We at The Yeti will most likely be doing the expected slew of activities. Maybe a road trip or a home-town visit, either way it’s not the most exciting thing to talk about. Instead we’ve just been kicking around some new ideas to consider in the future:

1. Take a road trip around campus and park in every parking garage while it’s actually possible to park in them.
2. Go to your local shooting range. 2012 is getting closer, so you might as well prepare yourself for the worst. And since melee weapons are suggested by most experts, we recommend learning how to use a chainsaw or a baseball bat properly. 
3. If you end up being kicked out of your dorm, stake out Landis or campus’ lesser greens during the day. This provides a great opportunity to kick-start your student activism. Ocasionally shake your fist at buildings and passing faculty and let your haggard appearance and body odor do the rest.  Oh, they know what they did wrong.  They know.
4. Temporarily join a fight club and never talk about it.

No matter what you do over the break, make sure you’ll have a funny story to tell later. Just don’t go to Daytona. That place was dead inside even before MTV got there.

Andy: We’re about to start @theyetiblog’s livetweeting of the Oscars! @FSUYeti will be joining in the tweeting in about a half hour.   7:51 PM Mar 7th

Andy: As for your friendly neighborhood Yetiblogger, we will brb after we RUUUUUUUUNNNN to get a bunch of alcohol, because seriously, necessary.   7:52 PM Mar 7th [Ed. Note: Always drink responsibly.]

Andy: Taylor Lautner is there, wearing a shirt! #weird   8:27 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Here go the Oscars…   8:30 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Is it starting? OK it’s starting. Livetweets, AWAAAYYY!!!   8:31 PM Mar 7th

Ian: NPH’s jacket is going to give me a stroke   8:32 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Is Neil Patrick Harris the only person in Hollywood who’s allowed to sing at awards shows?   8:33 PM Mar 7th

Ian: haha Meryl Streep holds the record for most losses   8:36 PM Mar 7th [Ed. Note: Co-host Steve Martin made a joke about thinking of having the most Oscar nominations as having the most Oscar losses.]

Andy: Is it weird that the title “Dame” always makes me think of Lady Pimps?   8:38 PM Mar 7th

Ian: @Andy no… no it is not   8:39 PM Mar 7th

Ian: George Clooney didn’t want to be mentioned… I can tell   8:41 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Penelope Cruz doesn’t believe in milking humanity’s innate sadism for the sake of comedy. BOO!!!   8:45 PM Mar 7th

Ian: These montages for the nominees seem a bit excessive.   8:45 PM Mar 7th

[Christoph Waltz of the Quentin Tarantino film Inglorious Basterds wins Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.]

Ian: Shocker… Waltz was awesome in “IB”8:48 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Duh times duh divided by duh to the duh power.   8:49 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Christoph Waltz should get another Oscar for fitting an entire Victorian novel into a thirty-second award acceptance speech.   8:50 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Ryan Reynolds at the oscars? Who let him in?   8:50 PM Mar 7th

Andy: No one should ever let Ryan Reynolds speak seriously about anything.   8:51 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Was that [montage] for the blind side or sandra bullock?   8:52 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Hey! It’s Michael Scott!   8:55 PM Mar 7th

[The nominees for Best Animated Feature are announced.]

Ian: WOOOO MR FOX   8:56 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Shocker. Well, George Clooney, you had the most sultry voiceover, if that helps8:59 PM Mar 7th

Andy: (Duh + Durr)/Doi^Nodoi   9:01 PM Mar 7th [Ed. Note: The Yeti believes in recycling, for the environment. Jokes count! (No they don't.)]

[Miley Cyrus and Amanda Seyfried present the nominees for Best Song.]

Andy: Miley Cyrus is TALL!   9:01 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Doesn’t Randy Newman have like, 12 oscars from the Toy Story songs already?   9:02 PM Mar 7th

[T-Bone Burnett wins for "The Weary Kind" from the film Crazy Heart.]

Andy: Does T-Bone Burnett even have eyes behind those sunglasses?   9:04 PM Mar 7th

Ian: These original screenplay clips are awesome   9:14 PM Mar 7th

[Now there's big John Hughes tribute. RIP John Hughes.]

Andy: Did John Hughes ever win any Oscars?   9:18 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Macaulay (sp?) Culkin? Where’s the scream that made you famous!?!?   9:22 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Kristen Stewart was REALLY moved by that John Hughes tribute. Or maybe that’s just her face.   9:24 PM Mar 7th

Andy: I can understand why Zoe Saldana would want to show off her incredible legs, but that dress is DISGUSTING. #didntwatchtheredcarpet   9:29 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Who’s the lady who pulled a Kanye on this guy’s speech?   9:35 PM Mar 7th [This was Elinor Burkett, producer of the Oscar-winning Documentary Short "Music By Prudence". You can read about the incident here.]

[Ben Stiller comes out to present the award for Best Makeup dressed as a Na'vi, from Avatar.]

Ian: hahahahahahaha ben stiller is awesome   9:38 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Blue Steel!   9:38 PM Mar 7th

Andy: I like that Jeff Bridges introduced the Coen Bros movie montage. The Dude abides, after all.   9:44 PM Mar 7th

Ian: @Andy Well they probably paid him with a new rug   9:47 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Are any moviemakers insulted by the commercial about tobacco product placement in movies?   9:47 PM Mar 7th

[Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire wins Best Adapted Screenplay.]

Andy: So Precious gets this one and Mo’Nique’s Best Supporting Actress. That’s ok. Maybe I should see Precious after all.   9:53 PM Mar 7th

Ian: @Andy I didn’t see In the Loop, but I feel like any movie that makes a story based on a person, instead of another story, should win   9:56 PM Mar 7th

[Mo'Nique wins Best Supporting Actress for her role in Precious.]

Ian: Based on that clip alone, yeah, she deserved it   9:59 PM Mar 7th

Andy: What exactly are the politics of the Best Supporting Actress Oscars? It’s not like they nominated Sigourney Weaver.   10:03 PM Mar 7th [Seriously, what decade is it, Mo'Nique?]

[Avatar wins an Oscar, for some technical category or something.]

Andy: And so begins Avatar’s steamrolling of all of the rest of the Oscars. Prepare yourself.   10:07 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Why is Sarah Jessica Parker’s dress trying to strangle her! Someone help Sarah Jessica Parker! #didntwatchtheredcarpet   10:10 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Time for 4 or 5 awards no one cares about…   10:11 PM Mar 7th

[Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart introduce a montage tribute to horror movies.]

Andy: Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart: THE FACES OF FEAR   10:19 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Haha Dusk til Dawn clip in horror movie montage… I’m still angry that they became vampires in what was becoming an awesome movie   10:22 PM Mar 7th

[The awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing are presented.]

Ian: Hurt Locker has to win this… BOOOOOOM!   10:25 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Called it!   10:25 PM Mar 7th

Andy: @Ian Please God let this be foreshadowing of the Best Picture award.   10:26 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Hurt Locker again….   10:26 PM Mar 7th

Ian: WOO! 2 for 2   10:27 PM Mar 7th

Ian: @Andy I’m rooting for Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, or for the first time, a movie wins sans-nomination: Fantastic Mr. Fox   10:29 PM Mar 7th

[Avatar wins for Best Cinematography, which was ridiculous considering it was pretty much 100% green screen CGI bells & whistles.]

Andy: Thanking a visionary for his amazing vision, like an asshole. Sorry Mauro Fiore, it’s not really you I’m angry at.   10:37 PM Mar 7th

Andy: James Taylor is not Paul McCartney. #sad   10:39 PM Mar 7th

Ian: James Taylor is still alive? I figured he died of OD back in the day   10:39 PM Mar 7th

Andy: RT @dumase I hate memorial montages, how the applause varies. Yeah some of them were more famous but they’re all DEAD so be respectful.   10:40 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Michael Jackson was in like, 1 1/2 movie, dammit!   10:41 PM Mar 7th

Ian: No disrespect to MJ, but give him his dues at the Grammies. That spot could have gone to someone who was primarily in movies   10:42 PM Mar 7th

Andy: @Ian The video for Thriller is better than 75% of all movies.   10:44 PM Mar 7th

[An interpretive dance troupe interpretively dances to the music from the nominees for Best Score.]

Andy: No, Academy Awards. No.   10:46 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Breakdancing at the oscars? I guess I HAVE seen everything… Except a man eat his own head   10:48 PM Mar 7th

Andy: That’s not how you dance to the Fantastic Mr. Fox music. #urdoinitwrong   10:49 PM Mar 7th

Ian: HAHAHA this guy is awesome at the robot   10:49 PM Mar 7th

Ian: @Andy Know why avatar is going to win this category? Because the song even SOUNDS like victory   10:51 PM Mar 7th

Andy: I AM GLAD AVATAR LOST! #schadenfreude   10:53 PM Mar 7th

[Best Visual Effects Oscar nominees are introduced.]

Ian: I guess whoever was best at making aliens will win this one   10:54 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Avatar wins the one award it actually deserved! Yay Avatar, way to go!   10:56 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Could we talk for a minute about how the premise of Up In the Air is patently ridiculous?   10:57 PM Mar 7th

Ian: While Hurt Locker does deserve every nomination and win, maybe it’s dumb producers shouldn’t have been banned from the show   10:59 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Screenwriter ZING! Courtesy of your host, Alec Baldwin.   11:01 PM Mar 7th

Ian: I heard a lot of good things about the cove. Rootin’ for it11:02 PM Mar 7th

Andy: @Ian It was only the one [producer of The Hurt Locker] that got banned, he talked shit about Avatar in an email to Academy members or something.11:02 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Tonight is a triumph for dolphin murder. #what?#sorryeveryone   11:05 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Booooo Tyler Perryyyyyy.   11:06 PM Mar 7th

Andy: “TEXT DOLPHIN TO 44144 FOR FREE DOLPHIN WALLPAPERS AND RINGTONES” -Bryan, friend of The Yeti   11:07 PM Mar 7th

Ian: When is Inglorious Basterds going to get its recognition?!? It has to win SOMEthing   11:08 PM Mar 7th

Andy: @Ian Best Supporting Actor. That’s all you can expect for a Tarantino film.   11:09 PM Mar 7th

Ian: @Andy Well I’m still angry Brad Pitt didn’t get nominated   11:11 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Finally, it’s time for all the really good awards   11:18 PM Mar 7th

Ian: “Will it be Avatar, Hurt Locker, Blind Side, or is a surprise in store?” I’m not too happy that they made 10 noms and only give 3 credit   11:21 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Let’s go, Jeremy Renner   11:24 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Whenever anyone talks about a guy’s “massive talent” I always and invariably assume they’re talking about his dick. #trufax   11:29 PM Mar 7th

Andy: This is payback for snubbing The Big Lebowski. #thedudeabides   11:33 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Ya know what, I’m okay with this. Jeff Bridges is the coolest (and only) “dude” in the room   11:33 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Sandra Bullock, let’s do this.   11:41 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Would Helen Mirren be the first actor to win twice in a row?   11:43 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Helen Mirren: still a total fox at 64.   11:43 PM Mar 7th

Ian: @Andy Agreed.   11:44 PM Mar 7th

Andy: If Oprah EVER said ANYTHING about me, I would burst into tears. If it was something nice, I’d pee my pants.   11:46 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Seriously Oscars, are there to be ZERO upsets? I mean REALLY! #finallydrunk   11:49 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Anyone else see Meryl Streep like “Go on, git it!” to Sandra Bullock?   11:49 PM Mar 7th

Andy: George Clooney threw Sandra Bullock into a pool? Wish I’d been at that party.   11:51 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Sandra Bullock – will you marry me? Sincerely, IPT   11:51 PM Mar 7th

Andy: Best Actor and Actress winners get too much time to talk. #populism?   11:53 PM Mar 7th

Andy: There’s never been a black Best Director winner? Really? 2010? FAIL.   11:54 PM Mar 7th

Andy: BOOSH! HURT LOCKER FOR THE WIN!!!   11:55 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Katheryn Bigelow, congrats. That movie was the best I’ve seen in ages.   11:55 PM Mar 7th

Andy: James Cameron looks pissed. FUCK YOU, JAMES CAMERON!!!   11:58 PM Mar 7th

Ian: What kind of a title is “Academy Governor?”   11:58 PM Mar 7th

Ian: Woah – Tom Hanks, you came outta nowhere with that!   11:59 PM Mar 7th

Ian: See 3 tweets previous.   12:00 AM Mar 8th

Andy: Hurt Locker won Best Picture YAAAAAYYY! Cheer up James Cameron, you are a multi-millionaire.   12:00 AM Mar 8th

Andy: “THIS WIN MAKES UP FOR THE INTERPRETIVE DANCING (No it doesnt)” -Camille, friend of The Yeti   12:01 AM Mar 8th

Andy: Well that ended extremely abruptly–just the way we like it! If only the rest of the presentations could have followed Tom Hanks’ example.   12:04 AM Mar 8th

Andy: Thank you and good night everyone! The Yeti loves you!   12:04 AM Mar 8th

Ian: Well all, it’s been fun, but here ends my Oscar livetweet coverage. Thanks to Andy for backing me up, and follow me @IanPT89. & thanks to…   12:07 AM Mar 8th

Well that was The Yeti’s coverage of the Oscars! The Hurt Locker beat out Avatar in every category they competed for, I think, which means sexism is over, hooray! nothing, really. Oh well. See you next year, Oscars!

“This is the future of librarianship, this is the reason that I work here.” said Trip Wycoff, a Business Librarian. “It’s about bringing people an experience that they can’t have on their own.
Professors spoke on a variety of subjects within the humanities and science realms.

• Lynette Thompson, a Distinguished Research Professor of Classics, spoke about the Genius in Ancient Rome.
• Reinier Leushuis, Professor of Modern Language, discussed the The Allegorical Genius as a Figure of Poetic Fertility in French Medieval and Renaissance Literature.
• Christian Weber, Professor of Modern Languages, talked about Controlling the Creative Force Within: Goethe’s Reflections on Genius.
• Darrin McMahon, the Ben Weider Professor of History, lectured on Some Thoughts on the History of Genius.
• Eric Walker, Distinguished Teaching Professor of English, discussed a beloved female author in Genius and Gender:  The Case of Jane Austen.
• Michael Broyles, a professor in the college of music, focused on Mozart in his discussion of Musical Genius:  Enlightenment Views.
• Michael Ruse informed that audience that Darwin just got lucky during his talk Was Charles Darwin a Genius or Just Lucky?
• K. Anders Ericsson, Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology, closed the event with Can We Create Giftedness and Genius? A Perspective from the Framework for Expert Performance and Deliberate Practice.

The event put focus on the importance of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research, which brings together faculty from all areas of study.

“This is one of the big problems that you have on campuses, that they are either in English or religion or physics,” said Michael Ruse, the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor and Director of the Program in History and the Philosophy of Science. “One of the nice things is that we are trying to bring together people from different backgrounds.”

According to Sarah Kachaluba, a humanities librarian, the exchange of ideas between faculty benefits the student body as well.

“I think this is very instructive for students who are learning to do research and scholarships,” said Kachaluba. “And such exchange is fun for graduate students and faculty who are doing such work.”

Seongkwn Cho, a Ph.D. student at FSU echoed her remarks.

“I think that what’s being done at Strozier is a really good opportunity for students,” said Cho.

Cho came to hear K. Anders Ericsson, Cho had him last semester as a professor and felt like it was a good opportunity to listen to him “talk real.” He read some of Ericsson’s articles and thought this was a good chance to see what he really researches.

“This event was very successful in illustrating how faculty do research and scholarship and why intellectual exchange between scholars is important,” said Kachaluba. “It also demonstrated how being exposed to interdisciplinary perspectives can be enlightening.”

These new flavors include fruits like pomegranate and acai, more traditional yogurt flavors like chocolate and the especially unique like toasted marshmallow. Instead of the flavors coming out of machines, like with the mango and original flavors, they are hand-mixed to order.

Business has increased for Sunberry since the addition of their new flavors.

“I’ve tried to expand the options for people who may not typically come into a store just to get frozen yogurt,” George said.

His customers are already reacting to the changes.

“I will totally go more now that they have new flavors,” said Florida State University sophomore Megan Khan-Karen.

Corporately-owned competition like TCBY and YogaBerry inspired George to add the flavors, but his ideas have been in the works for a while.

“In part, the competition [motivated the new flavors]. I mean, I wanted to differentiate my business from the others, but the flavors have actually been in the works for quite a while. I had wanted to expand the menu probably for over a year. I just didn’t quite know how to do that in the most economic way and efficient way, and recently, I figured out a way of doing it.”

In addition to the substantial additions to Sunberry’s menu, George works with several other factors to keep his local business thriving.

Sunberry’s Tennessee-street location, a short walk from Strozier Library or Oglesby Union on the Florida State University campus, is one thing that has allowed Sunberry to compete with bigger businesses like TCBY and YogaBerry.

“Just in terms of a business standpoint, location is key,” George said.

Sunberry uses more than location to beat competitors. George’s yogurt is very health-conscious, even more so than other companies’.

“I’m one of the healthiest ones, I would say…My yogurt has less sugar than [TCBY and YogaBerry]. I now have 60 flavors as opposed to maybe six, I think, that the other ones have. You’re going to find some very unique flavors here that you aren’t going to find anywhere else. “

Sunberry, whose recipe George calls “a closely guarded secret,” is 99% fat free and is 25 calories an ounce. Most of the toppings are also health-conscious, with add-ons like fruit, granola and cereal. George’s favorite toppings, ones he thinks are unique to his store, are mandarin oranges and grapes.

Sunberry customers can choose from a variety of toppings to enjoy with their yogurt.

In addition to frozen yogurt, Sunberry also offers smoothies and Southern Ice, which is yogurt blended with a fruit juice with a “slushie” consistency. No Sunberry products are made with powders, as other corporately owned shops’ products are.

This focus on natural ingredients and healthy indulgence targets a specific audience in Tallahassee and gives the store its own niche.

“As a dietetics major, I think it’s a much healthier option and it’s a good change from typical frozen yogurt,” said Khan-Karen.

Khan-Karen is not the only health-conscious customer.

“There are definitely very health conscious people here who appreciate very low-fat, low-cal desserts,” said George. “When I started, there wasn’t anything like that here.”

Sunberry also competes with bigger chains by getting involved in the community. George encourages local art by displaying it in his shop and works with Greek and non-Greek groups to raise funds.

“I generally like to do [fund raisers] for charitable organizations, you know, philanthropies. We pick a time and day and I give a percentage of sales from that chosen time to a chosen charity,” said George

George is especially proud of his work with Dance Marathon and Relay for Life, but recently worked with Alternative Break Corps.

Though Sunberry is no longer the only frozen yogurt option, it was initially one of the first of its kind in the area.

The store is modeled after frozen yogurt stores like Pinkberry in Los Angeles, which George discovered while working in California and decided to bring here.

“I worked in the movie industry for a few years and wasn’t making a whole lot of money,” George explained, laughing. “I had always been a big fan of yogurt and ice cream and frozen yogurt…and kind of saw the trend of what was happening out west with this very healthy, low-cal, low-fat frozen yogurt.”

George thought the business would be “a very successful concept” in Tallahassee. However, he did need to make some changes in bringing the business east.

“The yogurt is slightly different,” George said. “The California-style yogurt has a very unique, intense yogurt flavor. It’s good, but I like my version better. It has a little bit more natural flavor. I feel like the California flavor masks some of the natural flavor of the fruits.”

George does sell a new flavor called California Tart, which is similar to that original western flavor, but most of his flavors are sweeter.

With the many new flavors to try, there is something for everyone, tart or sweet. George calls the customer’s reactions to these new flavors “very encouraging.”

“I would say almost half of the sales at least now are these new specialty flavors,” he said. “People are very excited, a little overwhelmed at first, but then they try them and love them.”

Sunberry is already seeing an increase in sales, and Chelsea Schultz, who has been working at Sunberry since Aug. 2009, said customers seem to be reacting positively.

“It’s nice now because they come in and have a lot of options to choose from,” said Schultz. “I mean, every time they come in now they can try something different!”

That’s NOT her. That’s an insurance broker. But, she owns the domain name angievalencia.com. I just wanted to let you know in case you ran there hoping for some glamour shots. THAT’S NOT HER. This is her:

You know, for a lingerie model, she seems to have NO other photos online. Just this blurry scan that keeps getting used. Just how good of a lingerie model is she?

Anyway, this headline grabbed me, obviously:

“Lingerie model Angie Valencia running global cocaine ring — using fellow catwalkers as mules: cops”

Hot chicks engaged in high-stakes crimes? Possibly in their underwear? That sounds awesome!

Oh, wait. Yeah.

Few details seem to have come out about this yet, but in a nutshell, Valencia is accused of running a cocaine ring, using fellow models as drug mules. (They were known as “Angels,” like Charlie’s, except they ran coke, and were probably not familiar with wirework.) Every day, they’d stock up on 100 pounds of coke (or, more than they weighed), and fly from Buenos Aires to Cancun or England to offload. They were pulling $5k per trip, much more than the usual $0 Craigslist ad that promises “EXPOSURE and FOOD!”

This sexy house of sexy cards came tumbling down sexily when one of the models was caught with coke at Ezeiza International Airport. Apparently, she didn’t even hide the coke in the bag, leading investigators to believe she had “help from employees.” Look, I don’t run drugs, but if I did, EVEN if I had inside assistance, I’m still getting the luggage with the false bottoms. If movies have taught me anything – and they have taught me everything – it’s that the “inside men” usually screw things up. So, cover your ass, and get the right bags.

So, as expected, Valencia is at large, and has been for two months, “with her beloved Pomeranian dog.” Because drug lords, first and foremost, need to ensure Miss Schnookypoops is protected. That’s how they got Pablo Escobar; they put a tracking device on his calico. (They did not do that.) Some other fun facts:

• She was named Colombia’s “Queen of Coffee” in 2000. Don’t worry; I took the title back in 2001.
• She started dealing drugs after splitting from “a Mexican drug lord known as The Monster.” Hey, if I broke up with a woman who only owned a small snow-globe business, I would still avoid the snow-globe industry. Valencia’s got some balls cutting in on The Monster’s territory, especially considering he’s nicknamed THE MONSTER. I doubt he got that nickname because he cut “monster deals.”

And bravo to the New York Daily News for the following lovely bon mot:

“The voluptuous Valencia, named Queen of Coffee in her native Colombia in 2000, apparently moved into stronger stimulants last year after quitting her modeling career.”

Ha! Y’know, like cocaine, where people get killed and their heads removed and sent to their families! Clever girl, NYDN. You can sniff out a joke like a bloodhound.

Look, I want this case to be more exciting. Hopefully, there will be a speedboat chase, where a cocksure, plays-by-his-own-rules FBI agent has to take down Valencia while Michael Cera pilots the boat. (How did his son-in-law ever get caught up in this mess? It’s a laugh riot!) But, no; she’ll either be found hiding out in the Caymans in a month, or we’ll never see her again. Such is the sad divide between fiction and reality: even when Xenu hands us a ridiculously Hollywood-friendly scenario such as this, it’s just going to disappoint.

Unless we find out she stole a speedboat. And that, for some reason, Queen Latifah is chasing her. Then it’ll be fun.

[via NY Daily News]

]]> http://www.theyetionline.com/views/the-yeti-blog/boobs-coke-the-angie-valencia-story/feed/ 2 http://www.theyetionline.com/views/the-yeti-blog/cute-animal-alert-puppies-the-beatles/ http://www.theyetionline.com/views/the-yeti-blog/cute-animal-alert-puppies-the-beatles/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:00:40 +0000 Andy http://www.theyetionline.com/?p=1740

Do we even need to explain?

]]> http://www.theyetionline.com/views/the-yeti-blog/cute-animal-alert-puppies-the-beatles/feed/ 0 http://www.theyetionline.com/news-community/does-hip-hop-hate-women-a-panel-discussion/ http://www.theyetionline.com/news-community/does-hip-hop-hate-women-a-panel-discussion/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:21:40 +0000 heidi http://www.theyetionline.com/?p=1727 A DJ set featuring current hip-hop and R&B music prefaced a panel discussion of the question “Does Hip-Hop Hate Women?” as students gathered and took their seats in the HCB lecture room on Feb. 18.

Rap Sessions, a national tour led by CEO Bakari Kitwana that brings hip-hop activists, scholars, and artists to cities across the country in hopes of presenting dialogues of difficult issues facing today’s hip-hop generation, organized the event.

“This is the first time that we’ve done something of this magnitude,” said Sakeena Gohhgen, a Florida State University senior and Master Coordinator for the Black Student Union. “We’ve had small seminars, but to actually bring some professionals out, it hasn’t happened.”

Several cooperating campus organizations hosted the event, including the Black Student Union, the Hispanic/Latino Student Union, the Women’s Center, the Center for Multicultural Affairs and the Center for Liberal Studies.

A discussion among the panelists, based on questions posed by Kitwana, took up the first 40 minutes. Topics of conversation included Reggaeton and its lack of popular female artists, as well as professional criticisms of the recent film “Precious.”

After that, the floor was opened up to the audience and students were given the opportunity to ask the panelists their own questions. The final question of the night was “Does hip-hop as a culture hate women? Or, is it a lack of education on the history of hip hop that contributes to the apparent hate of women?”

Joycelyn Wilson, a member of the panel, and Scholar of Humanities, Leadership, and Hip-Hop Studies in the Morehouse College African American Studies program, gave the final response of the evening to that question.

“I don’t think that hip hop hates women,” said Wilson. “I think that hip-hop just provides a space to diagnose issues that exist outside of hip-hop.”

Wilson explained that in answering the question, one must first define what hip-hop is, already a complicated and problematic endeavor.

“Hip-hop for me might be something different for another generation that see themselves as hip-hop,” said Wilson. “When you look at hip-hop as a community of practices, rather than just a culture, then you’re able to look at different people, and what they do, how they practice, how they do hip-hop.”

Wilson also recognized the important role hip-hop plays in providing African American culture with means for dealing with gender issues.

“If you look at gender politics among a community, you’re going to always have, in any community, that space where you want to have men and women negotiating themselves, negotiating their space in a very complex way,” said Wilson. “Hip-hop does that, so while we have this situation of issues between black men and black women, we have issues between black men and black women in hip-hop because we have issues between black men and black women in the African American community.”

Students also found the topic more complex than it first seemed.

“When I heard the question, I was kind of like, it’s an unfair question,” said Briana Henderson, an FSU senior. “If you ask, ‘Does-hip hop hate women?’ then you have to ask, ‘Does society as a whole hate women?’ And ‘What is hate?’ There are so many sub-questions that come off of that.”

Overall, the event was received well by the attendants.

“It opened up my mind that [hip-hop] is a platform, because hip-hop is a way of expression, and through hip-hop, you can express how you’re feeling,” said Chazmen Geames, a graduate of Florida A&M University. “I think it really does open up a platform to address the social issues that we have.”

Others saw it as an opportunity to soak up the wisdom of the experienced.

“I loved it,” said Henderson. “I mean, our generation needs to learn how to sometimes just sit and listen and learn, instead of trying to talk all the time and trying to do stuff. We’re the microwave generation, we want everything done right now, right now, let’s do it—no. Take your time, listen to what people who have been there before you have done, dissect it, and then move forward.”

The other members of the panel included Raquel Z. Rivera, a writer, professor and current researcher at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, New York City; Tim’m West, a black, gay and feminist artist, author, and producer; and Joan Morgan, an award-winning journalist and author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: My Life as a Hip Hop Feminist.

The diverse opinions and backgrounds present mirrored the diverse audience in attendance.

“I was very, very, very impressed with the crowd,” said Gohhgen. “It was a diverse group of people—all ages, all races, genders. I was amazed at how many people stayed until the very end.”

To absorb the insight and experience presented by the panel and wrestle with them through the tough questions facing today’s hip-hop generation was an opportunity not taken for granted.

“Rarely do we have a panel discussion of people who have been in the trenches, who are literally dropping knowledge,” said Henderson, who herself is a past member of the BSU executive board. “It’s just nice to hear what people outside of this ivory tower called college have to say about what people are saying, up the street, on the other side of the country. It’s nice to hear that.”

For Graham, the answer is no. After his work with the Joint Inquiry in 2003 and 10 years of service on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, including 18 months as chairman, Graham has accrued a great deal of knowledge on the subject.

Graham believes the U.S. is too concerned with looking in the "rearview mirror" to focus on future threats.

“A familiar pattern regarding U.S. intelligence has recurred,” Graham said. “We have become fixated on the rearview mirror to the exclusion of what is coming toward us.”

Graham is currently the chairman of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, whose purpose is to further the work of the 9/11 Commission. The Commission’s’ report, titled “World at Risk,” was published in 2008 and came to some alarming conclusions.

“It is more likely than not that such a weapon will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere before year-end 2013,” Graham said.

A second attack could leave the country stunned.

“When he asked ‘If we went to code red, would you know what to do?’ I don’t feel like anyone even knew,” sophomore finance and management major Ashlee Darby said. “There was a wide range of ages here, and for even the older people not to know what to do—that was the scariest thing.”

Not satisfied with researching solutions only within U.S. borders, Graham traveled to the U.K., which, according to him, has a reputable and admirable system of counter-terrorism intelligence.

According to Graham, Scotland Yard had asked their public, “If you were a terrorist and you wanted to deliver a bomb in a neighborhood terrorist city, what do you think they would use?” Many respondents suggested an ambulance, because they believed most people would defer to one. The U.K. government then searched the country and found hundreds of unaccounted for ambulances and now have started a system to keep tabs on each one’s location.

Graham said that intelligence research in this country must model after the U.K., and get the people involved.

“Senator Graham raised a yellow flag on this issue. It is something that Americans should be concerned about,” senior criminology major Sam Lyons said.

Despite the challenges ahead, Graham said he remains optimistic about the America people’s potential to overcome the terrorist threat.

“I believe that the American people when informed of their status and realizing the consequences, will act. I am optimistic that we can turn that ‘No’ into a ‘Yes’ and in doing so, make our families, our neighborhood and our nation a safer and more vibrant place.”

In his six-year tenure of managing the university, Wetherell promoted both athletics and academics substantially, as well as emphasizing the growth of campus aesthetics, especially with FSU’s Legacy Walk through the scenic parts of the university.

“The most visible part of his achievements are the bricks and mortar you see around campus,” said Wetherell’s wife, Virginia. She made a point to acknowledge his academic achievements but neglected to list them in an attempt to “keep it short.”

Brothers of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity discuss the days proceedings behind Wetherell's new statue, donated to the alumnus of their chapter at Florida State.

Mrs. Wetherell’s speech was followed by that of Phi Delta Theta fraternity’s alumni advisor, announcing and unveiling the statue dedicated to President Wetherell, a brother from Florida State’s Phi Delta Theta chapter. The statue sits opposite university founder Francis Eppes at the Westcott Plaza.

Student Body President Robert Jakubik then welcomed President Wetherell to the podium for his final address as President of FSU.

“It’s difficult to put into words how special it’s been for us, especially me, being an alumnus,” said Wetherell, discussing his history with the university since beginning as a student.

During his speech Wetherell brought up importance of Heritage Day to the university.

“It’s been an opportunity for those of us who are FSU alum, donors, boosters, friends of the university, to come together and recognize what an outstanding institution Florida State is, but the opportunity also, to really showcase the programs that we have, showcase our faculty and showcase our students,” said Wetherell.

After thanking D’Alemberte for beginning the Heritage Day tradition, Wetherell stepped away from the podium. Barron then addressed the crowd, promising to uphold the values emblazoned across FSU’s seal: Vires, Artes, and Mores (strength, skill, and character).

Incoming President Eric Barron address the crowd, promising progress in education and tradition during his tenure at Florida State.

“When I see all of our values and our history and it’s cherished by our students, it underscores what a special institution this really is,” said Barron, now the second consecutive alumnus of Florida State to assume the role of University President.

Wetherell is expected to stay with the Florida State family and reignite his teaching career. Before stepping up to be a university president, Wetherell was a professor of education at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Fla. His vocation was not mentioned during the proceedings, but it was made clear that he would like to begin as soon as possible.

The day ended with performances from the Flying High Circus and the Marching Chiefs.

Dear little kitty,

My mother would love it if her children responded with as much delight and joy as you do while eating your cat food. It’s hard to smile and rub your stomach when you are eating leftovers for the third night in a row! But obviously it isn’t hard for you.

I wish I could bring you to all of the family dinners and have you sit next to me. Unlike a dog who just sucks in food, showing no appreciation to the flavor or taste, you would make anyone feel like a great cook. Nyom nyom nyom nyom!

If only you had been there the day my grandma made me eat an egg sandwich on dry wheat bread. Maybe you could have eaten it in my place.

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