Friday, October 12, 2007 (---- 1 r „ 5.... ...) Hurd , i mpressesw i t h students, professors rea di ng By Rachel Reeves The students and faculty even got a sneak-peek at .smft writer Hurd's new book to be published in the spring, ,•, :r 5115 7 w p,u.cilti Walking the Wrack Line: On Tidal Shifts and What Remains. Penn State Behrend's annual Creative Writer's These awards are not Hurd's only accomplish- Speaker Series brought author Barbara Hurd ments. Her essays have been twice selected for The 3ehrend on Thursday. October 4. At 6:00 pm, stu- Best American Essays Series in 1999 and 2001. Her lents and faculty gathered in the Smith Chapel liv- essays also appear in the Yale Review, the Georgia 'lig room to meet Hurd and listen o her read excerpts from her She received the 2002 NEA work. • , t (National Endowment for the First she read a passage from 1 - Arts) Fellowship for ... -,• ..,. *. • . Entering The Stone: on Cares and ', ::. : 7, • . Nonfiction and Pushcart „:-... Feeling Through the Dark. The ••:e''' '•: vi. i-•- , •. Prizes in 2004 and 2007. She iudience very well received the ~.„. ~.. •, •K ' has also won the Sierra Club's story that began with conquering , - ' , -i ...,,,,. -.- National Nature Writing . ..,..- t childhood fear. The hook itself Award. won the Library Journal Best She currently teaches cre .•,:,.• Natural History Book of the Year .., ~, alive writing at Frostburg tward in 21)03. From Kirkus ..,„....,.... •. . - State University in Maryland, Reviews. "In the act of entering. .:,.,.,,:.' • . „• .. • and in the Stonecast MFA pro akmg that first step into the stone. -•:';.. - gram at the University of •:.•,.,„........,,- here is the transition. the twilight -:,-:.::: . Southern Maine. /one. that Hurd evokes with such .. . ... One student was very chilling ctre.”impressed with the reading. •- , ),v She also read from another pub- "She's a good storyteller," ished book, Stirring the Mud: On said student Aeriale Kramer. Swamps, Bogs, and Human "She was very descriptive, PHOTO II magination, which won the Los CONTRIBUT which made it engaging." She Angela Times Best Book award Barbara Hurd read some of her said that she enjoyed little tid - n 2 00 3 . Th e N ew Y or k er non-fiction to students last week. bits that Hurd shared with the evie" ed. - Delving into these wetlands• she finds in audience about herself, like the fact that she always heir array of strange fauna and flora an objective has a pen and paper on her wherever she goes. Since . orrelative to the place in the mind where artistic most present were involved in the creative writing 'nspiration occurs: a place of blurred borders, shill- program, they felt they could relate to Hurd as a fel ng identity. and strange odors. of rot and death. of low writer. ..en peacefulness." Hurd was well received by all pres r"1111111111, ent. Students were NO OSE eager to ask ques -4 o pt— to o ,„, merioia 11 tions when Hurd had see v ., VP S v finished her read ootit ings, and at the end of the evening, "the DON'T LOSE applause was enor mous,, recalls OUT ON DOWNTOWN LIVING! Kramer. George Looney, LAST YEAR MAITRE FULL BY DUCEMIWR Behrend's associate NOW LEASING FOR 2008-2009 professor of creative writing and the • Rates starting at 5325 The Ultimate in coordinator of the • Spacious Floor Plans Downtown Apartment speaker series, also • Fully Furnished Living for Students enjoyed the reading. • Study Lounge Attending Penn State "Barbara Hurd's • Fitness Center • On Site Lawidr ilniversitl7! prose is lyrical and - Free (' a bl e * ** * * ** wise," he said. "Its music makes us want to listen, to 814.231.9000 know what she has to say to us." www.meridianoncollegeavenue.com Coming next to Behrend to partici pate in Behrend's Creative Writer's :v!;-:.. 1 , -.., • • Speaker Series on laillif. 1 Si g , Oct. 24 is Imad -* . ' - -• k- Now --?, 4 Ne 000 Rahman, to share r 'eat o se 4 ear s A. kifti from his short story ....,1 tee i? a 777"""' ant! 4 collection, I Dream M IL of Microwaves. ans choose price of Radiohead's n By Rachel Reeves stidf tvriter rafil )57 (<, psu cdu Since the early 1990'5. Radiohead has made a So what of In Rainbows? Like Ok Computer, it is lasting impression on the music scene with a num- lyrically haunting and almost disturbing. Yorke ber of records and singles. Their 1997 album Ok emphasizes a lot of anguish and frustration towards Computer is often hailed as the greatest album of humanity, ending on a cynical and suicidal note. the 90s (quite an honorable title, most would agree) dm are as follows: "This is Their contract with their record lab(' way of saying EMI, however, ended in 2003 wit dbye/because I can't do it their release of Hail to the Thief Th, to face/I'm talking to you more or less left Radiohead with :r it's too late/From my record producers or anyone of that so) leotape/No matter what to assist a release any new material. Tens now I shouldn't be In 2006 frontman Thom Yorl - aid/Because I know today released a solo album entitled T' been the most perfect day Eraser with little marketing and ni ever seen." much more than Radiohead cult fo It's chilling how Yorke lowers purchasing the album. It wool so blatantly and at the seem to the dismay of many th, to time so subtly reveal his Radiohead had taken their final bow. dons and his views. From wasn't until about a month ago tll musician's standpoint, the they had came out and proud! im is much more sparse announced the upcoming release spacey than their previ their newest album In Rainbows. releases. There is mini- There were many different things - - ---- - - Thom Yorke of Radiohead. mal music diversity and not about this new release, however. For that much depth, much like one, there was no record label to release it through, Yorke's solo release. The songs nonetheless rear a leaving Radiohead with a plethora of ways to get good hook and are not only catchy but still have the the material to their fans. They chose to put their same irreplaceable tone of Radiohead. They are album out first as a digital download, which came able to stick their sharp mechanical hand down your out this Wednesday. While most presumed to have throat and pull your heart out, and while you lay on to pay 99 cents a song or maybe ten bucks for the the floor gasping for breath and looking in amaze download, they got smacked in the face with a ment at the horrific bliss Radiohead has presented to blank box. A question you, you will finally know why they are so praised mark link standing next to it brought you to a site and so humbled. And you will be humbled as well. saying in large print: "It's up to you." For anyone puzzled by this, there is another question link which leads you to another site, assuring: "No, really, it's up to you." This bold move gave them the opportu nity to not only give away their music for free, but any price paid went directly to them, and not the middlemen of a record label. w record Broken Social Scene ends brief hiatus Broken Social Scene consists of 19 members, but their new record was written solely by Kevin Drew By Matt Schwabenbauer assistant student life editor mjss3B7(a`psu edu Broken Social Scene has become one of the most important names in Indic. Rock since they released You Forgot It In People in 2002. After constant tour ing and another full-length release caused the band to go on a short hiatus in 2006, many figured Broken Social Scene were just going to fall off the radar. With their most recent release, Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew Spirit 11..., they have proven otherwise. Spirit If.. has all the hallmarks of previous Broken Social Scene albums. Chaotic rhythms, somber ambience, and a list of cameos the size of a small army, it is easy to consider Spirit If.. just another Broken Social Scene album. The difference is that the album was written almost entirely by Social Scene co-founder Kevin Drew. Separating from a band with 19 members, Drew proves he can make an album every bit as compelling as a stan dard Broken Social Scene release all on his own. With songs about relationships, personal struggle and sex, Spirit 1f... is the perfect soundtrack to high school drama. The opening track, "Farewell to the Pressure Kids" explodes with loud, trashy drums compli mented by airy guitars and ambient leads thrown on top. Drew's vocals are a mix of whispering and yelling, made all the more inaudible by distortion. The lyrics take more of an enigmatic approach "Well the pressure kids... they own asphalt, they won't roll the die." Starting out noisy and energetic, the song quickly degenerates into a spacey, drawn out section that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Many of the other tracks on the album deal with similar subject matter. The fast-paced "tbtF' has Drew lamenting a girl he never had, and "Safety Bricks" tells of a failed relationship. One of the more rock-and-roll influence songs on the album, "Lucky Ones" has the longest running time on the CD. Featuring Jason Beck of Gonzales, and Ohad Benchetrit of Broken Social Scene, "Lucky Ones" is one of the only songs on the CD that sounds like it would fit right in place on the Some students are troubled by roommate issues By Aeriale Cooksey-Kramer & Kayla Wright staff writers aaks 1 0 1 @ psu edu Pungent feet, bathing issues, stolen ketchup, missing beer bottles, and boyfriend catastrophes...these are simply a few problems that can occupy the thick tension between roommates. A little over a month has passed since the beginning of the 2007-08 school year, and roommates are inevitably getting to know each other better. They are learning more about each other's study habits, sleeping habits, choice of music, and when to stay out of the room while the other roommate has a boy/girlfriend over. However, the better roommates know each other, the more confident they each become to say how they are feeling and to let the other person know, sometimes very explicitly, that he or she is getting on their nerves. The living arrangement is not so new anymore, and especially as a freshman, the boiling points have reached their maximum. Pent up disagree ments are unleashed and rise to the surface as full blown arguments. Cat fights, fist fights, and uncom fortable anger that is exploding on every person except the roommate is found to be taking place, and this is an issue that is in dire need of confront ment. A junior girl describes her roommate experience as a freshman, and as she relives a few horrific moments, she's glad she doesn't have to experience that scenario again. She had wondered what her roommate would be like during the first few weeks before she began at the Behrend campus. Would they become close friends? Would they share any of the same interests in music or movies? On one hand, she was excited, and then there was the fear ful anticipation of not knowing what to expect. When she finally got to meet her roommate for the first time, they were cordial toward one another, and for a while, they let their differences slide. "She The Behrend Beacon I The tenth track on the album titled "Big Love" shows Broken Social Scene giving a nod to the Postal Service with an electronic drum beat and samples all over the place. Performed by Broken Social Scene members Charles Spearin and Benchetrit, Drew's airy, falsetto vocals make this track stick out from the rest of the album. Directly after "Big Love" is the grungy anthem "Backed Out On The..." which features Dinosaur Jr. guitarist J. Mascis. Being the most generic and stereotypical rock song on the album, Drew goes so far as to admitting the song is a cliche in his lyrics. "Everyone can write this song, but they can't write you and me," he admits. With fuzzy guitars, a catchy chorus and wailing solos, this is a song that revels in its own unoriginality. Spirit wraps up with a folk influenced ditty called "When It Begins." With a single acoustic gui tar, and a chorus of people singing along with Drew. - When It Begins" sounds like it was taken right from a campfire in the 70s. Simple lyrics, a repeat ed melody, and easy instrumentation make this is a rare, hare-bones moment for Broken Social Scene. With the multiple instruments at once assault that has become the band's signature style vacant from this track, "When It Begins" is a pleasant oddity. Broken Social Scene Presents doesn't stop with Spirit //.. Early next year there is another solo effort coming from the group, this time from the other co founding member, Brendan Canning. As they did with Spirit If.. the rest of Broken Social Scene will be performing on the album, but Canning will be doing the writing. Having just released an album, Broken Social Scene is one of few bands that can release material this quickly. They plan on releasing more solo albums in the near future. With a substantial 14 tracks, Spirit 1f... is an album that could stick with you for a while. Kevin Drew proves that he has the ability to make a great album on his own, but keeps the Broken Social Scene feel to the album by featuring the rest of the band. Broken Social Scene is doing nothing but growing, with constant touring through the year. With another Broken Social Scene Presents album coming early next year, Broken Social Scene isn't a band you should he forgetting about anytime soon. would talk to me nicely, but it was a fake-nice," she said. Around mid-October, that's the tension became too much to bear. "Her boyfriend would stay over for six nights in a row, without my con sent, and they often times 'did stuff' when she thought I was asleep. But when I would have my boyfriend over for 2 or 3 days. she would talk about us behind our backs." The anger and backstabbing between the two roommates went on for more than a month. "Eventually she opted to move out at the beginning of November because I had found some one else to room with." This is simply one scenario that freshmen might be suffering through on a daily basis, however, there are a number of problems and issues that are rising to the surface between roommates now that the fall and winter months are around the corner. Many have had to deal with these problems but few know how to fix them. There are two ways to approach a roommate problem if you are sure that you want to make a switch. The first is to get a Housing Contract signed by your current roommate, the person that you want to room with, your RA, and the people at Housing and Food Services. This seems quite simple but this requires that both you and your roommate are willing to make the change concerning housing arrangements. If your room mate does not want to make a change, there is still a possible solution. If the reason that you can't bear to live with them is because they are constantly committing acts that violate your roommate con tract or university policies, you can file a complaint. If these complaints are violated on several occa sions, Penn State administration will move the vio lator. It is advised that you confront your roommate about the problem before reporting them. Often the case is that the roommate causing the problem is unaware of the fact that there is a problem. Simply trying to confront the issue could get them to make a change and possibly help you to avoid the situa tion of having to move all of your belongings to a new environment where you may end up having similar problems.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers