The nature and value of an endorsement

Recently, Barack Obama received a very rousing endorsement from none other than Colin Powell himself—Republican golden boy and soldier extraordinaire. Likewise, Obama has received the endorsement of other defectors from the Bush administration, including former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O’Neill and former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan (both are ardent critics of the current administration). Upon hearing the news of Powell’s endorsement, I was personally very excited, believing that this would lend Obama greater foreign policy credentials, arguably the weakest point in his campaign. I briefly fantasized that this endorsement would come as an epiphany to many Americans, and serve as a call to arms for Republicans to back Obama, sending millions flocking to his side. Briefly.

Frankly, I know that this endorsement will not bleed McCain’s base—I know that those committed to the McCain/Palin ticket will not be easily swayed by a former Bush cabinet member’s support (just as former Democratic Senator and VP candidate Joe Lieberman’s endorsement of McCain will not sway the base of Obama/Biden’s ticket). Yet, the value of an endorsement is more inflated than ever before. Touted as the “most important presidential race of our time,” endorsements give immeasurable boosts to candidates.

Of course, some endorsements are inevitably part of the sideshow. For example, McCain is backed by Troy Aikman, while Obama has the vote of Magic Johnson. Kelsey Grammar supports McCain, though David Hyde Pierce supports Obama. Yet, these glitzy endorsements aside, there are those genuinely newsworthy advocates, like Ann O. Krueger, former World Bank Chief Economist (for McCain), or Paul Krugman, 2008 Nobel Laureate in Economics (for Obama).

But, realistically, how much is an endorsement worth? What is it worth to have open, public support for a candidate? Both major candidates have numerous supporters on their side, representing experts from a wide array of disciplines. Each candidate has household names on their side, and not-so household names. An undecided voter could literally spend days mulling over the merits of Gen. Wesley Clark, USA, Ret. (who backs Obama) vs. those of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA, Ret. (who backs McCain).

Yet, the undecided voter is unlikely to waste their time on such folly—rather, the endorsement is comparable to a jingle—it’s a sweet melody of re-assurance from those we trust, respect, and admire. Maybe you’re totally enamored with Tom Hanks, so lean towards Obama. Or, perhaps you prefer the stirring cinematic masterpieces of Clint Eastwood, and you prefer McCain. On the part of the endorsers, it’s a bit of a gamble, particularly in the political world. For example, it seems as if Hillary Clinton is smiling and campaigning for Obama through clenched teeth, attempting to salvage a political future. Conversely, McCain is doing his best to play down the endorsement he’s received from our sitting president.

Personally, I get tickled knowing that Ben Affleck, that mega-hottie of yesteryear, is voting for Obama, or that Sylvester Stallone, ol’ Rocky himself, is voting for McCain. But, it’s not going to significantly influence or alter my vote. Likewise, I feel a bit more informed when folks like Colin Powell and the AFL-CIO support Obama, but it doesn’t overshadow how I feel about his tax plan.

A fitting analogy comes to mind: a candidate’s endorsements are quite like their clothes. Nice to look at, occasionally making a statement about the personality of the candidate, but nothing more than flash and gimmick. Style may be important in this largely superficial 21st century, but, I implore you, dear reader: don’t forget about the substance.

Planned Parenthood sponsors campus phone bank

Organizations like Planned Parenthood have a vested interest in the election. The election determines the politicians that will shape public policy in the years to come. Planned Parenthood focuses on laws and bills that affect women’s reproductive rights.

Planned Parenthood Public Policy Network, also known as “The Network,” isn’t allowed to be involved with the election. They’re the ones that run the 48 Planned Parenthood clinics sprinkled across Washington. They’re split into five regional affiliates: Planned Parenthood of Central Washington runs the Walla Walla clinic.

According to Cora Davidson, the Public Affairs Field Organizer for Planned Parenthood of Central Washington, “The Network can lobby elected officials about the issues, but we can’t discuss candidates for election.”

If The Network attempts to influence elections, their non-profit status will be revoked.
This is where Planned Parenthood VOTES! Washington PAC (Political Action Committee) comes in. They endorse candidates based on their past record on reproductive rights. Surveys were sent to candidates for Washington’s Congress, along with candidates running for Washington Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Governor in order to gauge candidates’ commitment to reproductive rights. Candidates that received a score of 100% on the survey were offered endorsements.

Planned Parenthood VOTES! Washington PAC, also known as IPPVW Political Action Committee, canvasses and runs phone banks to educate voters. Since August, they have rented out space at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Walla Walla to run phone banks. They hire employees of The Network, like Davidson, to coordinate the volunteer effort. Phone banks take place across Washington three nights a week, for three and a half hours every night. The phone banks are coordinated among the five affiliates. IPPVW Political Action Committee aims for 25 volunteers across the state participating in every phone bank—five volunteers from each of the five affiliates.

The phone banks are facilitated by the website myactivate.com. It’s a mass dialing system similar to ones used by telemarketers. The system goes through an imported list of phone numbers, dialing every one. It speeds the phone banking process by weeding out phone numbers that lead to busy signals and answering machines. Once the system gets a live caller on the line, the volunteer hears a beep and is connected to the call.

“You can get through twice as many numbers,” said Davidson, referring to the dialing system. “It’s so much more efficient!”

Volunteers call undecided voters and voters that are known to be pro-choice but don’t vote consistently. They follow a “Persuasion Script” and ask voters about their candidate preferences. They inform voters of the backgrounds of each of the candidates and attempt to influence their electoral decisions.

“We don’t try to convince people that their opinions are wrong,” said senior Erin Flaucher, the president of Whitman’s VOX and an intern at Planned Parenthood of Central Washington. “We try to be respectful. We know that our phone call isn’t going to change their minds.”

VOX is a national organization of college students that works in conjunction with Planned Parenthood. VOX’s official title is VOX: Voices of Planned Parenthood—“vox” means “voice” in Latin.

On Sunday, Nov. 2, VOX will be running a phone bank on campus. The phone bank will take place in meeting room 110 at the Reid Campus Center from 1-4 p.m. Students are encouraged to participate in the phone bank, even if it’s their first time volunteering.

“We want to try to get as many students involved as possible,” said Flaucher. Students will be trained at the phone banking session.

“[Phone banking] is something that I really encourage people to come in and try,” said Davidson. “A lot of people have been very surprised to find out that they like it.”

The Marc, an excellent backdrop for Family Weekend

With limited access to a car and a limited budget for restaurant food, my fine dining options outside of Parents’ Weekend are fairly limited. One of my favorite parts about Parents’ Weekend, therefore, is the chance to explore Walla Walla’s varied culinary options on the dime of someone with an annual salary. This weekend, my fancy restaurant of the year was The Marc, located on the ground floor of the lavish Marcus Whitman Hotel.

I had never been to the famed hotel before, and was actually surprised by how close it was to campus. It’s located at 6 W. Rose St., definitely within walking distance. The inside of the restaurant is just as impressive as the outside of the building: high ceilings, lush carpets, long curtains, dim lighting. Artwork and decorative enlarged wine bottles sat in recesses along the walls, My party chose to sit in the bar, which was livelier than the main restaurant seating and included a wide-screen TV showing an NBA game. I found this a little disconcerting when compared with the traditional ambiance, but I’m just old-fashioned. And I guess a TV is pretty key at a restaurant bar.

We were definitely not the only Whitman family party at The Marc. Throughout the evening, we ran into several students with their parents. The restaurant was crowded, but we didn’t need to wait for a table, and the service was quick for the most part. We did wait a while for our main course, but it could’ve just seemed that way because we were hungry. In general, the waiters were very attentive. I’m not sure how busy the dinner hour would be outside of a Whitman event weekend, but I didn’t find any problems with the service during what seemed to be a busy night.

We started by ordering the flat bread appetizer with goat cheese, provolone, mozzarella, and roasted garlic with basil and sun-dried tomato pesto, and the pumpkin and butternut bisque. I like dishes like the flat bread, since they make me feel sophisticated for eating something remarkably like pizza. It was excellent; I could definitely have chosen it as a main course. The cheeses were moist and chewy, but a little strong. I could taste each of them individually – a combination that was a little overwhelming. The bisque was smooth with a pleasant sweetish taste, good for a cold and windy evening.

After perusing both the bar menu and the restaurant menu, my party all chose to order their main dishes off the bar menu. Entrées on the main menu ranged from $20 to $35, while the bar menu was slightly cheaper, mostly around $10 to $15. If they like squash and mushrooms, vegetarians should not have a problem finding a meal.

I was actually surprised by how limited the menus seemed. The restaurant menu only had one page of entrées, and the bar menu had less. I have very little experience eating at fancy restaurants, however, and I think this might be a trademark of theirs. I guess that makes sense, if every item is held to high standards.

We ordered fish and chips and flank steak fajita wraps. The portions were very generous: none of my party finished their meal, and I’m still snacking on my leftovers. All the entrées came with fries, which were just how I like them – crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and not too salty.

The fish was good – not soggy and not too crispy. I don’t like it when the fish feels squishy in the batter. Or when the batter separates from the fish while it fries, and then crisps off when you pick it up. Biting into the fish at The Marc, my teeth went straight from the crispy outside to the flaky, juicy fish on the inside. The coleslaw served with the fish and chips also received high praise.

The fajitas were a little bit light on steak – for carnivorous folks – but the steak was well-cooked and the blend of peppers, cheese, and onions provided good flavor. A little bit more spice would have kicked it up.

I’m not qualified to comment on this myself, but my company assured me that the wine and beer selection was extensive and – in their experience – excellent. The menu included wine recommendations for each entrée, and the waiters seemed very knowledgeable about the wine selection.

Overall, I was impressed by The Marc. I haven’t been to most of the higher-end restaurants in Walla Walla, but I’d definitely consider The Marc as a good option for any extra-special occasion or one with access to a substantial bank account. Its luxurious ambiance, attentive service, and excellent cuisine make it a great option for a once-in-a-while treat.

Story Time Project nostalgic experience for students

For those who miss their younger siblings, or want to work with little kids, the Story Time Project helps foster those connections between kids and Whitman students. The Story Time Project is a way for Whitman students to get involved with the kids of Walla Walla by reading aloud to them a few times a week.

“At the beginning of each year, we match applicants up with local classrooms, daycares, and libraries. Each week, volunteers visit their respective locations to read to a group of children who range from 2-7 years old for 30 minutes,” said Souk Thongdymanyvong, who is the current Story Time Project intern.

One of the goals of the Story Time Project is to help children who may never be read to at home, or have easy access to books, in addition to allowing students to get involved with the Walla Walla community.

“We want to inspire children to have a positive attitude about reading,” said Thongdymanyvong. “I also think it’s very important for young children to be exposed to books — to different ideas, cultures, and experiences — and it’s unfortunate that not all children are read to.”

For volunteers, the Story Time Project allows them to help instill a love for reading in young children.

“When I was growing up, reading was important. My parents always read to me when I was little and it helped me become a reader for life. I want to pass on a love of reading to children because literacy is very important,” said freshman Kelsey Kennedy.

Any student can apply at the beginning of the semester, and spots will be open during second semester. The number of spots available in the community determines the number of accepted applicants. Though not every student’s schedule works out with the community partner’s schedule, this semester alone had 76 applicants as compared to 50 from last semester.

One of the places that readers go to is Kid’s Place, which is located just behind Reid Campus Center. The toddlers that are read to range from ages two to four.

“They have very short attention spans but I think they really appreciated someone new coming to read to them. It seems like it would be easy to read to a child, but in fact, it’s a bit harder because you have to make the story engaging and hold their attention,” said Kennedy.

For children who don’t get to hear bedtime stories read aloud or have little access to books, the Story Time Project is a great help for both students and children.

“Remember times when your mom or dad, or grandparents read a bed-time story to you? I just want other kids who don’t experience that at home, to get a similar experience at school,” said Thongdymanyvong.

New budget reforms may make thousands of local residents pay to use public library

The time is upon us: starting in January, Whitman students might actually spend less time in the library. In expectation of the Dec. 3 biennium vote on the city budget, Walla Walla County may decide to cut funding to the public library next year in a decision that would affect library service to Whitties as well as to thousands of local residents living outside Walla Walla who will no longer be granted free used of the library.

In addition to servicing residents living within the city limits, Walla Walla Public Library is currently under contract with the Rural Library County District of Walla Walla, or RLD, to provide library services to people living immediately outside the City of Walla Walla—an area known as “the Donut.” In compensation for servicing those who do not pay property taxes to the city, RLD agrees to pay the library $365,000 a year. This payment, which is raised from a separate library tax, prevents people living right outside the incorporated area of the city from having to drive across county for library service.

Unfortunately for Donut residents, the Agreement for Library Services expires at the end of this year. In anticipation of this deadline, last April Walla Walla County decided to reevaluate the terms of the agreement. No decision about the future of library services has been finalized yet, but in the worst case scenario, the public library will no longer be contracted to provide library services for those residents living immediately outside the city. In other words, the library would lose one-third of its annual budget, forcing it to compete for city funds with the top-priority fire and police departments.

“The county thinks that they can provide a good a service on their own instead of paying [Walla Walla Public Library] to do it,” said Director Martha Van Pelt. “They were subcontracting it out to us, but now they’re thinking about doing it themselves.”

In the event of a decision not to renew its contract with Walla Walla Public Library, the county would have to build a facility for people living immediately outside the city limits in order to provide the same level of library service. Otherwise, starting next year those residents will be forced to drive to one of the county’s more distant library branches in Burbank, Prescott or Touchet. The alternative option would be to buy a public library card for a projected price of $135.

“The closest library branch [to Walla Walla] is Touchet, which is 25 minutes away,” said Van Pelt. “Even though people might live on Brook Lane, just past the high school or even in College Place, they pay the same amount of money as someone who lives in Burbank—but they would get no service. If the county doesn’t build another library for those people who live outside the city limits, they will either have to buy a $135 library card or use the library in Touchet, Burbank or some other branch.”

For people living in the center of the Donut, library service would not be as radically affected by this remodeled library services plan. The City of Walla Walla would be compelled to backfill some of the lost $365,000 commission, but not enough to fund the necessary amount of materials, services and facilities required to maintain the library’s current level of operation. For Whitties and their neighbors, this means there would be fewer opportunities to visit the library and fewer materials to check out.

“A lot of Whitman students come here and get cards so they can use the internet and check out fiction and magazines, check out our DVDs and music CDs,” said Van Pelt. “Ours is a public library with a different focus than yours. Whitman has an academic library; it’s meant to support what you do in class— it’s not for popular culture. Our library is for everything.” In the words of one student, “They have a lot more readable books, not just academic books.”

According to Van Pelt, the library would likely address the possible budgetary dilemma by eliminating open hours in the evenings and on the weekends, especially on Saturday. “For every extra hour we’re open, we require one more professional and two more desk people,” said Van Pelt. “Monday is actually our busiest day, and Monday night we are swamped. The problem is that Saturday is really expensive because it’s the sixth day in the rotation. It costs just as much to run the library on Saturday as it does on Thursday and Friday, but we don’t get the traffic.”

In all likelihood, some of that traffic comes from the direction of Whitman, but students still have two months of public library hangout time before they have to use Penrose exclusively for bookish weekend fun.

Sweet skate spots- Billy Boal Baggin’s

Cordiner Stairs

On a vert ramp in the middle of April, a legend, Billy, was born. Hey, I’m Billy.  Billy’s been skating for a while and his first video was The Search for Animal Chin, by Powell, gifted to him by his mom’s ex-husband, Rick.  Dude was rad.  Anyways, you’ve probably seen Billy around campus and town straight shredding.  Billy was probably the first guy to FS-bluntslide-feeble-heelflip-manual the courthouse.  The Pio requested Billy share some of his sweet skate spots (SSS), so here you are.  SSS #1 is the Cordiner 4 – alt-titled The Gang of Four/Four-Play/FourEva!

Sk8tr bois know what Billy’s saying, right?  This 4 stair is sick.  Couple days ago Billie was out there with his boys and really nailed a classic Nollie-FS-treflip-salad-to-BS-overcrux-to-manual-all-the-way-to-REID (in the vein of Templeton in 411VM #29).  Changing Billy’s weekend to a sickend!  Everyone stuck to ollies and penis pushing, but your big-man on campus, Billy, wrecked them.

Here’s the 411 (HAHAH!!) on how to get to this sick locale.  Starting in the Beta basement, head west, south through the science parking lot, and turn left on Park.  DONE.  That’s how we do.   Optimal conditions here:  Sunny, 65-75 degrees (F), and no kooks.

Now, Billy wants to introduce you to the signature trick for this spot: the Skeeetzel.  Sort of like the Fandango by Appleyard in that Habit vid.  Approach the northern-most rail from the south, pushing at least once.  Ollie and pop your wood onto the rail, making sure to lock that shit in.  Pop-shuv out and try to not get hit by a car.  The Skeeetzel, tell your friends.  One Skeeetzel in the bank and your retirement savings has already begun.

Alright; dudes; think Billy’s leaked enough of the good news on ya.  If you see Billy rolling around campus, give him a shout.  Actually, don’t.  Billy’s got enough friends without you adding him on your AIM (Billy’s AIM: SicSkatMan69).  At any rate, try this new trick out, because me, myself, Billy, told you it was rad.  DONE.

NEXT WEEK:  Billy does your mom! HAPPY BELATED PARENTS’ WEEKEND. (Only kidding.  Next week Billy takes you to the Sig side lawn to perfect your manuals and shares a secret spot (SS #1)!)

Employee of the week

Through the Mail Slot: A sneak peek in the life of Sue Washington, mail lady extraordinaire

L: What brought you to the mailroom in Walla Walla?

S: I used to teach preschool, but I was always getting sick. Two years ago I saw a job opening here and I thought, I’ll try Whitman. My husband’s the soccer coach here.

L: So if a student were dying to ask you a question concerning the postal service, where would we be most likely to find you?

S: The soccer field for sure, that’s a given. I’m an avid supporter of the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams. When they’re home, I’m always there – we have two very good soccer teams. We also love to go out to Bennington Lake with our three dogs; we do a lot of walking with them. My husband and I enjoy playing soccer, but obviously we’re getting older. My husband loves golf, so I gave it a try. It’s not as easy as soccer, but I play it now and again.

L: Where does your cool accent come from?

S: My husband and I are originally from England – we came here in ’82. My husband’s parents came ahead of us in the late 70s and we came to visit them, only to fall in love with America. We loved the way Americans lived their lives. We just love the outdoors.

L: What’s the best part of working in the mailroom?

S: I didn’t realize how much fun it would be to give students their parcels. It’s a real high for the students, and very satisfying for us. I also love the people I work with – Marge is a fantastic boss.

L: What is the craziest package you’ve seen come through the Whitman mailroom?

S: One package was literally covered in stamps! We also received a coconut in the mail, with a stamp and address. We sometimes get flower arrangements, too.

One squash, two squash, winter squash, curried squash

Winter squash. Oh, winter squash.  A good reason to welcome fall and stop cursing the weather gods for turning the ground cold and the nights chilly.  Winter squash is one vegetable I start hankering for every year around this time.  These gourds, you are probably familiar with varieties like acorn or butternut, are a warm-seasoned vegetable that differ from summer squash (like zucchini) because they are harvested when their seeds have fully matured and the skin has hardened into a tough rind.  They are plucked from the vine just around the first hard frost and store well for months.  They are, therefore, an incredibly versatile, affordable seasonal vegetable that can stock your cupboards and fill your bellies for the next few months.

Make sure you have a sharp knife to slice through the tough flesh of the squash and don’t forget to scoop out the seeds and webby pulp.  Depending on size and shape, these squash can be: stuffed, baked, roasted, sautéed, steamed, mashed, or pureed. Try making butternut squash risotto, delicata fajitas, pumpkin pie, mashed spaghetti squash, or rice-stuffed acorn squash.  The possibilities are pretty much endless. There are many varieties of winter squash and each has a unique flavor and texture that deserves a particular method of preparation.  Expect more recipes with these fall beauties soon.

In the meantime, here’s a brief winter squash primer (adapted from SF Chronicle article by Victoria McGinley):

Acorn: Shape is true to its name, color is deep green, and flavor is sweet and fibrous.
To prepare: Halve lengthwise and roast with butter and spices.
Butternut: Peachy-beige squash with a sweet nutty flavor.
To prepare: Halve lengthwise and bake with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar rubbed into the flesh.
Delicata: Long green or orange squash with white stripes.  Flesh is creamy and tastes like sweet potatoes.
To prepare: Slice into thin rounds and fry in a skillet with butter.  The skin is edible.
Kabocha: Dark green, knobby skinned, small, round squash that is sweet and drier than most other varieties.
To prepare: Scoop out the seeds and roast whole.
Pumpkin: You know what these look like. The darker orange ones are especially sweet.
To prepare: Roast or steam and use to make fresh pumpkin pie or soup.
Spaghetti: Yellow oblong squash with stringy flesh.
To prepare: Have lengthwise, remove seeds, and bake.  Scoop out the spaghetti-like flesh and serve.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups yellow onion, chopped
4-5 teaspoons curry powder
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 2 medium-sized squashes)
2 medium-sized tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup apple juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, melt butter and add chopped onions and curry powder.   Sautee over low heat until onions are tender, about 15 minutes.  Peel squash and apples with a peeler or knife and cut into small cubes.  Pour chicken or vegetable stock into pot.  Add squash and apples.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.  Using a ladle, transfer the soup solids into a food processor or bender and puree until smooth.  (You might need to do this in a few batches so you don’t make a mess).  Pour the pureed soup back into the pot, add apple juice and reheat.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Some suggestions: If you don’t have a food processor or blender, you can definitely still make this soup.  Just cook the squash and apples a bit longer and leave it chunky.

For more flavor, spice the soup with some nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger powder, or garam masala (an Indian spice mixture of cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices).

Ska band Danger Mermaid returns for another round

Perhaps it started with a housemate’s Guitar Hero name.

Perhaps the flyer posted on a North Hall bulletin board searching for band members got it all going.

Or perhaps it all began when Reel Big Fish and The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones were blasting on the radio all through junior high.

Either way, Danger Mermaid is here to bring you ska beats to dance to.

Whitman band, Danger Mermaid, which became a house party staple last year is ready to hit the campus scene again.

“I think it hasn’t really gotten going yet this year because we really haven’t been able to find many times when we could all get together this semester,” said senior and bass guitarist Seth Zippel.

“Things definitely took a backseat to The Raptivists because we actually had a real gig [opening for the Blue Scholars] that was a pretty big deal,” said senior drummer Nick Gottschall, who along with Zippel and senior Wes Price is a member of both Danger Mermaid and Whitman rap group The Raptivists.

The current manifestation of Danger Mermaid consists of Price on guitar, Phil Collins and Caitlin Tortorici on vocals, Ysbrand Nusse on kazoo and trumpet and Jesus Vasquez on trombone, all seniors.

The band played one show at the interest house block party but has otherwise been dormant the rest of the semester.

“We mostly need a good show that we’re really excited about to get us going,” said Gottschall.  With the stress from fall sports and The Raptivists beginning to fade and a Halloween show at Rossacs House on the horizon, Danger Mermaid is ready to rock again.

In true care-free, ska-style, the band members seemed relatively nonplussed about the lack of Danger Mermaid thus far this year, mostly looking forward to a chance to jam and get people dancing.

“There’s something to be said for performing music for people who really want to be there,” said Gottschall. “And to have people dancing, too,” added Zippel.

The band first began to take shape when founder Nick Landau, who graduated last spring, posted flyers around campus looking for anyone who wanted to play in a ska band.  Price and Zippel, who had always enjoyed ska and jamming, responded to the flyer.

“We had two practices and then it went into remission for a year,” said Zippel.

Then, last year, the band re-formed; ready to play gigs and with the name Danger Mermaid.

“Nick [Landau] suggested…I think he got it from his housemate’s guitar hero name,” said Zippel.

“We had one show and it was really fun and I guess it just snowballed from there,” said Zippel.  The band ended up adding numerous members, playing numerous parties and events, gaining at least two highly devoted fans and even ended up with t-shirts.

“My dad got really excited that I was in a rock band on a college campus,” said Zippel. “Then one day there were boxes with 40 t-shirts in them from my dad that he’d mailed to me.”

Danger Mermaid focuses on energetic, upbeat songs and crowd-pleasers. “We do a lot of covers of middle school songs that everyone loves,” said Gottschall.  While the band is working on more original material, the covers are often the most fun.

“I just love it when you play the first few chords of a song and you hear people say ‘I love this song’ or you have everyone singing and dancing along,” said Zippel.

The song-and-dance routine is over for these ‘tweens

To say that the third entrée from the “High School Musical” franchise is a “good” movie or even a “decent” movie is as rude and inaccurate as it is to say that Gov. Sarah Palin understands a financial derivative, a fundamental cause of our current economic woes. So, I won’t.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year is, however, entertaining.

The cloying love-story between varsity-basketball-star-cum-thespian and nerdy-academic-decathlon-champ-cum-actress continues as the narrative launches you into an awkward mug shot of a perspiring and panting Troy Bolton (Zac Effron). Unlike the original movie, this one puts the championship basketball game on the backburner, making the movie’s focus the challenge of the last few months of senior year in high school, including all the goodies: prom, college decisions, the spring musical, graduation and people telling you that they’re going to take over the school once you’ve left.

The latter begins troubling Troy from the get-go. In the championship game, instead of taking the shot himself, Troy sets-up an unexpected hero for an easy basket. The unexpected hero makes the basket, wins them the game and instantly becomes a star. The problem: now he thinks he has the right to talk to Troy, the aloof senior. Troy tries to get rid of him in every way possible, but the unexpected hero keeps getting more and more in the way, becoming even clingier than his own girlfriend, Gabriela Montez (Vanessa Anne Hutchens).

The unexpected hero named Jimmy – a lanky, black-hair-in-the-eyes caricature of a punk-rock groupie played by newcomer Matt Prokop – is a part of a group of new characters (supposedly high school juniors) which include his friend Donny (Justin Martin), a scrawny, token character that says little, and his supposed love interest Tiara (Jemma McKenzie-Brown), a foreign exchange student who turns into the ultimate social-climber. For those of you not up on the latest Hollywood gossip here are two revelations that might make you scowl or smile: There will be a High School Musical 4 and these new faces may become the franchise’s stars.

Back to the old stars: throughout the movie, Gabriela and Troy attempt to tackle the seminal senior year dating problem of deciding whether to stay with one another while in college. The choosing of this important topic and how to address it is, by far, the most authentic part of the movie.

If you can get past the gag-factor of the twilight Gabriela’s eyes or the sheer number of pet names Troy has for her (or past the amount of times they almost kiss), the movie, as should its predecessors, should be given credit for presenting idealistic answers – but answers, nonetheless – to questions high school romances face on a daily basis. How do you balance a relationship and school; a relationship and your parent’s vicariousness; and a relationship with your personal ambitions?

Something else the movie should be given credit for is its metafictional blur between the spring musical, ironically titled “Senior Year,” and the student’s actual senior year of high school. While it’s seemingly easy to distinguish between the set of a play and the set of reality, the movie somehow made it artistically confusing. The musical’s rehearsal schedule follows essentially the same timeline as the student’s lives. The movie, chockablock with 10 songs (about 4 too many for my liking), transitions sometimes seamlessly between them, at spots making it a little difficult to determine whether they are rehearsing for the musical or doing things in ‘real life’.

There is one song and one scene that define the movie. The song is original, the scene is original, but the weather is clichéd. Then again, so is most of the movie.

Troy and Gabriella meet at their alone-time spot atop the school building’s roof (also, a greenhouse) where Troy finally asks Gabriella to prom. The prom is waltz-themed and, thus, Gabriella, whose father was well-versed in dance, must teach Troy how to waltz. They begin singing “Just Wanna Be With You,” a picture-perfect love song, and end up waltzing in the rain. It’s a heart-melter if I ever saw one.

This isn’t a Disney Channel Original Movie nor is it a cinematic spin on a Nicholas Sparks novel. It is, however, a ‘tween love story that is mired in sugar-coated lines and pop-hop (see synthesis of hip-hop and pop music) tunes that, for all its euphemisms and faux stereotype shattering, will never cease to amuse.’

The first edition of High School Musical was by far the best. But the third will still leave you – albeit either sarcastically or tenderly – amused for days.

Follow-up to Montreal’s ‘Fauna’ is schizophrenic, ‘hedonistic’

It’s hard to tell where this went wrong.

Last year’s “Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?” saw Kevin Barnes perfect his brand of psychedelic not-quite-dance pop he’d been developing for the last five years. Unlike its predecessors, Fauna created a striking contrast through its relentless documentation of Barnes’ divorce, depression and escapism by setting it to disco beats and aggressively energetic arrangements. Followup EP “Icons, Abstract Thee” ended with “No Conclusion,” which condensed most of its predecessor into a schizophrenic, ten-minute epic of self-destruction to stunning effect.

“Skeletal Lamping”, when described by Barnes earlier this year as “one long piece with hundreds of movements,” should have played to his strengths. Instead, the album is chaotic, a manic Prince homage (or parody) so overflowing with ideas that it lacks an anchor.

These song collages remind me of the Good Idea/Bad Idea shorts from “Animaniacs”, but longer and in rapid succession. Take “Wicked Wisdom”.  Good Idea: being a headliner.  Bad Idea: shouting “I’m a motherfucking headliner” in one’s upper register for twenty seconds atop buzzing synths.  Good Idea: a fantastic vocal melody.  Bad Idea: cutting it after a few lines, going on about being “just a black she-male” and not knowing what we’re all about over weak drums.

This, with Barnes’ songwriting alter-ego Georgie Fruit standing in for Mr. Skullhead, could be played with the entire record, but given that it took a paragraph to detail two minutes of music, it’d be even more exhausting than listening.

Musically and lyrically, Barnes is relentless. There are brief reprieves, like a minute-long, dour piano piece (“Touched Something’s Hollow”), but it follows “For Our Elegant Caste,” which repeats an infuriating bongo-driven chorus for several minutes. The album then descends into electro-sleaze. “An Eluardian Instance” is pretty neat until its lush instrumentation gives way to a bunch of indie-funk nonsense, though Barnes nails it when he sings that “this inbreeding of ideas is intolerable.” “Gallery Piece” starts off wonderfully, then more lousy drums and some of Barnes’ worst lyrics in years.  “I can’t take the trash your catchy friends are spreading about us” is too easy. And then “St. Exquisite’s Confessions” opens with an exclamation: “So sick of sucking the dick of this cruel, cruel city!” It’s difficult to take in one sitting.

“Skeletal Lamping” is a mess, but as far as unsuccessful records go, it’s strikingly replayable. Barnes throws every idea he could possibly develop into a sprawling mess, exploring his sexuality so thoroughly and in such a baffling manner that it’s more bizarre than appealing. It’s un-danceable dance-pop. But its madness often yields brilliance, like “Beware Our Nubile Miscreants,” where Barnes’ retains a basic verse structure, yet constantly swaps instrumentation before going for a blown-out finish, and the concise and restrained “Death Is Not a Parallel Move,” which goes acoustic at its most threatening.

The fact that someone was willing to produce this, as hedonistic and unendearing as it is, seems like an accomplishment in itself. It’s hard not to give him credit despite yielding such mixed results.

Going to ‘Our Town’

Even though it’s Thorton Wilder’s most memorable play, “Our Town” also has a reputation of being banal and dull.

But Harper Joy Theatre’s Family Weekend production of the play was met with surprisingly effusive praise by the community members, students and parents who attended the sold-out shows.

“Our Town” focuses on the modest lives of the inhabitants of the fictional Appalachian town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire.  Grover’s Corners is “an ordinary town, maybe a little duller than most,” where very ordinary things happen.  The characters all serve prototypical roles.  The town has a gossip, a drunk, some slightly bored but industrious wives and their caring husbands.  The two main characters, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, are young lovers and stand-outs in their small-town high school.  They even serve in student government together.

But Harper Joy’s Production, directed by theatre professor Cindy Croot, surprised many audience members.  Croot changed the play’s concept, making “Our Town” a 1939 radio broadcast of the play.

According to Rosie Brownlow who played Mrs. Webb, each member of the play had an actor and a character.  Their “character” was their Grover’s Corners member:  Emily Webb, George Gibbs, Mrs. Webb, Mrs. Gibbs.  But, their “actor,” who played each character on the radio, also had a backstory.  Between the “actors” there were ex-husbands, serial killers, lesbian trysts, illegitimate children and hidden ambitions.  These backstories played out behind the main action of Our Town.

During the crucial moments of the script—young Emily and George’s fears and anticipations of their marriage, Emily’s postmortem return to her twelfth birthday, and realization of the futility and cyclical nature of everyday life—Croot’s concept retreated.  This allowed the audience to fully concentrate on the power of the script.

The radio show concept paired with visually exquisite costumes and set provided a new dimension to the play that appealed to many audience members.

“I was pleasantly surprised.  I didn’t enjoy Our Town when I read it in high school…it’s really, really boring and has a depressing ending, but they thought outside the box in how to present a piece that everyone considers very banal.  And the acting was really excellent,” said senior Alison Meith.

First-year Kyle Scott echoed Meith’s reaction.  Scott said that he enjoyed the play “surprisingly enough…There were very few distractions and the message was conveyed effectively.”

Scott—an aspiring actor himself—raved about the actors’ abilities “to act such normal people, to act subtleties.”

Some were affected by the play on a more personal level.

Alum James Millikan, who grew up in a small town himself, praised the authenticity of Harper Joy’s production of Our Town.   “I thought they did a really good job at representing small town community.  I was moved by the sincerity of the actors.  They didn’t overact.  It left me thinking about my own community and relationships.”

Charara a ‘visual poet’ for all

In addition to aesthetic appeal, the artwork of Adnan Charara humorously comments on the nature of humanity through subliminal ideas equally provocative and profound. Adnan Charara, an internationally acclaimed artist who promotes tolerance and individual identity through his art, was recently welcomed to Whitman College. His exhibit titled Osmosis I & II is being displayed at the Sheehan Art Gallery through November 16.

Dawn Forbes, the Interim Director of the Sheehan Art Gallery, articulated that “[Charara’s] work occupies the contemporary sphere while still drawing on the rich traditions of African art and Islamic calligraphy as well as European Modernist artists. His work stands as an inspiring example of the beauty, energy and depth that can emerge from a multi-cultured life experience.”

Born in South Africa, Charara moved to the United States when he was 19 to pursue architecture. Although Charara’s parents provided for his education, they did not support his artistic inclinations. The likelihood that he would be successful as an architect was far greater than that of an artist. However, Charara soon realized the impossibility of ignoring his desire to pursue art. Years later, Charara proved his capabilities by eventually receiving global recognition and appreciation as an artist.

Coming from a diverse cultural background, Charara never felt that people truly understood him. Art provided a venue to communicate more effectively his opinion of highly-contested issues in a more favorable and appreciated environment. “Drawing is a universal language,” Charara stated.

As an Arab American, Charara views his art as “a bridge between the east and the west.”

The artist, who has described himself as “a visual poet”, communicates his perspective through figurines and paintings infused with symbolism. Charara embraces overlooked objects, “giving them a new freedom – a new birth” by reworking them. Through the figurine titled Iron Man, Charara comments on the resilience needed to fight the constant bombardment of societal pressure and daily distractions. He humorously reflects upon the interminability of desire through the figurine titled I Want, I Want. “Americans are slaving for material things that they just do not need,” he said.

“Charara’s artistic dialogue often references the dual possibilities of human potential,” said Forbes.

Robin Lewis, a sophomore and environmental studies major who works in the gallery, commented on Charara’s paintings as “reflecting humanity through a variety of patterns and textures”, ultimately reflecting upon the “complexity and multi-faceted nature of an individual”.

“This commonality [that all humans share] is expressed in the repetition of the human form [...] printed over and over. Each figure has a rich internal landscape of materials collaged into the form,” Forbes similarly observed.

Regardless of the nuances of personal interpretation, viewers should “[absorb] his creative osmotic processing of experiences [and] carry this positive force in [their] own consciousness and out into the world beyond the walls of the gallery,” said Forbes.

When introducing his exhibit at the Sheehan Art Gallery, Charara offered up words of encouragement to his audience.

“It is up to you to use your knowledge constructively and not destructively, so we can surely keep pouring color and rich wisdom to the foundation of our great nation,” he said.

Death with Dignity explored

“Who has access to all of the psychiatric and medical resources necessary to end their own life?”

This was the question posed by associate professor of politics Bruce Magnusson during the faculty panel discussion on Washington’s upcoming

“Death with Dignity” ballot measure (Inititative 1000) Tuesday, Oct. 22.

The panel on Initiative 1000 was the third of the three-part “From Where I Stand” series sponsored by the Race and Ethnic Studies department.
Delbert Hutchison, associate professor of biology, Bruce Magnusson, associate professor of politics, Tim Kaufman-Osborn, Chair of Politics and Leadership, and Melissa Wilcox, assistant professor of religion shared their viewpoints with the audience in Olin Hall.

The event drew around 60 people who heard the panelists discuss the initiative as it relates to issues of race and ethnicity.

Despite endorsing the measure on the whole, Kaufman pointed out that the initiative could bring about greater inequality in society. Like Magnusson, he had concerns about the availability of the health care necessary to receive lethal drugs for the economically disadvantaged.

“My point here is not to urge anyone to vote against Initiative 1000,” said Kaufman.

“My point is… this initiative obscures the inequalities that will go a long way toward determining who is and who is not in a position to exercise the freedom it seeks to secure.”

First-year Lizzie Schiller, encouraged to attend the lecture by one of her professors, found the panelists’ perspectives broadened her view of Initiative 1000.

“I didn’t really understand how race and ethnicity could play a role with the assisted suicide proposal, but after the meeting, my  mindset totally changed,” said Schiller.

Initiative 1000 is based largely on the Oregon death with dignity statute, passed in 1994. Currently, Oregon is the only U.S. state that has passed legislation similar to Initiative 1000.

In order to legally end your own life, Initiative 1000 would require an individual to be 1) judged mentally competent 2) terminally ill with less than six months to live and 3) make a voluntary request to end their own life. Each of these three conditions would have to be verified by two different physicians.

Additional concerns about the bill include the possibility that clinically depressed individuals will receive lethal drugs and that parties other than the ill individual (such as greedy relatives) will coerce a decision to end life.

Washington voters rejected another assisted suicide initiative in 1991 that allowed physicians to administer the lethal drugs if the patient was unable. Initiative 1000 prohibits physicians from administering lethal dosages, instead mandating that patients self-administer the drugs.

Thus far, Initiative 1000 has been endorsed by the Seattle Times, the Tri-City Herald, the Olympian, and other Washington newspapers.

The panel on Oct. 21 was moderated by Spanish Professor Alberto Galindo. Past topics of the panel series include the 2008 presidential race and American popular culture. Contact Galindo at galindo@whitman.edu if you have any questions about past or future panels.

Planned Parenthood sponsors campus phone bank

Organizations like Planned Parenthood have a vested interest in the election. The election determines the politicians that will shape public policy in the years to come. Planned Parenthood focuses on laws and bills that affect women’s reproductive rights.
Planned Parenthood Public Policy Network, also known as “The Network,” isn’t allowed to be involved with the election. They’re the ones that run the 48 Planned Parenthood clinics sprinkled across Washington. They’re split into five regional affiliates: Planned Parenthood of Central Washington runs the Walla Walla clinic.

According to Cora Davidson, the Public Affairs Field Organizer for Planned Parenthood of Central Washington, “The Network can lobby elected officials about the issues, but we can’t discuss candidates for election.”

If The Network attempts to influence elections, their non-profit status will be revoked.

This is where Planned Parenthood VOTES! Washington PAC (Political Action Committee) comes in. They endorse candidates based on their past record on reproductive rights. Surveys were sent to candidates for Washington’s Congress, along with candidates running for Washington Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Governor in order to gauge candidates’ commitment to reproductive rights. Candidates that received a score of 100% on the survey were offered endorsements.

Planned Parenthood VOTES! Washington PAC, also known as IPPVW Political Action Committee, canvasses and runs phone banks to educate voters.  Since August, they have rented out space at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Walla Walla to run phone banks. They hire employees of The Network, like Davidson, to coordinate the volunteer effort. Phone banks take place across Washington three nights a week, for three and a half hours every night. The phone banks are coordinated among the five affiliates. IPPVW Political Action Committee aims for 25 volunteers across the state participating in every phone bank—five volunteers from each of the five affiliates.

The phone banks are facilitated by the website myactivate.com. It’s a mass dialing system similar to ones used by telemarketers. The system goes through an imported list of phone numbers, dialing every one. It speeds the phone banking process by weeding out phone numbers that lead to busy signals and answering machines. Once the system gets a live caller on the line, the volunteer hears a beep and is connected to the call.

“You can get through twice as many numbers,” said Davidson, referring to the dialing system. “It’s so much more efficient!”

Volunteers call undecided voters and voters that are known to be pro-choice but don’t vote consistently. They follow a “Persuasion Script” and ask voters about their candidate preferences. They inform voters of the backgrounds of each of the candidates and attempt to influence their electoral decisions.

“We don’t try to convince people that their opinions are wrong,” said senior Erin Flaucher, the president of Whitman’s VOX and an intern at Planned Parenthood of Central Washington. “We try to be respectful. We know that our phone call isn’t going to change their minds.”

VOX is a national organization of college students that works in conjunction with Planned Parenthood. VOX’s official title is VOX: Voices of Planned Parenthood—“vox” means “voice” in Latin.

On Sunday, Nov. 2, VOX will be running a phone bank on campus. The phone bank will take place in meeting room 110 at the Reid Campus Center from 1-4 p.m. Students are encouraged to participate in the phone bank, even if it’s their first time volunteering.

“We want to try to get as many students involved as possible,” said Flaucher. Students will be trained at the phone banking session.

“[Phone banking] is something that I really encourage people to come in and try,” said Davidson. “A lot of people have been very surprised to find out that they like it.”

Presidential campaigns fail to address important issues

Obama and McCain’s stances on health care and tax cuts should be pretty familiar to people following the debates.  Even if the candidates have not been clear, the topics have been brought up enough times that Americans are familiar with their arguments.

But there is a huge lack of debate and conversation over issues that are traditionally emotionally-charged topics.  Who can really say what McCain’s stance on abortion is?  What does Obama think about gay rights?

These issues have the potential to lead to some pretty charged debates.  Because the issues are so stigmatized, it’s probably good that the candidates have not completely focused their campaigns on these issues.

But we should not ignore these issues forever.  With the presidency at stake, the importance of knowing our candidates cannot be stressed enough.

Abortion:  John McCain is strictly pro-life.  He said, “I will be a pro-life president, and this presidency will have pro-life policies.”  He believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and that there should be a ban on abortion, except in cases where the mother’s health is in danger.  He is against partial-birth pregnancies and against public funding for abortions except in the cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s health is in danger.

Barack Obama is pro-choice.  He believes that a woman’s right to choose is a fundamental right that should not be made by either the state or the federal government.  If elected, he will make protecting Roe v. Wade a priority and will oppose any constitutional amendments that will limit a woman’s right to choose.  However, Obama believes that teens need more access to sex education and contraceptives.

Gay rights: Obama opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.  He believes it is the state’s right to make decisions about same-sex marriage rights.  He supports civil unions.

McCain also opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.  He believes states should decide about same-sex marriages, but thinks people should be allowed to enter into legal agreements to obtain the financial benefits of marriage.

Immigration: McCain supports immigration reform only after securing the borders.  He supports deporting undocumented immigrants, but would support allowing guest workers after the border is secure.

Obama opposes departing 2 million undocumented immigrants.  He thinks there should be increased border security, and supports a pathway to citizenship.  He would extend welfare and Medicaid to immigrants and would encourage students to learn second languages.

Gun Control: McCain is for appealing existing federal restrictions on purchasing guns, but he wants to have more serious penalties for “abusing the 2nd Amendment.”  He opposes holding gun manufactures liable for criminals’ gun use.

Obama supports the 2nd Amendment, but supports local “common sense restrictions” on gun control.  He supported Illinois legislation that would ban semi-automatic guns, as well as legislation that would prohibit buying more than one handgun a month.

Death Penalty: Obama supports the death penalty, but has worked as a senator to limit executing people not responsible for the crimes they are being punished for.  He pushed a bill that would require states to film interrogations and confessions in Illinois.
McCain supports capital punishment, but has pushed the prohibition of executing minors and supports restricting the use of racial statistics when trying to appeal a death sentence.

Dedication to Procrastination

It’s Sunday night and it is time to write a paper and study for multiple tests before class starts again, but first comes Facebook, football practice and Frisbee. Procrastination: a college student’s dream and nightmare at the same time.

“The avoidance reflex is very strong in humans. We all naturally avoid pain. That’s what you’re doing when you procrastinate,” said Penny Hood from the Student Academic Center (ARC).

According to Hood, on a biological level it is much more rewarding for students to go outside and throw a football, then to sit inside dwelling over a Calculus problem. Endorphin flow is a lot higher during physical activity as opposed to studying. When students study, they are fighting their own physical needs. The avoidance reflex is very strong in humans.

The number of activities on Whitman and any other college campus provide a convenient distraction for college students, who naturally want to avoid doing homework.

Students chose to hang out with friends, play sports, and participate in club events before working. By the time they get around to doing homework, the sun is already down. Though some students thrive under this pressure, for most, it creates unnecessary stress.

“I don’t procrastinate on things I like to do, just on things I don’t like to do,” first-year Kiley Wolff said. “Procrastination heightens my stress, my work quality is compromised and I’m less productive. Also I’m a perfectionist, so I know if I wait longer to do something I will spend less time perfecting it.”

The habit of procrastination defines the lifestyle of many college students for reasons similar to these. Students come into college with certain habits and ideas and it takes time to reshape them.

“There seems to be a common misconception that college students don’t sleep and consistently pull all-nighters, but sleep really does make you a better student. You are more attentive and in general do better,” Colleen McKinney from the ARC said.

When students wait until late at night to do their work, they are not as effective studiers and don’t put their best work into what they’re doing, according to Student Academic Advisor Shannon Hall.

“In a crunch, students do their work just to get it done. They don’t do as good of a job, and don’t learn as much,” Hall said.

Generally, the consequences for college students who fail to present high-quality work on time are greater than for younger students and also adults.

“In the career world you have a little more power. In college it’s about survival. Learning to manage time is a maturing step. It’s one of the parts of college not embedded in the curriculum,” Hood said.

In high school, students go to school for seven to eight hours then go home and don’t have a lot of homework, whereas college students go to class 2-5 hours a day, then go home and do a lot of homework. Finishing homework in college depends on the motivation of the student, so students have to become their own nagging conscience.

“It’s pretty much impossible to be ahead, and it’s hard to be on top of things,” Hall said.

This task gets harder as students get older and have a lot more demands placed on them. Procrastination often becomes undeniable. In younger students, the issue arises in being unaware of how to successfully manage time.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better at not procrastinating this semester. Even though I have a lot more going on I’ve decided that school work means a lot more so I am working harder and taking school more seriously than I used to. It’s also more necessary now too in order to do well in classes,” junior Allison Gill said.

With everything that goes on in a college student’s life, sometimes procrastination can’t be helped. This is why time management is an important skill to acquire in college.

“Prioritize what you have to do. Write down everything you have to do,” McKinney said. “A lot of times people don’t realize all that they have to accomplish in a day. Sometimes you can’t do everything and have to cut things out.”

Hood recommends breaking big projects into chunks, by looking ahead and knowing in advance how much should be done by certain points.
“Learn to manage your time, take advantage of every hour between classes,” Hall said.

It is often helpful to set realistic goals that take around 45 minutes to an hour. After the goal is met, take a break.

“Then you will have set a goal and met it, which gives you a great sense of accomplishment, and your reward is the break, which will help you re-energize so you can focus for the next hour,” said McKinney.

There are a lot of simple strategies to help cut down procrastination, and therefore avoid excessive stress and lack of sleep. Being aware of why a habit occurs is helpful in fighting it. After a long day of studying, there is always something to look forward to, and it is important to keep in mind what all the work is for.

“I believe in keeping our long-term goals in view when the going gets tough. It may not be fun, but thinking about that career can put a positive spin on homework,” said Hood. “Good chemical responses occur when we learn something too. So celebrate and reward yourself when you’re done. Life’s to short not to enjoy it.”

Two party system limits democracy

I would say that apathy has become the defining characteristic of the young people today but I’m not sure that’s the case.  I think people are kind of energized by this election and that’s precisely what upsets me.  I do indeed see Obama as a change of direction for this country, but not necessarily in a direction I’m happy about.

I think we can all pretty much agree at this point that Obama will win, it’s just a question of whether or not McCain is able to steal the election as effectively as Bush did.

I’m probably not going to vote, and if I do, it’s certainly not going to be for Barack Obama or John McCain.  They’re both opportunistic hacks.  Does anyone seriously think that the answer to our economic and social problems is a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions or a couple lip-service entitlement programs?  McCain is obviously worse than Obama, but only by a matter of degrees.

The number and scale of problems that we face is unprecedented, but neither candidate seriously attempts to address those issues.  We’re fighting (at least) two colonial wars to subjugate the populations of countries whose leaders we have already been controlling. We’ve been pretty much entirely in control of the world’s economic system for 150 years.  It’s unsurprising that this legacy of violence is beginning to catch up to us in terms of being counterbalanced by Europe, Russia and China, but we’re also kidding ourselves if we think that those groups pose a serious threat to US predominance.

Our problems today don’t stem from an accurate model being supplied with incorrect data, they’re based on incorrect, violent, racist, homophobic, sexist, essentialist paradigms that are largely informed by nationalistic, scientific ethical systems and the self-perpetuating bureaucracy that most every US citizen is party to and victim of.

That we live in a two-party system should be evidence enough of the corruption and ineptitude of our “leaders.” The fact that voters believe a choice between “red” and “blue” is really a choice at all is truly a coup d’etat by the ruling class.

Hunter S. Thompson once wrote that “objective journalism is one of the main reasons American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long,” and I would suggest we go a step further and say that objective voters are the reason why our country has, since its creation, been a genocidal war machine with a thirst for blood and a lust for repression.  I say it’s high time we get off of the nonsense that we live in a democracy and start going about the work of local democratic politics.

This will begin by engaging with our scholarship and our community in a responsible, serious and critical manner. It also requires that we constantly interrogate, criticize and deconstruct our values and preconceptions.  It does not, however, have an ending; but this is the nugget of promise nestled in all the bleakness of our time: that the future is open and it can be whatever we make of it.

The nature and value of an endorsement

Recently, Barack Obama received a very rousing endorsement from none other than Colin Powell himself—Republican golden boy and soldier extraordinaire.  Likewise, Obama has received the endorsement of other defectors from the Bush administration, including former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O’Neill and former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan (both are ardent critics of the current administration).

Upon hearing the news of Powell’s endorsement, I was personally very excited, believing that this would lend Obama greater foreign policy credentials, arguably the weakest point in his campaign.  I briefly fantasized that this endorsement would come as an epiphany to many Americans, and serve as a call to arms for Republicans to back Obama, sending millions flocking to his side.  Briefly.

Frankly, I know that this endorsement will not bleed McCain’s base—I know that those committed to the McCain/Palin ticket will not be easily swayed by a former Bush cabinet member’s support (just as former Democratic Senator and VP candidate Joe Lieberman’s endorsement of McCain will not sway the base of Obama/Biden’s ticket).  Yet, the value of an endorsement is more inflated than ever before.  Touted as the “most important presidential race of our time,” endorsements give immeasurable boosts to candidates.

Of course, some endorsements are inevitably part of the sideshow.  For example, McCain is backed by Troy Aikman, while Obama has the vote of Magic Johnson.  Kelsey Grammar supports McCain, though David Hyde Pierce supports Obama.  Yet, these glitzy endorsements aside, there are those genuinely newsworthy advocates, like Ann O. Krueger, former World Bank Chief Economist (for McCain), or Paul Krugman, 2008 Nobel Laureate in Economics (for Obama).

But, realistically, how much is an endorsement worth?  What is it worth to have open, public support for a candidate?  Both major candidates have numerous supporters on their side, representing experts from a wide array of disciplines.  Each candidate has household names on their side, and not-so household names.  An undecided voter could literally spend days mulling over the merits of Gen. Wesley Clark, USA, Ret. (who backs Obama) vs. those of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA, Ret. (who backs McCain).

Yet, the undecided voter is unlikely to waste their time on such folly—rather, the endorsement is comparable to a jingle—it’s a sweet melody of re-assurance from those we trust, respect, and admire.  Maybe you’re totally enamored with Tom Hanks, so lean towards Obama.  Or, perhaps you prefer the stirring cinematic masterpieces of Clint Eastwood, and you prefer McCain.  On the part of the endorsers, it’s a bit of a gamble, particularly in the political world. For example, it seems as if Hillary Clinton is smiling and campaigning for Obama through clenched teeth, attempting to salvage a political future.  Conversely, McCain is doing his best to play down the endorsement he’s received from our sitting president.

Personally, I get tickled knowing that Ben Affleck, that mega-hottie of yesteryear, is voting for Obama, or that Sylvester Stallone, ol’ Rocky himself, is voting for McCain.  But, it’s not going to significantly influence or alter my vote.  Likewise, I feel a bit more informed when folks like Colin Powell and the AFL-CIO support Obama, but it doesn’t overshadow how I feel about his tax plan.

A fitting analogy comes to mind: a candidate’s endorsements are quite like their clothes.  Nice to look at, occasionally making a statement about the personality of the candidate, but nothing more than flash and gimmick.  Style may be important in this largely superficial 21st century, but, I implore you, dear reader: don’t forget about the substance.

McCain tries to delegitimize Obama

If there is no breaking news like that Senator Barack Obama when he was 8 helped Bill Ayers build bombs or something else, then he will be the 44th president of the United States.  Hence, the McCain campaign is relentlessly pushing news stories aimed at de-legitimatizing a potential Obama presidency, and undermining democracy itself.

The McCain campaign’s strategy is guilt by association.  Instead of trying to connect Obama to Kevin Bacon, McCain and Palin are trying to connect him to terrorists.  Why else would Palin charge that Obama is “palling around with terrorists who would target their own country”?  Why else would McCain demand that “We need to know the full extent of that relationship”?

It’s obvious: the Republicans can’t plausibly win on their free market ideology since trillions of dollars of 401k’s were lost when the financial crisis hit.  They can’t accuse Obama of being soft on national security when his proposal for a timetable to withdraw is echoed by Iraq’s Prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki.  They can try to trot out this mythical everyday “Joe the plumber,” but this particular fame seeking plumber hasn’t even paid back his taxes.

So, the strategy is vintage Karl Rove: accuse your opponent of hating America and undermining its beliefs.  Use the 60’s to prevent the country from voting for change.

I hope the American people are smart enough to ignore this because McCain and Palin’s attacks threaten not just Obama’s presidency but also American democracy.  Democracy is premised on the fact that the outcome of a vote is legitimate (Bush vs. Gore aside).

However, if Obama’s campaign is really hiring minority community organizers to register fake names for voting, then they must be trying to steal the election.  There’s evidence that ACORN’s contractors have engaged in voter registration fraud, but not in voter fraud.  Just because you register Mickey Mouse as a voter doesn’t mean Mickey Mouse will show up on Election Day and vote.  There’s even footage of John McCain speaking at an ACORN rally in 2006.  Again, the lie that ACORN is trying to steal the election has been disproven again and again.  However, this incontrovertible evidence hasn’t stopped the Republicans from repeating the same demonstratable lie.

By repeating the same lie, Republicans want to undermine an Obama Presidency’s legitimacy, because then the Right always has a set of patently false talking points to refer to.  Just as liberals allege George W. Bush stole the 2000 election, conservatives can allege Obama stole this one.

This kind of campaigning that knowingly fabricates ludicrous truths destroys the fabric of a vibrant democracy.  Ever since the Clinton years, American politics has become more polarized and campaigns discuss less ideas.  Hence, in the last 8 years, nobody, Democrat or Republican, has done anything to fix social security, Medicare, give health coverage to the 44 million uninsured Americans, or wean us off from owing Middle Eastern tyrants money for oil.

Ironically, the American Conservative’s desire to hold onto power has lead it to embrace a certain postmodern view of truth. Every assertion, no matter how wrong, can be repeated enough so that people will think it’s “probably” true.  Agreeing to common standards of logic, evidence and reason is reserved for east coast, cosmopolitan, liberal elitists, not the Joe six-pack within all of us.  So, let’s not agree to debate about the issues and just spout bald-faced lies about who knows whom and who was raised where.

Hence, Senator Barack Obama must be a socialist, terrorist, anti-democratic activist, racist and Muslim.  Oh, and he favors sex-ed for kindergärtners. Despite all these “facts,” he’s got my vote.

Students approach elections radically

Amondson, Baldwin, Barr, Calero, Jay, Keyes, LaRiva, McKinney, Moore, Nader: Those of you who are voting by mail may already have experienced the surprising reminder that the presidential choice extends beyond Obama and McCain.
No one, of course, thinks any of them stand a chance of winning. But some voters, nonetheless, will cast their ballots for third party candidates.
“In many ways Obama scares me way more than McCain because he is a silver-tongued devil,” said senior Todd Hawes, who plans to vote for Nader. “I am not a McCain supporter by any means, but Obama is tremendously good at convincing people of many different political stripes that his agenda is their agenda — and all the candidates do this, he just does it especially well.”

According to Hawes, the difference between a McCain and Obama presidency — in other words, a lesser of two evils approach to voting — is negligible.

“When Obama is cast as the candidate of change, or when McCain does that, it doesn’t truly reflect what they’re talking about because what they’re talking about is the continuance of the present system,” said Hawes.

Some angrily point fingers at those who opt to vote for third party candidates, blaming them, for example, for not preventing the reign of the current Bush administration.

“It’s absurd to say that Bush won because people voted for Nader. Even if Bush had more votes, it’s not because some people voted for Nader, it’s because a lot more people voted for Bush,” said junior Spencer Janyk. “Saying that Nader made Bush win is just another instance of the cannibalism and witch hunts in the left wing of American politics that the right preys on and enjoys watching so much.”

Voting for Nader, Hawes and Janyk believe, displays no more mere symbolism than voting for a major party candidate.

“Voting for Nader is certainly a symbolic gesture, but only in the same sense that everyone’s vote is a symbolic gesture.  I don’t expect that my voting will make Nader win any more than anyone thinks their individual vote will garner a win for their candidate,” said Janyk.

Others are engaging in a radical gesture of a different stripe: not just voting on election day but skipping work and school to get out the vote for Obama.

“To those undecided about taking the day off, fine by me. What they do with their free time is up to them, however if they are already planning on voting for Obama then I would probably push them a little harder to get out and volunteer for his campaign,” said senior Riley Clubb.

Top 5 places to eat on your student’s dime

Aloha Sushi $-$$
With a trendy interior and fresh sushi made in front of you, who said Walla Walla can’t have good sushi? The lunch special with a salad, soup and sushi roll for under $7 is a great deal not to mention tasty. If you want to take the family bonding up a notch, take advantage of the one dollar sake bombs.
Contact: 7 1/2 S. 1st St., (509) 527-8744

Fast Eddy’s $
Fast Eddy’s is the classic burger joint where you get served in your car (or on the picnic tables). The burgers and fries are a solid step above fast food and Fast Eddy’s juicy Walla Walla sweet onion rings are rightfully famous and the milkshakes may very well be better than The Ice-Burg’s famous shakes.
Contact: 600 N. Main St., (509) 527-2757

La Monarcha II $
The ambiance (the Napa auto parts parking lot) may leave a bit to be desired, but who cares after you’ve feasted on the amazing Walla Walla burrito and fresh horchata? You can’t spend a weekend in Walla Walla without a trip to a taco truck. There are lots of options, but La Monarcha II is consistently delicious and less than a mile from campus
Contact: In front of 1828 E. Issacs Ave.

Thai City $$
The newest ethnic restaurant in town serves up authentic Thai Food. Entrees run around $11, so it’s a bit pricier. Be prepared for a long wait during restaurant rush hours. However, if you call ahead for take-out your food should be ready in no time!
Contact: 311 S. 9th Ave., (509) 525-2566

Sweet Basil $-$$
Sweet Basil’s gourmet pizza by the slice (two for five dollars) or the pie along with tasty calzones, sandwiches and salads are a student favorite for good reason. You may have to fight through big crowds at rush times, but you can always order to go and take your pizza to the park. Don’t forget to bring your Whitman I.D. to take advantage of their student discount.
Contact: 5 S. 1st Ave., (509) 529-1950

Humor: Issue 6

Don’t write off the Pioneer, write to it: How we decide what to print

Every newspaper faces the same questions on a regular basis: how do we decide what to print? What is newsworthy?

At a school like Whitman, that is small and generally happy, sometimes we don’t have urgent, breaking news. Sometimes, although we try to avoid it, we must use filler, “fluff,” material. But inevitably, we face sensitive issues, about which we must decide how to act.

This has lately been a concern for us. We have received requests to not cover certain issues, and some angry letters responding to articles we have run. Some question our right to print certain things, while others