Curiously, this came just days after Venezuela’s president appeared at the United Nations and called President Bush a “devil,” among other things.

Wink-wink, right? A lot of people are probably thinking the mentality is that if you insult our president; you’re going to spend a couple of hours in a dark room in the bowels of our airports.

While the Bush administration isn’t exactly the bastion of integrity in international relations, I give them a little more credit than that, and they did apologize following the incident.

As for the reason, a UN official leaked to The Associated Press that Maduro was detained because he showed up late and without a ticket.

Such being the case, I say bravo to the folks at the airport. Maduro went on a post-incident tirade, saying he was detained because of his race, suggesting that he was treated even worse after he showed his diplomatic passport to JFK officials.

If Maduro was so concerned that Americans would treat him poorly, he should’ve shown up on time and with the proper documents. How were the standard airport workers supposed to know this guy was a foreign minister and not some imposter intent on sneaking onto a plane with evil intentions?

Maduro is upset that he and his entourage were asked to spread their arms to be frisked, calling it a flagrant violation of his diplomatic immunity and an insult. I say too bad. You shouldn’t have anything to hide, and your diplomatic immunity shouldn’t protect any guns or drugs they might find on you.

I’m guessing Maduro’s treatment got worse when he became belligerent with American officials. Afterward, he called the Uniter States a “racist, Nazi government.” With that kind of attitude, it’s no wonder the workers at JFK didn’t extend the red carpet to this guy. Do they have a phrase in Venezuela akin to getting a lot further with honey than you do with vinegar?

He’s also lodged an official protest with the UN, calling for an investigation. What are they going to do, pass an unenforceable resolution about it?

You’re probably thinking, what’s the big deal, aren’t foreign governments mad at the United States all the time? This matters, because Venezuela is making a push for a slot on the United Nations Security Council, and this is just the latest in a series of attention-grabbing ploys.

The Security Council is perhaps the most important body in the world, the only part of the UN that truly wields some clout and power. A backward nation like Venezuela has no business on it. It has nothing to do with their race, as Maduro would suggest, but with its politics and attitudes. The U.S. government is clearly not a Nazi organization, but that’s what Venezuela truly believes. The UN is a diplomatic agency, and there’s no diplomacy in that.

I see Venezuela as a disruptive force that would bring nothing to the council besides tired, meaningless rhetoric against Bush and the United States. We’re getting enough of that in the midterm elections.

Much like our own government, the world needs to come together and have a conversation. Nations aligned against the United States. need to have a dialogue on the issues and meet somewhere in the middle. Having a party that’s going to go against everything another says no matter what and stand up and holler about Nazis is not a good thing for world politics.

If Venezuela wins that seat, the UN will become even more useless than it already is. That’s a sobering prospect in an ever-increasingly dangerous world.

Matt Williams would like to remind you that sports people pay attention to politics too.

James Varner, the leader of the Bangor Area NAACP, stepped down from his post on Sunday after 50 years with the civil rights organization. He helped to found the Bangor chapter, and was deeply involved in the community and committed to promoting civil rights and stopping acts of injustice.

Varner retired, saying that after his many years of service he is worn out and tired, and that he was needed at home. The Bangor NAACP has temporarily replaced him with Joe Perry, a Searsport resident.

Varner was no stranger to The Maine Campus, often visiting the office in the basement of Memorial Union to talk to members of the editorial staff. He formed good working relationships with members of the press in an effort to get his message out. He frequently visited the UMaine campus, giving speeches and attending events geared at promoting awareness of racism.

James Varner was a public servant in every sense of the phrase, and he has earned his rest. We hope that the NAACP will continue to flourish in our community under new leadership.

The ‘key’ question for GSS

A hot topic of debate at Tuesday night’s General Student Senate was whether the group should cover the tab on President Adam Kirkland’s misplaced office key.

Kirkland took a key to the Wade Center during the summer, signing an agreement stipulating that if he lost it he would pay the cost of replacing all the center’s locks. Seems fair, right?

Not according to some senators, who were willing to help the president out by covering the cost of the replacement. The bill, which would have used student money to pay for the replacements, was tabled pending a straw poll of student reaction.

We feel comfortable in saying that reaction will be negative, and that GSS should’ve known this before the lengthy debate on the issue. It’s a no-brainer. For those of you still wondering why the student population thinks GSS spends money frivolously, look to this bill as exhibit A.

The senate should reject the resolution next week to show students its newfound fiscal responsibility.

Belly dance is a form originally from the Middle East and is influenced by some Arabic areas, for example, Egypt, India, or Pakistan. It is traditionally performed by women. It emphasizes the movements of the pelvis and abdominal muscles. The dance flourished in the United States throughout the 20th century due to the fascinating movement and exotic overtones.

In the 1990s, a belly dance association called American Tribal Style began in order to format the vocabulary of the steps, such as undulation, dip and shimmies.

This years’ class has already started, and there is still time to register. Liz Seekins, who has been belly dancing since 2002, is the class instructor. As a part of the dance troupe “Naya’s Trance,” Seekins has traveled around Maine for two years. She is now a graduate student in the French department at UMaine, and has been teaching belly dancing classes at the university since 2004.

In Seekins’ belly dance class, you will hear her saying “shimmies, shimmies, shimmies,” which are fast movements of the pelvis. Belly dance also emphasizes muscular “isolation,” which is the ability to move different muscle groups independently.

“It is a spiritual dance, the dancer discovers the beauty inside their body.” Seekins said.

“Find and celebrate the beauty within you!” it says on the promotional poster. Seekins said that she encourages her students to seek the beauty in their body and to explore different parts of their body.

“Belly dancing is an individual dance,” Seekins said. Everybody dances differently as they have a different personality, different style and different shape.

Seekins said she was attracted to the dance because it “allows people to express the beauty inside their body in a unique way.” She tells the students that belly dancing is dance of feeling good about yourself and feeling beautiful.

“It is something fun and exhilarating to do,” said Stephanie Cummings, a second year nutrition major and member of the belly dance group. In order to be good at belly dancing, dancers need to feel confident enough to show their belly and feel beautiful, she said.

Teaching the dance and spreading the beauty of belly dance is the main purpose of starting a beginner belly dance class. According to Seekins, the class involves stretching, basic movements and group activities, such as “call and respond,” an activity in which the dancers dance back and forth to each other.

There are various kinds of movements in belly dancing; for beginners, the movements are usually slower. When the dancers get to the spiritual part of the dance the movements can be very fast. It is a good practice for students to explore their body and get in shape.

“It is an aerobic exercise, and it’s enlightening,” said Jessica Umel, a fourth-year Spanish major who has been a member of the classes and group for the past two years.

Students will have an opportunity to perform in the one of the UMaine dance showcases such as Fall Dance, Spring Dance Showcase and International Dance Festival.

The class is a non-profit class which will be held once a week. Students who are interested can contact the instructor Liz Seekins by e-mail on FirstClass, under the name Margaret Seekins. The beginner class meets on Friday nights in the dance studio at 1944 Hall.

Franko and Eva Mattes, whose real names were only recently revealed, are known by their unique Web site name. These two Italian artists are based in Barcelona, and their specialty is “reality hacking.” Their main objective is to make media their own, and reveal some of the hidden truths about our society. Most of this is achieved through hoaxes and pranks.

“We invited 0100101110101101.org because they are expert media hackers-they use digital media techniques and culture hacking to help us see through the propaganda, and to show us how we are being manipulated into accepting murder as art, theft of public places as commerce, machines as identity, and sharing as crime,” said new media professor Joline Blais.

A previous project included the duo inventing a fictional artist who made realistic sculptures of decapitated human bodies. This artist, Darko Maver, became a sensation across Europe and his “work” was displayed in renowned European galleries. The artist “died” in a Yugoslavian prison where he had been imprisoned for his “anti-patriotic work.” Several months after his supposed death, the group revealed that the artist and his work was entirely fictionalized, and the pictures of the decapitated figures were actual pictures that anyone could find on the Internet at sites like Rotten.com.

Another controversial event by the group took place in 1998, when they created a fake Web site for the Vatican. It was identical to the original, except that it contained sections about “free love” and contraception. It was online for about one full year, until the Vatican officials discovered it and had the site removed.

0100101110101101.org will be coming to UMaine this week to show off their hoax movie, “United We Stand.” They have created movie posters, which can been seen at their Web site, and posted them worldwide – in China, India, New York City, and even UMaine. Event organizers hope that Thursday’s event will include some knowing viewers and also some unsuspecting fans that are hoping to catch a free screening of a hit movie about Europe taking over the world.

According to professor Blais, the people who show up to the event expecting a movie are just as much a part of the artwork. In fact, anyone who even discusses the artwork with others includes himself or herself in the artwork.

“It’s an example of ‘contagious media’ – it spreads like a virus to whomever it touches. Now imagine we could tweak our political system that way,” Blais said.

In addition to the public presentation, the artists will be participating in classes and running a workshop at 9:30 a.m. on Friday in 420 Chadborne Hall. The workshop is titled “Maine Kampf,” a play on words from Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf.” A schedule of other events is available on the new media department Web site.

Eryk Salvaggio, president of the student group the New Media Society believes that “they are definitely a controversial group, and people might not like everything they do, but their work is designed to make people ask themselves why they might not like it.”

The main event, “Clone Wars: Reality Hacking with 0100101110101101.org,” will take place from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28 in 100 Lord Hall. The event, organized by Still Water Media Lab and the New Media Department, is free to the public.

“This is a project that Anderson is very excited about and it is all his creation. He has arranged the Tull material for this new configuration. Anyone who loves him with Tull will surely love this concert,” said Adele Adkins, associate director at the MCA.

“Ian Anderson has long been considered to be the foremost and, to many, the only promoter of rock-style flute,” the MCA’s Web site states.

Born in 1947, Anderson is a native of Scotland. He formed Jethro Tull in 1968 and has since released 30 albums, selling more than 60 million copies. Anderson is no stranger to live shows; Tull has played over 2,500 concerts in more than 40 countries in the past three decades. In addition to his pioneering rock-style of flute, Anderson plays whistles, ethnic flutes, acoustic guitar, and a variety of mandolins.

Ian Anderson has released four solo albums in his career: 1983′s “Walk Into Light,” the flute instrumental “Divinities” in 1995, which saw large commercial and critical success, 2000′s acoustic collection, “The Secret Language of Birds,” and most recently “Rupi’s Dance” in 2003.

Jethro Tull played the MCA in the fall of 2004 to an enthusiastic audience. Ian Anderson’s return for a solo show will be a unique and exciting experience. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets for the general public are priced at $43. UMaine students may use their free tickets, and there will be $5 student rush tickets on the day of the performance.

Sept. 22

Rogue Pictures

****

While it is sad that “Fearless” is being touted as Jet Li’s final action film, fans of martial arts cinema will not be disappointed, as he certainly goes out with a bang. Right from the start of the film the audience is given a taste of things to come, as Jet Li takes on three fighters from the west in a series of fast but beautiful action scenes choreographed by the legendary Yuen Wo-Ping. These two are just getting warmed up though, as over the course of the proceeding 90 minutes they create some truly breathtaking fight scenes.

Based on the true story of Huo Yuanjia, a real-life master of wushu, the film focuses on his redemption after a series of poor decisions and personal loss. The film is simple and straightforward for the most part, and actually drags towards the middle as the audience is greeted by a barrage of scenes where Li attempts to “find” himself in a secluded village. These parts feel very clich� and, while arguably needed for plot development, they are uninteresting.

The film does get back on track, however, finding its footing towards the end where a new theme is addressed. After returning from the secluded village, Yuanjia is faced with an “invasion” of western culture. The idea of nationalism in China becomes Yuanjia’s main concern. While this theme is slightly reminiscent of Li’s “Once Upon a Time in China” series, it is done in such an unsubtle and aggressive way that the viewer will not care if they have seen it before. This is where the story takes a massive 360-degree turn and gets the viewer to care more about the plot and the fate of the character rather than just the explosive martial arts.

Director Ronny Yu, most likely remembered by American audiences for his work on two popular horror films” Bride of Chucky” and “Freddy vs. Jason,” does a more-than-serviceable job with “Fearless.” The film has an epic and grand feel to it, not because it has huge and outrageous battle scenes involving armies that number in the millions, but rather because of the way a single man, Huo Yuanjia, is portrayed. Yu manages to capture the legendary aura of this character. Through the use of wirework, the character becomes more than human on-screen, doing things that are absolutely absurd in fight sequences. While most films overuse wirework to the point where it loses all fun and becomes obnoxious, “Fearless” uses it to allow Li do things that are not humanly possible and create a character that is above the average man.

“Fearless” may not be as good as some of Li’s films from the early ’90s, namely 1994′s “Fist of Legend,” but when the dust settles and fans of martial arts cinema look back, it will definitely rank above his terrible films from America, namely 2003′s “Cradle 2: The Grave.” The plot may be slow in the beginning, but by the end of the film the viewer’s adrenaline will be pumping because of the outstanding action scenes, and they will be rooting for Li to stop the western-culture invasion.

-Anthony Crabtree

On Tuesday, Tom Wehrle took the Java Jive stage and lived up to the show’s standards. His weapons of choice: an acoustic guitar and a keyboard, which he played quite well.

He fit the Java Jive mold almost to a tee, and what helps his image is his diehard self-promotion on MySpace. He is just the kind of musician who should be performing at Java Jive this semester.

In between songs he had some playful banter with the crowd and Java Jive’s right hand man, Brian Monaghan, which after years and years, is what we’ve come to expect from Java Jive. He tossed out conversational topics about tollbooths and water, and unsuccessfully tried to find a Stacy in the audience for a quick pop from the crowd.

Wehrle performed mostly ballads or slower jams, but I preferred his upbeat songs. He has the ability to create some infectious guitar riffs that can stay in the listeners’ minds. It was evident, though, that the slower, ballad-type songs meant a lot more to him. He seemed to have a backstory before each one. The ballads were well-written songs, but I much preferred his catchier tunes.

Wehrle’s performance really excelled on the keyboard – something that a lot of Java Jive musicians do not do. They stick to one instrument, namely an acoustic guitar, and just go at it for an hour and 15 minutes. Wehrle’s willingness to change showed that he was more dynamic than previous performers, and he played very well with both instruments.

Overall, Wehrle put on an impressive show. His attitude and persona give the misconception that a lot of his music will be faster paced and more fun-filled, but that was a minor stump in the road. Wehrle’s performance was worth the time. His music can be found on his MySpace page.

At the end of the night there is no one that can complain about Java Jive. It’s free music, in the Union, every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. There are few things in life that can beat that.

Release Date: Sept. 12

Label: Epitaph / Ada

Just when you were hoping for the sequel to Alkaline Trio’s “Crimson,” Matt Skiba surprises us with his side project Heavens’ new album, “Patent Pending.” The new release combines Skiba, of Alkaline Trio, with housemate Josiah Steinbrick, an instrumentalist and arranger, formerly of the hardcore punk band F-Minus.

Although a first listen through “Patent Pending” may seem like a depressing attempt to impress Trio fans, the album sounds very little like the guys’ previous endeavors. “Patent Pending” includes punk undertones without the hardcore sound you may expect from these two. According to www.spin.com, they instead chose to draw influence from artists like Television and Brian Eno.

Skiba’s vocals seem to somehow fit perfectly with the arrangements provided by Steinbrick. The lyrics of the album still hold true to what you may expect from Skiba; “My knife wants to hide/deep inside of you.” Despite the punk vibe, love songs do exist within this album, in the form of “Heather” and “Another Night.”

The album opens up with a Trio vibe in the song “Gardens,” but as soon as the second track begins, that sound disperses and reminds you that you’re not listening to Alkaline Trio anymore, but something new, different and equally enjoyable. The title track serves as one of the most upbeat and catchy songs. “Leave” wraps up the record with a soothing and relaxing feel that really completes the experience.

Despite the short length of just over 40 minutes, “Patent Pending,” is a debut album you will definitely remember for years to come. Heavens has set their mark on the music scene. We can only hope that this will not be the last we hear from them.

-Amanda Maccabe

The Camden International Film Festival began with founding directors Benjamin J. Fowlie and Stephanie Shershow, who had a vision and a need to bring more film to Maine. They believed that the Maine film scene was lacking, especially near the coastal areas. The idea began with Fowlie, who had the idea for years and was finally able to put it into action in 2005 with Shershow and many others. This year, the festival continues on, with Fowlie remaining as director and Joseph Duda serving as program director, a position he also held last year.

The University of Maine also has a part in the festival, offering a course about documentary cinema which revolves mostly around the Camden International Film Festival.

“Documentary film is becoming a much more popular form,” said Michael Grillo, one of the teachers of the documentary course. Even with this form gaining popularity, however, it is still difficult to find people with a true interest in the medium. “I don’t think people are aware of just who did direct that, or who did put this together. I think the only one people can probably mention is ‘Oh! Michael Moore!’ And that’s about it.”

People who are not into the documentary film scene will probably not recognize the names of many directors playing at the festival. When asked if people would recognize any of the names of the directors, Grillo said, “Within the documentary circuit, a lot of these people would be [known].”

Documentary film presents a real-life look at certain issues that otherwise may have received no attention from other media outlets or other forms of press. The idea is to take a look at and study something that major news outlets pass over.

“You read the headlines; it’s all encompassing, and everyone’s intent on it. Then a week later, it’s off to some other topic,” Grillo said. “Documentary also forms a sense of empowerment. One can give voice through very accessible technology, to things that the mass media would miss.”

With the Camden International Film Festival bringing films and filmmakers from all across the world, many issues will be addressed that people from the Maine area may not be aware of or may have limited exposure to.

The idea behind the class and bringing students to the Camden International Film Festival is to provide them with a way of viewing films outside of the normal classroom mode of viewing and to bring them to a more intense location. “To actually see them in the intensity of a festival, where you are going to films from noon until 10 p.m. at night, seeing films back-to-back-to-back,” Grillo said.

Students also have the opportunity to engage in conversation with some of the filmmakers that will be attending the festival. This is a unique experience and is certainly something that does not occur at every film festival. “It’s a unique teaching experience and a unique learning experience for all of us,” said Grillo.

The Camden International Film Festival begins Sept. 28 and ends Oct. 1. Screenings and events will be held at the Strand Theater in Rockland and the Bayview Street Cinema in Camden. Tickets are on sale prior to the specific screenings or event, and are $8 for an individual showing and $150 for an all-festival pass.

Richard Humpt Vision

8 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29

Ushuaia

18+ event

$17 advance, $20 at the door

Outbreak, Wake Up Call, Cruel Hand, The Leftovers, Covered in Bees

6 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29

The Kave, Bucksport

COMEDY

UMaine’s Last Comic Standing

Qualifying Round

and Louis Ramsey

9 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29

Memorial Union

ENTERTAINMENT

Contra Dance

with the Oaktum String Band

7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30

Unitarian Universalist Church, Bangor

$5 individual, $12 family

MOVIES

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”

7:30 p.m. & 10 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29

Bangor Room

Free

“Kino’s Journey 1-4″

6:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29

DPC 100

Free

“Steamboy”

9 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29

DPC 100

Free

Camden International Film Festival

Thursday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct. 1

Camden and Rockport, Maine

ARTS

Sam Cady: Reality and Reverie

Norumbega Hall, Harlow Street, Bangor

Through Oct. 7

Free admission with MaineCard

Jocelyn Lee: Youth

Norumbega Hall, Harlow Street, Bangor

Through Oct. 7

Free admission with MaineCard

“A Matter of Perception 2006: Exhibit by Artists with Disabilities”

Through Nov. 16

Hauck Auditorium Lobby

“Maman Disait”

Mixed-media collages

Through Nov. 27

Hudson Museum

Maine Center for the Arts

Free

If you would like your event posted in The Maine Campus Style calendar, send time, date, place and fee information to Pattie Barry on FirstClass.