Wright suggests that carnivals and concerts should not be paid for by Student Government, offering up Bumstock, Kickin’ Flicks, Winter Carnival and Spring Fling as examples of “cuttable” programs.

Well, Mr. Wright should know that Bumstock is the only one of those entirely funded by Student Government, and Kickin’ Flicks is only half-funded. The remaining programs, as well as the other half of Kickin’ Flicks, are provided by the Campus Activities Board and the Office of Campus Activities, two university organizations out of the control of Student Government.

With regard to Student Senate voting to join UMaine Won’t Discriminate against Question 1, he purports that the Student Senate does not adequately represent the student body, as 19 percent of students voted ‘Yes’ on Question 1. The Senate voted in what they believed to be the best interests of their constituency. The Senate composed of, at the most, 35 senators, is representative of nearly 9,000 undergraduate students. They cannot please all points of view. Discontent with the actions of senators can be addressed by talking with your respective senators. The only way we know what you think is if you tell us. We felt, and the final tally proved, that the majority of the students wanted a ‘no’ vote on Question 1.

With regard to the fitness center, Mr. Wright should read the SG response with a little more care. President O’Brien did not claim that 81 percent of the student body considers the new fitness center to be a high priority. Instead, she said that 81 percent of the 2,917 online survey respondents found the fitness center to be a “medium to very high priority.” There is a substantial difference.

And lastly, Mr. Wright, whether or not the German Club has been ‘active’ on campus was not in question when the club was declared inactive. This simply means that, under the Student Government procedures for student organizations, if a student organization has not filed a club update in two consecutive years, a club is derecognized. Insinuating that President O’Brien derecognized the German Club as a result of your editorial is ridiculous and unsubstantiated. Your club, the German Club, has not filed an update in four years.

Mr. Wright, we value your opinion very much. What we don’t appreciate are uninformed falsehoods which serve no other purpose than creating a ruckus. Your care and compassion are admirable and are a good attempt at garnering student body support; but at least have the respect to learn all the facts before you attempt to criticize Student Government. And if you truly wish to criticize beyond the pages of The Maine Campus, come address the full Student Senate on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. Evoking change within Student Government will not occur by lambasting it.

Bill Pomerleau and Derek Mitchell are members of the general student senate.

The myriad of choices that confronted me prompted the need to modernize my wardrobe. To do so properly, I took it upon myself to observe today’s hip, trendy and all-other-similar-adjectives-I-am-entirely-too-busy-to-look-up people, to learn by their example. I wrote my thoughts and observations down, which I have here reprinted, as a service to those who are now as I once was: Awash in a sea of unfashionable attire.

The first thing I noticed is that the hooded sweatshirt is now the only acceptable form of outerwear, weather not withstanding. On the heels of that discovery, I learned it’s no longer fashionable to wear clothes that fit. Having spent most of my life overweight and dressing to hide it, it came as a happy surprise that my baggy pants and sweat shirts have magically become stylish.

Women, however, have gotten the short end of the stick and must now shop in the children’s section. Even a cursory list of body parts which are now almost expected to be displayed on a woman, no matter the season, would take up too much space in my column to post here. It seems obvious to me that this trend of ill-fitting clothing is an expression of our generation’s deeply internalized desire to break free of restrictive traditional boundaries imposed upon us by our society. Evidently, the best way for a woman under 30 to break out of these restrictive boundaries is to break into a restrictive pair of jeans.

Men, in order to do the same, are now encouraged not to shave. These days a clean shaven man stands out like a fundamentalist Christian at a women’s clinic. The five o’clock shadow look has triumphantly returned to fashion following a lengthy hiatus, during which America was in mourning for George Michael’s career and it was considered to be in poor taste. Beards are acceptable, but only if they’re untrimmed or fully grown.

My next discovery involved a curious enough practice: Everyone is now encouraged to go to a shack in the middle of a city where a hulking man in a black leather apron will stab you in various places, then dangle a piece of metal from the hole. This is called piercing. Piercing is very popular, and the list of body parts which can be pierced could probably constitute the vast majority of this newspaper, let alone the column, hence they will not be included.

The reason people do this to themselves, I have found, is not what some people might want you to think. It has nothing to do with aesthetics; it is a highly scientific process involving magnetic field manipulation by the key placement of metallic objects throughout your body. I haven’t worked out the details yet, as the government is keeping it all very secret, but I believe that the manipulation of psychic and magnetic energy is meant to reverse the process of aging. Thus, the inexplicable link between aging hippies and multiple piercings is finally explained.

On a related trend, I noticed that body art now rivals piercing for the most pointless way to deface your body. The lower back area is particularly popular among the ladies for tattooing, possibly because the children’s shirts leave that area exposed so much that it got boring to look at.

At any rate, my investigations yielded these thoughts and many more to consider, and after long careful deliberation, I bought a hoodie. Now, secure in my coolness, I can retreat from this forced examination of trendiness, and stop loitering in the mall and staring at people.

Brian Sylvester owns a windowless van, but that probably has nothing to do with his habit of staring at people.

Apparently, that’s the mindset among some white supremacists when looking at musical duo Prussian Blue.

Imagine the Olsen twins when they were 13. Instead of having the names Ashley and Mary-Kate, replace them with Lamb and Lynx. Take the lyrics, switch it to how white men can no longer defend their families because of “minorities taking over,” and span that across 12 tracks. Oh, and just like the Olsen twins, they have their own DVD.

As for their name, it comes from the iron blue residue left behind from the zyklon B gas used to kill Jewish victims during the Holocaust, which they claim never happened.

During concerts, they give the Nazi salute onstage and wear white T-shirts featuring smiley faces with Hitler moustaches.

To make matters even worse, their parents help them write songs such as “Aryan Man Arise” and “Victory Day,” in which they discuss why white people should not work together with minorities and take America back for themselves.

One would think with lyrics like these and with the notion that they asked for goods to be donated to the white victims of Hurricane Katrina, that the bubblegum duo would be accepted. Surprise, surprise. They weren’t.

With their success at Ku Klux Klan rallies, they are attempting to make the jump into Australia, but have been met with some resistance as different Jewish and Aboriginal leaders are trying to get them banned from playing.

Also, according to a report in Newsweek, the sisters have had to go into hiding because of threats and hate mail they have received.

Once again – surprise, surprise.

Granted, this entire column could be based on sarcasm and, rightfully so, it gets to a point where one thought comes to mind: Why would anyone, especially someone this young, want to promote and preach a concept such as racism?

Of course, their parents had something do with it. No child at that age has the mindset of getting rid of people who look nothing like them. It’s been said time and time again that one of the greatest things about childhood is innocence and, in this case, it’s being ruined so a few people with a “cause” can feel as if they are taking back America.

It’s no big surprise that America has issues with race. Every country does; look at France and what’s going on over there. However, why would someone want to take their children and have them spread hate at such a young age?

The way I look at it, being a parent means setting an example of good ideals and values for your children. It means trying to do the right thing so that when your children grow, these values grow as well. But how can someone justify spreading values of hate? How can someone go to bed at night feeling good about themselves by teaching hate?

In a recent interview, one of them made claims that Hitler was a great man and that “we know there were concentration camps but they had swimming pools and tennis courts there.”

How can someone say that? How can someone think that? Hell, I am embarrassed to even write this and read it on my screen. Then again, it goes back to something a professor of mine once said, “Sometimes the good and bad thing about America is the fact that it is a Marketplace of Ideas.”

Hopefully this is the kind of ideology that in time will go bankrupt.

Ryan Clark is a senior journalism major with a minor in film.

This Tuesday, Microsoft is releasing the long-awaited Xbox 360, just in time for the Christmas season. Want one? It’ll either cost you a five-hour-plus wait this afternoon, or a super-high markup on Ebay because most of the area stores are getting a significantly less than adequate supply to fuel the holiday demand.

What gives? As MIT professor Seymour Papert said at his lecture in DPC on Wednesday, the primary deterrent for technology companies to provide enough units to meet the demand is their desire to maximize profits. Not only does the list price top $300, but the overhyped console will skyrocket in market value because of the fact that no one is able to get one.

While college students at UMaine might not be able to tell software giant Microsoft to change its policies any time soon, we can exercise our rights as consumers to do something better with our time and hard earned money. If it takes two months rent to get the latest technology, then maybe we should wait for the price and swelling in our thumbs to go down.

Time of year for drunken driving deaths

This past week when Mark Sterner gave a lecture on campus about the drunken driving accident he caused during his spring break that killed his three best friends, he did more than just talk. The most gripping part of his presentation was a home movie of the group of friends’ drunken night out that led up to the accident. Often, this style of intense presentation is the most effective form of education.

Simply talking about drunken driving may not be enough to stop some people from getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. However, every little bit helps and this is the season we need the it most.

Statistics consistently show Thanksgiving as being one of the worst times for drunken driving fatalities and car accidents. Don’t make the same mistake Sterner did and get behind the wheel with a 0.17 blood-alcohol level. A vacation from school doesn’t mean a vacation from responsibility.

Stoplight Rehearsal was the first to hit the stage. They didn’t really engage the audience: People were milling about and talking while they performed. The audience didn’t seem to pay much attention to the band until they wrapped up their performance with a song by Fall Out Boy.

Next up was Manila Reign. Although they seemed to have more of a fan base, the band’s music was more loud and obnoxious than anything. The amp system was up at such a loud level that it was even hard to make out the lyrics to their songs. They sounded like an amateur rock band, and it was hard to decipher one song from the other. They did, however, go out on a high note with their performance of Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean.”

The opening bands barely measured up, but Paranoid Social Club’s performance lived up to expectations. By the time they took the stage the crowd had grown and were anxiously awaiting the band to begin playing. They played songs such as NIN, Sweet Chocolate Covered Girlfriend and one of their hit singles, Wasted.

Paranoid Social Club proved why they are rising stars and put the two opening bands to shame. Their performance was energetic and their music kept the audience chanting their name after they left the stage. The concert had its highlights, most of which were because of Paranoid Social Club’s performance. Hopefully next time there is a concert in the Union, the opening bands will mirror the main band’s talent.

Most metal and hardcore fans in the area are likely to have seen a few of these bands at local shows. Last Chance to Reason put on an extremely impressive show in support of Unearth at Ushuaia, and Jules Verne and Absence of The Sun both opened for God Forbid in Portland last weekend. These local acts are getting recognition for a reason: They know what they’re doing.

Last Chance to Reason, one of Maine’s most talented up-and-coming acts, blends elements ranging from metal, hardcore, and jazz. Last Chance to Reason’s recent EP on Abaddon Records, “Dreamt of an Angel, Woke with a Nightmare,” showcases six of the band’s intricately written songs of pure musicianship and intensity. Keep an eye on this group; their unprecedented flair for originality and amazing talent is definitely going to take them places. For metal and hardcore fans who missed Last Chance to Reason at Unearth or at the Houlton Metalfest, this co-headlining show would be a perfect introduction for local music fans.

Jules Verne, a young group comprised entirely of high school seniors, takes the finest elements of hardcore and throws them all together for a brutal result. Absence of The Sun is another talented group of high school students from Portland. Absence of The Sun infuses some elements of black metal, death metal, and Swedish metal, with harmonies, catchy riffs, and menacingly deep vocals. Don’t let the age of these groups fool you; there is some serious musical talent coming up from the high schools of Maine.

With a cheap ticket price of $10, this show is definitely worth checking out if you’re not into the day-after-Thanksgiving-shopping-spree tradition. Tickets will be on sale at the door and are also available at Bull Moose Music. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The film is about an over-ambitious and arrogant journalist named Manolo Bonilla, played by John Leguizamo. Bonilla has been sent from Miami to Ecuador to cover a story in Babahoyo. The small village has been victim to the “Monster of Babahoyo,” a serial killer who hunts children.

The Identity of the “Monster of Babahoyo” is part of the mystery that surrounds “Cronicas.” It is where most of the film’s tension comes from, and it works.

The film’s opening scene is brilliant and helps introduce “Cronicas” for what it is: Intense. Banillo has to cover a spur-of-the-moment lynch mob while trying to be the hero and save a man’s life. The scene is gritty and commands reverence from the get-go.

“Cronicas” – which translates to English as “Chronicles” – is one of the few thrillers that does not give in to cliches. Unlike most American thrillers, this Ecuadorian film is not about a cop or a villain playing head games, nor is it a “girl power” flick. By not giving into cliche, the film creates suspense. The legitimate suspense involves dialogue and character interaction, and manages to create a mystery. All of these pieces are put together to complete a thought-provoking, unsettling puzzle. “Cronicas” puts movies that are based on Alex Cross novels to shame.

One of the most significant parts of “Cronicas” is its lead actor John Leguizamo. It marks one of the first remarkable lead performances from Leguizamo. He is no longer the character actor who takes supporting or lead roles in trash like “The Pest” or “Super Mario Brothers.” He has become a genuine leading man.

Leguizamo’s character Manolo Bonilla is more complex than most on-screen heroes. He is a self-centered character who is willing to go to any lengths to get the story. He is faced with situations that call for him to go beyond the point of no return. More often than not Bonilla takes those challenges for better or for worse.

Although lots of attention is drawn to the character, Bonilla is entirely external. Everything about the character is spelled out in the movie. It is interesting to watch the character at work, but leaves little for the imagination.

While the character is an extrovert, the film never gives too much away. It leaves an aura of mystery and bleakness even after it’s over. It does not blatantly show what is traditionally known as “scary” but rather creates an impression in one’s mind.

The movie did have flaws, in particular its lack of development of supporting characters. There is a lot of potential tension between Bonilla and his coworkers, as well as other surrounding characters, that could have been improved on. When Bonilla is around the supporting characters, it is done well. But it could have benefited from having more of these moments.

“Cronicas” serves as a good change of pace from the traditional thriller. The film, which made less than $300,000 in theaters, is better than its box-office performance would indicate. “Cronicas,” although remarkable, gives the impression of being a steppingstone for the actors and writer-director Sebastian Cordero. It is the type of movie that did not get its just due when released, but will gain a following as Cordero takes on higher-profile projects and Leguizamo rises to superstardom, both of which seem to be inevitable.

Ushuaia’s Wednesday night event boasted a mix of the local and Portland scenes, coming together for a spectacle of nu-metal aggro-rock. Local highschoolers Zebuesk started the show at 8 p.m. with a strong fan base on the floor. Locals Final and Propel followed suit, swinging heavy bass riffs punctuated with power chords. Both Final and Propel hosted two lead singers, a situation which worked for the latter but not for the former.

Much anticipated Lost on Liftoff took the stage at 10:30 p.m. Ushuaia marked the band’s sixth show, though their on-stage chemistry was evident. If former 6gig front man Walter Craven was trying to shake off the 6gig image, he wasn’t trying very hard, as he took the stage wearing a t-shirt of his former band.

“After a year of, just like, dwindling enthusiasm, we just decided to retire 6gig,” Craven said after the set. He joined Lost on Liftoff bandmates guitarist Nick, drummer Shane and bassist Dan in April of last year.

“We recorded songs before we even played a concert,” Craven said. The first show was two months ago in New Hampshire.

In terms of the Portland music scene, Craven commented that it “comes and goes in phases.

“I think its still thriving. There are a lot of good bands that are keeping it together – of course, you always have the cornerstones like PSC [Paranoid Social Club], As Fast As, and Headstart!,” he said. “The reason that it lulls, I think, is because of the lack of places to play.”

Headstart! finished up the night with some of their new songs, “Bitches and Bastards” and “Back at the Beginning.”

Headstart, Propel, Zebuesk and Lost on Liftoff all have Web sites on Myspace.com where you can listen to and download more of their music. The last 4 songs recorded by 6gig are also available on that band’s Myspace Web site as well.

About the only place where you might be able to get an Xbox 360 is if you stand outside of Wal-Mart or Best Buy at 7 tonight in preparation for the only midnight openings in town. EB Games and Gamestop have decided that, due to security issues, there will not be a midnight opening at their stores, but they will possibly do an early opening for Tuesday morning. Don’t even bother to go in and try to get one by putting money down on it – the entire stock is reserved up until March at many places in town.

Well, that is, the bundle packages are reserved up until March. It is possible to get the core package for the Xbox 360, and don’t worry, I myself am what the elitist snobs in the 360 community have called a ‘core-tard.’ In English, they’re calling the people who have reserved a Core system retards. It’s OK though, I don’t mind having to pay a little extra to get the hard drive unit, it’s really no big deal. To which, of course, someone who has reserved a bundle says,”But you’re not getting a wireless controller,” while laughing.

Yeah – about that wireless controller – in a recent issue of Cargo, they interviewed the No. 1 Xbox Live player in the world, who was invited to Microsoft’s Redmond Campus to give the new system a test run, and he was less than thrilled with the handling. “On average, for every five buttons you press, two commands are not transmitted. It needs some work,” he said.

Of course, we also have the people out there saying; “Well, I’ll buy it when the price drops.” Reality check my friends, the price on this baby isn’t going to drop for a while. There might not be a considerable price drop on the Xbox 360 until well into 2007, and here’s why: Playstation 3 is scheduled for launch some time in Quarter 2 or Quarter 3 of 2006, and Nintendo Revolution is scheduled for sometime next year as well. Factor in Microsoft’s artificial supply and demand by purposely withholding units for sale to create a massive media frenzy, and you’ve got an already amazing product being overhyped.

Take a look at some screenshots of, say, Madden NFL 06. Compare the screenshots for the original Xbox and the 360, the difference is leaps and bounds. You can see the beads of sweat on the player’s foreheads, the stitching in the uniforms, and their muscles ripple as they move. The graphics solution for the Xbox 360 is 10 times better than what a computer can put out, at least for now. Imagine what the next generation Xbox after the 360 will be able to do, and imagine what these systems will be capable of doing 50 years from now.

We’re in the start of a revolution in video games and it’s not stopping here. Hell, even the graphics on the Playstation 3 are amazingly gorgeous, just view the video and screenshots for the new Metal Gear Solid, and you’ll know that the competition is just heating up.

When asked how they’ve come so far as a band in only two years, Skala responded, “We work our asses off.” There’s plenty of proof Skala is right: They have awards for multiple songs at GarageBand.com, won a Demo Production Deal with Emmy Award winner Bill Chinnock and John Kunnick, won WCYY’s Big Break Contest this past September, and have music all over the web. On Broadjam.com, “Don’t Let Me Down” is doing especially well. They won first place in a Battle of The Bands competition in 2004 under the Professional Band category.

So what is their biggest accomplishment thus far? Skala said, “Finding each other. Without that, nothing else would matter.” He came across as sincere during our interview, and this answer was no different. Although, as lead guitarist Adam Hauk points out, spending so much time with each other is a bit like “being married to three people.”

Their chemistry as a band is striking. Despite being together for the past two years and spending as much time with each other as they do, they all seem perfectly comfortable and capable on stage and in their recordings. Every chord, every note and beat seems to be perfectly in place.

They have two EP’s out: “Rite of Passage” and “The Chosen.” On the more recent of the two, “Rite of Passage,” is “Wage War.” It’s delicately crafted and cautious in parts, then converts to a guitar-smashing rock-and-roll chorus. “Long Way Down,” on the same EP, is an equally strong song. It has a certain richness to it; catchy lyrics, the kind of sound backing it up that merits a mosh pit.

The best band they have opened for is Nashville-based, classic hard rock band The Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies. The best shows happen, according to Skala, with the best audiences. Who, then, would be the ultimate band to open for, and where? Hauk and Skala agree: Audioslave, at Madison Square Garden. Audioslave is made up of ex-members of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden; Pushing Zero is composed of musicians that have been playing in different bands, different places all their lives. Both bands make distinctive rock-and-roll and have the whole rocker image down.

Their live shows are great. Watching them perform, it’s easy to compare them to bands that have been around for many years. Their dedication is universally found in one form or another in every successful band. Skala sings flawlessly; bassist Andrew Pelczar is at ease with his playing, he looks like he may have learned how to perform before he learned to walk; Jason Loeb effortlessly thrashes on the drums; and Hauk, who’s played guitar since age four, has the same mix of confidence and talent that John Mayer has trademarked.

If you’re into rock-and-roll, listen to some of their work online, but an even better idea: see them live! Pushing Zero will be at Ushuaia on Dec. 7. New shows are constantly added to their calendar, which you can find at the Web site (www.pushingzero.com). Also check them out on MySpace, Itunes, BroadJam, Pure Volume and Garageband.com.