Impressive combo strikes rock gold

Rockers Dave Grohl and Josh Homme join one of their rock idols, Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, in a beyond powerful, creative effort.

The term “supergroup” has been stamped on a lot of bands. Since it originated in the 1960s, the term has come to be associated with any band comprised of musicians from various already-established bands.

A few years back, multitalented drummer/vocalist Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) began talking to Josh Homme, guitarist/vocalist of one of his favorite bands, Queens of the Stone Age, about starting a brand new collaborative music venture. When they recruited one of the all-time best bassists, the legendary John Paul Jones, of Led Zeppelin fame, the term supergroup didn’t even seem sufficient for the newly formed Them Crooked Vultures.

The group sold out shows internationally before ever even releasing a song. The hype behind the band’s anticipated debut album grew steadily with each thrilling performance.

The self-titled LP, released today in the United States, combines some of the best elements of the members’ past bands, and the result is utterly mystifying. It’s instantly catchy at times, dark and mysterious at others. It’s altogether dangerous.

“Elephants” begins with a “Kashmir”-esque backbeat and Zeppelin-sized guitar riff. After a couple bars, the tempo suddenly doubles, with Jones mirroring the quickened riff on bass. The song highlights one of the album’s most intriguing, admirable facets – its unpredictability.

Jones’ meandering bass lines give the album its spine and his mastery for the instrument, as well as a few others, shines through as he is able to adapt to the newly evolved sound of his bandmates, both of whom cite Led Zeppelin as a major influence.

Grohl’s impassioned drumming maintains the album’s high pace from start to finish. On the frenetic “Mind Eraser, No Chaser,” Grohl and Homme trade vocals on a chorus that evokes uptempo Foo Fighters material.

Grohl’s varying rhythms across the album provide a diverse backdrop for intertwining, technically sound guitar licks. The shuffling opener, “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I,” powers through with pounding bass grooves while the choppier “Scumbag Blues” employs effective pauses and a funky clavinet part played by Jones.

Homme’s vocals, mysterious in certain places while volatile at others, elevate the songs’ mystique and add a separate unpredictable element. While it might be easy for his lyrics to get buried beneath such overpowering instrumentation, they create a perfect balance.

On the Vultures’ first single “New Fang,” for example, Homme switches to an elated falsetto that highlights the chorus between energized verses. On the dark and rhythmically bouncy “Gunman,” his singing is wholly haunting as it creates a evocative atmosphere for the song.

Them Crooked Vultures is a lot of things. On first listen, it’s an eruption of raw rock power, the likes of which is rarely felt in popular music anymore. On a deeper level, it’s mesmerizing and intriguing for all its technical skill, balance and eclecticism.

TCV is an absolutely exciting band that rock music enthusiasts should be thankful exists.

Grade: A

Last Word: Mind-blowing, deadly album from a true supergroup.

Kevin Brosky can be reached at kevinbrosky@temple.edu.

Mayer concept LP fails to captivate

The self-enlightened, highly meditative singer/songwriter publishes his less than inspiring relationship observations on Battle Studies.

Throughout John Mayer’s meteoric rise as a singer/songwriter, beginning with his fledgling debut Room For Squares, he has become increasingly reflective, pensive and philosophical – a trend well-documented in his lyrics and Twitter updates.

On his new concept album, Battle Studies, out today, he explores and muses over levels of interpersonal relationships, love loss, loneliness and heartbreak. While the songwriter has definitely addressed a few of these topics in previous studio efforts, he has declared the new record a kind of collection of his observations on the subjects.

The opening two songs, “Heartbreak Warfare” and “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye,” set the observational tone for the album.

“Once you want it to begin, no one really ever wins in heartbreak warfare,” Mayer sings.

Pop sensation Taylor Swift joins Mayer on “Half of My Heart,” featuring a chorus vocal harmony that makes the song destined for mainstream radio overplay.

What at first appears to be a strong album loses some steam during the all-around apathetic, acoustic single, “Who Says,” on which Mayer proposes:

“Who says I can’t get stoned?/ Call up a girl that I used to know/ Fake love for an hour or so/ Who says I can’t get stoned?”

It’s difficult to tell if the song, which also includes the line, “I don’t remember you looking any better, but then again, I don’t remember you,” is ego-conscious or egocentric. The song is the first of a few that don’t seem to fit the album’s proposed theme.

Perhaps the album’s most puzzling moment is an awkward cover of Robert Johnson’s blues classic “Crossroads.” The song was most notably covered by Cream in 1968 in a sizzling electric guitar arrangement by Eric Clapton. Mayer’s cover seemingly attempts to modernize Cream’s interpretation of the song, keeping the basic guitar riff, but adding a jazzed up rhythm section and synthetic distorted effects to the guitar.

The cover could have given Mayer the perfect opportunity to showcase his blues-influenced guitar-playing abilities that he demonstrates so well live. Instead, his guitar solo is as choppy as the rest of the song, and the track clocks in at a meager two and a half minutes. Mayer’s exceptional skill as a guitarist seems often lost in his studio efforts.

Fortunately, Battle Studies does have a few shining moments that do seem to play to those strengths. “Edge of Desire,” a late album track, features multilayered guitars in a fairly powerful outro, and “Perfectly Lonely,” one of the record’s liveliest, features more clearly defined guitar work than elsewhere.

The album falls flat on the unbearably weak “Do You Know Me,” which feels at best like an auditory daydream. The airy, low-key acoustic playing and oversimplified lyrics verge on boring.

Of the scarce profound statements, one of the strongest comes on the album’s final track, “Friends, Lovers or Nothing,” on which Mayer hypothesizes, “There can only be one.”

The wit and cleverness with which Mayer has come to be associated seems surprisingly lacking throughout Battle Studies.

Rather unexpectedly, there’s not much of anything groundbreaking in Mayer’s study.

Grade: C+

Last Word: Still waiting to be inspired by Mayer’s relationship findings.

Kevin Brosky can be reached at kevinbrosky@temple.edu.

Music Television in serious need of music renaissance

The outdated moniker of the former cultural gem is perhaps a sign that it’s time for reinvention.

Video may have killed the radio star, but MTV killed the music video. The very medium music videos were created for has given up and sent them packing.

Where can music videos be seen now? For some time, Top 40 videos went the way of the buffalo – to VH1. But now, even VH1 has given up on videos, barely playing any Nickelback and Rihanna clips during the old standby, the overnight.

Asking what happened to music videos brings up another question: What happened to MTV in general? Maybe it’s just my nostalgia creeping back up, but hasn’t MTV gotten out of hand? What happened to Dan Cortez, Bill Bellamy and Rock ‘N’ Jock games? They’ve been replaced with some girl whose eyes are always pointed toward the sky, a couple of morons who have taken over the tabloids and Ray J. That’s right, Ray J. How low can MTV go? Ray J. low, apparently.

A few years ago, World Wrestling Entertainment went into its vast tape library and started a new channel completely devoted to old shows. While WWE Classics is an on-demand only feature, why isn’t MTV devoting another channel to programming that people might actually miss? They got rid of videos in the ‘90s, resigning them to MTV2, MTV Hits and MTV X (which I miss dearly), but what about the great shows that came after?

Hear me out for a second, MTV Classic. Simple name, simple logo (the old MTV Moon Man with flag) and some of the best shows on TV – Daria, Beavis and Butthead, Rock ‘N’ Jock, MTV Sports, Remote Control, Aeon Flux, The State (which finally saw a DVD release earlier this year and effectively knocked out a week of my summer), old seasons of the Real World/Road Rules series – it’s genuinely stupid for MTV to not make this happen. Viewers in their 20s to 40s can go back to when MTV was relevant, and young people might realize MTV was once more than a channel that tied bad album releases into the soundtrack for this week’s The Hills.

Look at all the careers MTV launched. The cast list of Undressed alone reads like a who’s who of new Hollywood – Brandon Routh, Adam Brody, Christina Hendricks, Chad Michael Murray (is he still on the cover of teen rags everywhere?) and Jay Hernandez, among others.

Back to the music videos: Don’t you think videos would have taken an upswing after the advent of YouTube? Talking with a writer friend last night, we brought up the fact that music videos used to be an event. Now, there are almost too many videos, but none made by the actual artist. Search any band popular with teens, and you’ll find homemade music videos, movie clips pieced together and even clips from anime series all making new videos.

At this point, my friend came at me with something I hadn’t thought of:

“People are always searching for live videos on YouTube, so music videos don’t really get too many clicks.”

Exactly. I do the same thing. Thanks to the Flip Ultra, we now have a market flooded with HD camcorders for less than the cost of a Nintendo DS. What are these cameras being used for? Taping live music performances. I recently found a video of a show I was at that looked even better from a distant perspective.

Music videos reached their apex in the mid ‘90s. Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream” was such a cultural phenomenon that videos were treated as royalty. In fact, any random major label band would get a whole day of premiering on MTV2. Overkill, folks, is what ruins everything. Something gets semi-popular, and it’s ruined.

MTV though, has remained culturally relevant (to some extent). The Ruins is still awesome; though it may be a trashy addiction on par with Jerry Springer, but that’s really the only show that’s worth it’s salt on the channel anymore.

No videos is one thing, but bad TV is another. When MTV phased videos to other channels, it was okay, but the only things that kept them in the game are gone. Has any other cultural phenomenon on par with MTV strayed further away from its original concept? I can’t think of any, and that’s a strong case for why MTV needs to die.

MTV needs to die in the same way famous artists and musicians at the heart of this music video debate often do – for their music to be born again.

Steve Ciccarelli can be reached at steve.ciccarelli@temple.edu.

Crafts an unfair art subcategory

The distinction between fine art and crafts is a highly debated topic in the art world.

Last weekend, the Philadelphia Convention Center became the home for more than 200 talented craftspeople for the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s 33rd Annual Craft Show. From jewelry and textiles to ceramics and glass, the show brought a diverse audience of art enthusiasts to the Philadelphia area.

Walking among the many booths displaying the creations of the craftsmen and -women, I began to think of how the show was advertised. It was a craft show – not an “art show” or a “fine arts show,” or even an “artists’ showcase.”

There has always been a distinct separation between craft and art. When we register for art classes, there are some classes categorized as art and others as craft. When we were younger, didn’t summer camp leaders call our art sessions “arts and crafts”? Why couldn’t they have just called it “arts”?

I had to ask myself at this show: What is the difference between craft and fine art? And more importantly – should there be such a separation?

When it comes to fine art, crafts seem to be constantly swept under the rug when compared to more “fine art techniques,” such as painting, drawing and classic sculpting. In the university setting, crafts are defined by classes like glass blowing, metal working, jewelry making and textile weaving.

These crafts are the creations of beautiful things that are not just art but could ultimately be used in everyday life. Fine art, over time, seems to have taken this manifestation of something that can not to be handled by the average hand, work meant to be looked at, appreciated, but not touched or used for daily activities.

Philosophers have argued over time that fine art has only aesthetic purposes or at the very least, solely visual purposes. The battle between art and craft has waged on, but some craftsmen have raised their blowtorches, looms and saws and said “no more!” to this divide, and the lines between art and craft are becoming more and more blurred.

As I walked around the craft show, I took up conversations with a few exhibitors about the fine art versus craft divide. One more passionate member I spoke with was Mike Libby, an artist who uses preserved bugs and pocket watch parts to create intricate, mechanized insects. I asked him whether he considered himself a fine artist or a craftsman.

“Oh, I’m an artist,” Libby said confidently. “But more people are sensitive to one title than the other sometimes. To be an artist, you have to have something behind your work. You’re knowledgeable about society, what’s going on in the world, the problems and the issues, and it is reflected in your work.

“You can’t just say your work is just about ‘life’ though, because everything made is about ‘life,’” he added. “There has to be a specific issue, what is the purpose?”

When asked, then, why he would come to a “craft” show if he labeled himself a fine artist, Libby said, “from a business point of view, this is good to get my name out there.”

The opinions of other exhibitors were similar: Craft is different from art in more positive aspects. Judith Kinghorn, a jewelry maker concentrated on organic forms in her work, expressed how craft is about educating those around you.

“This show is about educating others about technique and skill, not so much an artistic aspect,” Kinghorn said.

Kinghorn was not alone in considering craft separate from fine art, as other exhibitors – like jewelry maker Christina Goodman – pressed on educating the public to better appreciate the hard work put into creating their crafts.

“I’m pretty easy going on the whole subject,” Goodman said. “But I know one thing, you can always be a craftsman and get away without being a fine artist, but you cannot be a fine artist without being a skilled craftsman.

“I guess I’m both. I’m a craftsman because of the gilding and carving I do and a fine artist with my miniature paintings,” she added.

The opinions of the artists were diverse. And upon seeing the Philadelphia Craft Show’s many talented exhibitors, crafts should be granted as much appreciation – if not more at times – as any fine arts creations.

In my eyes, they’re all talented fine artists, and the label of craft can have a positive connotation – expressing the unique skill needed to complete each piece. Just because the art can be used every day, doesn’t make it any less “fine.”

It is an artistic battle of sorts, which I’m sure will wage on, but I encourage all artists and enthusiasts to explore the world of craft, whether by exploring a local craft show or enrolling in a class like glassblowing or jewelry making. Appreciation for such things, it seems, comes best through hands-on experience.

Nicole Welk can be reached at nicole.welk@temple.edu.

Live Arts finds new residency

Northern Liberties’ Area 919 will be a permanent artist’s residency.

Last Thursday, the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival launched its year-round residency program. The event, which featured three of the program’s five resident artists, took place at the festival’s newly purchased studio space at Area 919 on North Fifth Street.

As guests sipped beer and nibbled gourmet cheese and crackers, the evening presentations began with a black and white video montage of the Subcircle dance troupe’s Jorge and Niki Consineau performing a modern dance duet, “Always Sleeping.”

The five-minute clip, which was projected on the wall of the studio space, featured the couple dressed in tuxedos, dancing with each other from two separate bathrooms to the sounds of a soft guitar and vocals of a male artist. At times, the performers seem to be sparring with each other – one moment, playfully tossing toilet paper to each other and slamming the bathroom doors as though in a fit of anger the next.

In one movement, Niki Consineau appeared to step out of the surreal element of the bathroom and into the festival’s studio space where she danced in street clothes. This piece illustrates the kind of performance art the program plans to feature in its first year.

Next up was a dramatic monologue by Thaddeus Phillips. As the lights went down, audience members could hear Phillips’ voice over the loudspeaker.

“Hi, I’m Thaddeus with Lucidity Suitcase,” he said, “and we haven’t started working on anything.”

When the lights came back, Phillips was sitting at a desk with his computer. He pulled out an origami paper boat and said, “There’s going to be boat,” to much laughter from the audience.

Phillips used his boat as a bridge into a piece titled “Whale Optics,” a video presentation that explores the history of whale songs and their translations, set against a backdrop of marine photography. But Phillips seemed to be trying to make a larger point during his 10-minute monologue: how humans have adapted our lines of communication – the Internet, cable television and the telegraph – to the migratory movements of whales, including the installation of fiber optic cables on the ocean floor aligned to the whales’ movements.

The evening concluded with “Score of the Forgotten Dance,” a modern dance choreographed by Kathryn Tebordo of Workshop for Potential Movement. “Score of the Forgotten Dance” features 2007 Temple alumnus Brandon Beston, who worked with Tebordo at the Painted Bride Art Center.

Tebordo told the audience they should think of the dance “as a play where each dancer is a character but with a narrowing of consciousness.”

The first of the three characters is a soloist who is caught between remembering a dance and encountering the forgotten parts. The second role is an authentic demonstration of the improviser who inhabits the core values of “the dancer’s body” by acknowledging instances of a dance and turning them into fact. The third, Beston’s role, is the “micro-mover,” who studies the movements as an empathetic body.

“You know, [it’s] how you twitch from something you’ve seen, even if it hasn’t happened to you,” Tebordo said. She is further exploring the technique of micro movement – examining how small a movement can still be considered dance and still embody the movement – something she’s been studying since 2006.

Pia Agrewal, program director for the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, said the group purchased its new studio space last May and moved in a month later.

Production Director Nick Stuccio said he believes the new space will bring the festival, and its work, closer to the community.

“We wanted more of a year-round presence,” Stuccio said. “With the artist in residency program and second Thursdays series, the festival will now offer artists the chance to connect with the community and audiences.”

The residency program will invite five to seven artists annually to show 20 minutes of work each. The program also provides free workspace in the studio, can extend artists’ development time and gives the artists the opportunity for early audience feedback. And judging from the inaugural event, it seems to be off to a good start.

“I’m surprised by the turnout,” Niki Consineau said, “and the fact that [the audience members] are able to view things early-on may promote people to come see the final product.”

Lauren Williams can be reached at lauren.williams2010@temple.edu.

Playing on a different platform

An under-the-radar music genre being popularized in big cities such as New York and Philadelphia, chiptune or 8bit music turns video game consoles into instruments.

Once a month, the city’s geeks, nerds, hipsters and obscure-music enthusiasts alike crowd the upstairs of Studio34, an arts and yoga center in West Philadelphia. In the summertime, passersby can hear strangely familiar electronic music blaring from the second story windows.

The audience members are all gathering to listen to a genre of music dubbed “chiptune.” Chiptune music is created on old videogame soundchips that have been modified to create, essentially, inexpensive synthesizers. Artists work in these unique constraints to create music nostalgic of the era in which this “8bit music” dominated video games – a period many college students grew up in. The music transcends its video-game associations to create something different from the highly produced electronica and dance music dominating the genre.

Chiptune style can range from videogame-esque loops heard from artists like Alex Mauer, to hard electronic beats used by artists like Nullsleep. It is influenced by everything from jazz to metal, and musicians can perform chiptune covers of songs by any artist or band that interests them, from Weezer to the Misfits.

The chiptune scene prides itself on its do-it-yourself quality, made possible by the cost-effectiveness of recycling Gameboys, Ataris, Comadors, Sega Genesis consoles and Nintendo Entertainment Systems for synthesizers.

“Instead of going to Sam Ash and buying a $100 Moog synthesizer, I can look through some trash and find an old Gameboy,” said Joey Mariano, a Philadelphia-based musician who performs as Animal Style.
“People make their own instruments,” he said. “There are very DIY aspects to it.”

The self-imposed simplicity and raw musical styles are reminiscent of the punk movement of the late 1970s and ‘80s, which evolved in response to the heavily produced music of the times.

“A lot of people that are in the scene now were in the punk scene 10 years ago,” said Don Miller, who creates visuals that accompany the music at these events, under the pseudonym No Carrier.

“I think it has that same kind of energy and draws that same kind of crowd,” he added.

Chiptune musicians not only use inexpensive instruments to create their sounds, but many strive to make their music affordable – often free – and accessible for fans. In fact, most of the music is available free online.

“I think it’s stupid to sell music today,” Mariano said. “I haven’t sold a CD since 2004.”

Mariano will soon release an album on a Nintendo cartridge, which he calls “the vinyl of chiptune music.”

Chiptune’s fan base is often as diverse as the musical styles that influence it. Since the culture largely surrounds the Internet, its supporters come from all backgrounds and meet on such online forums as 8bitcollective.com. Oftentimes, the makeup of an “8bit” audience will consist of gaming enthusiasts, ravers, electronic and dance listeners, casual listeners and a few interested locals who may have been lured by posters throughout the city.

This diverse crowd has been gathering at Studio34 since Oct. 18, 2008, the date of the very first 8static show, the monthly concert event conceived by local chiptune enthusiasts. It is one of only two monthly chiptune events in the world, the other being New York City’s Pulsewave event, making Philadelphia a hub for this unique scene.

This past Saturday, chiptune artists Animal Style, Glomag and Trash80 played November’s 8static. The event was preceded by a workshop taught by chiptune musicians, intended to help those who might be new to the hardware and software but are interested in making chiptune music.

Abe Rosenthal can be reached at abraham.rosenthal@temple.edu.

New Hillel opens amidst tradition

The Edward H. Rosen Hillel Center officially opened its doors for all students in a ceremony last week.

The dedication ceremony for the Edward H. Rosen Hillel Center, which took place a block off Main Campus Wednesday night included greetings and remarks from many of those involved in the realization of a center where all students – not just those of the Jewish faith – can gather. Those in attendance included Sen. Arlen Specter, President Ann Weaver Hart and namesake Edward H. Rosen.

Rosen wore a suit, a red tie and a rose pinned to his left lapel and spoke openly and warmly about his role in the campaign for a Jewish community center.

A graduate of Yale, Rosen learned at his school’s Hillel about community service and giving back, and after 20 years of service on Temple’s Board of Trustees, the opportunity presented itself.

“I’ve been working in the community trying to pay back the opportunities I had growing up. My goal [with this Hillel] was to make a meeting place for forums and lectures … It’s a wonderful place,” Rosen said.

As Rabbi Howard Alpert, executive director of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, said in his opening remarks at the dedication, the need for a new Hillel was recognized 25 years ago. The project did not start until Rosen’s friend offered him a gift to recognize his service to the Temple community.

That friend was Alan Slifka, managing principal of the New York City-based hedge fund Halcyon/Alan B. Slifka & Company, and Slifka donated $1 million to the center. Howard Gittis, who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees until his death in September 2007, and who was “a total gentleman” Rosen said, offered him half a million and promised to raise an additional $300,000 if Rosen could raise the rest.

Richard J. Fox, for whom Temple’s business school is named, also donated to the cause.

“Dick Fox has been my friend since we were little kids, and he was very helpful,” Rosen said.

The deals were made five years ago.

“A new era is underway … campus is exploding with beautiful new buildings,” Howard Goldberg, chair of the Hillel at Temple Board of Overseers, said in his remarks at the dedication.

“Some would say that Ann Weaver Hart is a master ribbon cutter … [Tonight] we have given her diversity. Instead of a ribbon to cut, she has gotten a mezuzah to affix, or that has been affixed,” Rosen added.

The mezuzah, Jewish studies professor Elliot Ratzman explained, is the Jewish tradition of hanging a small scroll of parchment inscribed with a prayer three-fourths up from the floor on all the doorposts in the house. The mezuzah is meant to welcome visitors to the house, and Ratzman noted, Orthodox Jews kiss the mezuzah upon entering.

The hanging of the mezuzah was a smaller, more intimate ceremony held before the dedication, which filled the third floor of the Rosen Hillel so that it appeared more were standing than were seated. The mezuzah hanging was done by Craig Blackman, Temple alum and past president of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, and his parents Arthur and Barbara.

“The ability to give back to a campus which has meant so much to my family, and a community which has been such an integral part of our upbringing and values development, is immeasurably wonderful. Hillel helps us to remember where we are from and where we can go from here. And to know that my parents will now forever be a part of the Temple legacy, with their names inscribed upon the entry walls of the new Rosen Center … is amazing,” Blackman said.

For those present, it meant the beginning of a renewed community and hope that all students would gather at the Rosen Hillel, regardless of faith.

“[This building] is magnificent … What a great renewal,” Specter said.

Leonard Barrack, Temple alum and trustee and the president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said in his remarks that “[the Rosen Hillel is] the center for dialogue for all students.”

“When the doors of this building opened, the doors of this community opened,” Megan Baumel, class of 2012 and Tzedek Chair of the Hillel, said.

Rosella LaFevre can be reached at rosella.lafevre@temple.edu.

SHS administers H1N1 vaccines

Temple received a limited supply of 1,900 free swine flu vaccines and distributed them last week to “high priority” groups, including pregnant students and those with pre-existing health conditions.

Before the nurse administered his H1N1 vaccination, Chris had to think for a moment which arm might experience less pain before he finally decided his left arm would receive the shot.

Chris, who declined to give his last name, is one of many students on Main Campus who have received free vaccinations against the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu.

The first round of free limited vaccines was distributed at the Student Center Nov. 10 to students who were considered to be in a “high priority” group.

Associate Director of Student Health Services Mark Denys classified “high priority” as pregnant women, those who work with patients at the Health Sciences Campus, students with chronic conditions like asthma or transplants and those who are primary caregivers to children 6 months of age or younger.

Denys said Student Heath Services would continue administering vaccinations through this week based on the number of available flu shots and students’ need. The Philadelphia Department of Health distributed 1,900 free vaccines to Temple and more to other universities and schools in Philadelphia.

“We’re going to reassess how many students came, how much vaccine we have left [and] how many more students have filled out the questionnaire,” he said.

Chris was one of many who filled out the questionnaire sent by the Health Services to all students several weeks ago in a mass e-mail.

Chris, an elementary education major who works for the Philadelphia School District in two different classrooms throughout the week as part of his course program, said he had many reasons to apply for the free flu shot. At the end of the day, he also returns home to 17-month-old son and a pregnant wife.

“My likelihood of being either exposed to, or potentially transmitting it to someone else if I were to contract it, made it [requirement for flu shot],” he said. “So I came in, and it was free and convenient. It took all of 90 seconds.”

Since the start of the swine flu pandemic in April 2009, it has spread to all the states and affected almost every country in the world, killing 6,250 people. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports 1,152 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Philadelphia County alone, resulting in eight deaths.

As of Nov. 4, Student Health Services reported that 55 students from the university have described influenza-like illnesses. Although there have been no cases of deaths due to influenza, SHS confirmed one case of H1N1 in a student living off campus.

“The doctor who saw the student said that they were recovering fine. They [lived] off campus [and went] home to recover for a few days and went back to classes,” Denys said.

Kelsey Schwarzenbach, a senior education major, said she has been sick for the past two weeks with symptoms of high fever, stuffy nose, headaches and sometimes a bit of nausea.

She went to Student Health Services for help but said she was told to take Tylenol to alleviate her symptoms after waiting in a long line to speak with a healthcare professional.

“I think it’s just really difficult the way the whole thing is set up because they have doctors there for certain times, and you can’t be there to wait for an hour and a half in line,” she said.

When she turns 23 next week, Schwarzenbach will automatically be removed from her parents’ health insurance plan. She said she is now looking at independent plans, so when it comes to times like these, she can be prepared for immediate treatment.

While experts debate whether H1N1 is more severe than other, regular seasonal flus, others say it may be the only flu to cause greater problems because flu shots for it are limited.

“Every once in a while you’ll get a new strain, which is good at infecting people and spreads easily from person to person. Anytime you have a strain like this, there’s going to be a lot of susceptible people, pretty much almost everybody,” said Dr. Peter Axelrod, associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology and chair of Infection Control Committee of Temple University Hospital.

“If I had the choice today to get either shot and [could receive] only one of them, I would do the H1N1 because it’s the only thing around,” he said.

Axelrod said even though hand-washing is a good preventative measure, the current influenza is mostly airborne. He advises sick students who commute to stay at home and those who live in residence halls to avoid contact with others.

Chris and his family members already received seasonal flu shots, but he wants his wife and son to be vaccinated against H1N1 as well. His wife is expected to deliver another boy late February.

“Coming down with an illness and potentially losing my born son or my unborn son and with my wife’s compromised immunities, I thought why not [get vaccinated],” he said.

He also has another responsibility – picking up his son from day care while his wife is at work. “I’m exposed to tons of runny noses and everything,” he said. “So I figured better safe than sorry.”

Sergei Blair can be reached at sergei.blair@temple.edu.

Students, locals have mixed reaction to “SHOT!”

Temple Theaters’ SHOT! tells the story of violence in North Philly through the eyes of witnesses.

A new Temple Theaters production uses firsthand accounts from witnesses of violence to tell North Philadelphia’s story.

Every monologue and character featured in SHOT!, written by Professor Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon and directed by Professor Douglas C. Wager, is based on a real person.

Some students who live in the communities surrounding Main Campus said they found the show to be strikingly realistic.

“We live on Carlisle [Street], and so much drama goes on,” said Serena Robinson, a sophomore social work major who saw the play. “It’s typical Philly, like [it’s] portrayed in movies with fights, glass bottles and cousins and family coming out to see what’s going on. One of the first nights at Temple as a freshman, I lived at White Hall, and there was a shooting at Crown Chicken across the street.”

Sophomore criminal justice major Jennifer Rutt agreed.

“I was already afraid but even more now. This is real,” she said, adding that she recalled a shooting near campus her first week at Temple. “It’s all real.”

Though SHOT! found a captive audience in students, Temple Theaters Director of Public Relations and Marketing Scott Braun said due to a lack of advertising dollars, it was difficult to draw community members in to see the show.

Andre, a North Philadelphia resident for more than 50 years, who declined to give his last name in an interview with The Temple News, was not interested in seeing SHOT! due to the negative connotation he said it gives his hometown.

“Shootings happen everywhere, not just in North Philly,” he said, adding that he would rather see a play portraying the positive side of the community. “Twenty years ago, [Temple students would] have been afraid to come west of Broad Street, but now [they’re] living next door to me, and that’s a positive thing.”

Deborah Hampton, another Philadelphia native and North Philadelphia resident, said she didn’t see the show either, but did not feel the representation of the community was inaccurate.

“I’ve never witnessed any personal shootings in my immediate family or anything like that,” she said. “But I’ve definitely heard stories about them pretty close to where I live.”

Senior theater major Danielle Pinnock, an actor in SHOT!, said she was able to portray the core of the community somewhat honestly but felt she didn’t quite hit the nail on the head.

“It was a great learning experience to play real people and to tell their story,” she said. “[I portrayed them accurately] to some extent … but more work needs to be done.”

Rabbi Michael Holzman and Scott Charles, community members who served as eye-witnesses for the play, both attended performances.

“It was very powerful for me to see myself on the stage and how I was portrayed. The script was amazing, and the challenge was enormous,” Holzman said.

“It certainly captured some of the people who live in North Philly with fair representation,” Charles, a trauma outreach coordinator who was also interviewed for SHOT!, said. “The portrayal, for me, was incredibly encouraging and depicted the complexity of life. It provided a level of nuance you’d never get, and I thought that was phenomenal.”

Jenn Stanley can be reached at jennifer.stanley@temple.edu.

Student-activist hosts event for acceptance

Nicholas Deroose’s “Gays, Greeks and Gay Asians” event was the first step for his lifetime aspirations – to fight for gay rights in his home country.

Nicholas Deroose aspires to lift the mute button from sexuality in the Asian community and create a safe place for gay teens to talk and feel accepted.

The sophomore photojournalism major, recently a Jonathan Lax Scholarship for gay men recipient, was raised by his Belgian father and Chinese mother in Singapore. He came to Temple two years ago after his father acquired a job in Philadelphia, and the family moved with him. Previously, Deroose served a mandatory two years in Singapore’s navy.

Singapore, Deroose said, is not a country accepting of homosexuality – many there still consider it a mental disorder. School counselors presented themselves as models of the conservative Singapore government and religion, and Deroose said they were “ill equipped” to handle the questions of teens in the closet.

On Nov. 5, Deroose hosted a “Gays, Greeks and Gay Asians” at the Tyler School of Art.

Trana Pham, a sophomore tourism and hospitality management major, attended the discussion and said it was needed.

“Especially in the Asian community, it’s taboo,” Pham said, adding that when her gay Vietnamese friend revealed his sexuality to his parents, they “cried for a year” because they were “worried” about him.

Tyrone Penserga, a Temple Student Government senator for the College of Science and Technology who helped organize and spoke on the panel for “Gays, Greeks and Gay Asians,” said he was grateful for the support from Greek organizations and Tyler. The junior chemistry major said he hopes to continue the discussion of race and diversity on Temple’s campus.

“At Temple, we have a diverse community,” Penserga said, “but are they talking to each other?”

“Gays, Greeks and Gay Asians” varied in discussion topics, from Asian homosexuality to the conflicting stereotypes of Asians in America and the process by which immigrants – particularly those of Asian descent – find an identity in America.

Deroose said he personally came out at 17, to an underground Singapore peer-to-peer group called TPAJ. A year later, he came out to his mother, after she accidentally found his profile on a gay Web site. He said his mother’s only request was that he be honest with his father and her.

“Acceptance is a journey through honest open communication with your parents,” he said, acknowledging his mother’s difficult advice.

The most common thing people coming out must know, Deroose said, is they’re not alone, and there are people in the same situation who can support them.

Deroose said moving to America was a learning experience that taught him race was a visual aspect. He admitted he was homesick his first few months away from Singapore, but being away from home forced him to grow.

Philadelphia has been welcoming, but Deroose’s home is still Singapore, he said.

Though Deroose said he feared politics and government in Singapore, which still has legislation that criminalizes homosexual acts, because he is gay, he said he couldn’t cut the ties to his home country.
“It is still possible to make changes,” he said. “It’s possible to have changes in Singapore.”

Deroose said he realizes being an activist can be a payless job but is OK with it because he does it so he can speak for the people after him.

He admits that it may sound cliché, but after he came out years ago, he said he felt, “a large burden off my shoulders” and if he can bring that clarity to just one person, the hard work would be worth it.

Victoria Hudgins can be reached at victoria.hudgins@temple.edu.

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