wrap my arm and head
in leather straps with little wooden boxes
that fit on my arm and on my forehead.
Frequently, during prayer, I have to bend
my knees and bow. During prayer, I must
face east— to Jerusalem. Jews do not see
a difference between the soul and the
body as both were created by God. In the
morning, I praise God for giving me my
soul and my body! The body matters. The
body is involved in serving the Eternal.
others— whether I live in a wonderful
tolerant republic or if the Nazis come to
power, no matter what happens, I know—
and the whole world knows—I am a Jew.
Though painful, circumcision is a
welcoming event: welcoming that eightday old boy into a timeless people. For
everyone at the event, they are essentially
saying: "Well, we may only be a remnant
of what we once were, but we are adding
one more!" And that seems like something
to celebrate. There is always a large
prepared buffet and lots of alcohol. (Even
the eight-day old gets a piece of the action.
Among the
Orthodox,
they will take a cotton
swab-dip it in wine and give it to the kid
after the cutting to suck on. He's usually
out cold in minutes.)
From time immemorial, Jews have made
jokes about the role of the mohel— the
man that performs the rite. There are
especially jokes about old, blind mohels.
The Seinfeld episode in which Elaine
affirms an aesthetic preference for cut
ones, had circumcision jokes. In a classic
Saturday Night Live routine, they parodied
a famous Ford commercial in which the
company had said the car rode so smooth,
you could repair a Timex watch in the
back seat. In the parody, they said the
Ford rode so smooth the mohel could
circumcise a boy in the back seat with no
mishaps.
Jews laugh, they cut, and they drink
vodka! So it has been since the ancient
world. And Russell Crowe won’t be able to
stop us.
I don't remember mine; I don't
remember the pain or the wine. But I have
seen it done many times (though I confess
I always look out the window the moment
of the cutting; as soon as I hear the kid
wail I run to the buffet table and the
shot glasses.) From the time of Abraham
until now, our bodies and our souls know
that we are Jews and that we will learn
the history and share in the destiny of
a timeless people fulfilling the tough,
inscrutable will of an invisible God.
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