The Racquette

Paterson's nonexistent scandal

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Rumors of Governor David A. Paterson being forced to resign due to a sex scandal have finally come to a close.

Beginning in early February, news sources, such as The Huffington Post, reported on an upcoming New York Times article, which was said to be a "bombshell story" about Paterson's private life.

Google Buzz raises privacy concerns

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

On February 9, 2010, Google launched a new social-networking tool known as "Google Buzz."

Much like Facebook and Twitter, Google Buzz allows its users to inform their friends, and others who may be "following" them, with status updates, links, videos and other things.

Pope condemns child abuse in Ireland

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Recently, bishops from the Irish branch of the Catholic Church gathered in the Vatican to meet with Pope Benedict XVI. This convocation came in the wake of a report released late last year by an independent commission that indicated the church had covered numerous cases of child abuse in Ireland over the course of nearly thirty years.

Professor charged in school shooting

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Amy Bishop shot and killed three colleagues and wounded three others at the University of Alabama last week. She is being charged with capital murder. However, this isn't Bishop's first brush with the law.

In 1986, Bishop shot and killed her brother with their father's handgun.

Veteran arrested for waterboarding daughter

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

On February 8th, Iraq-Veteran Joshua Tabor was arrested for allegedly waterboarding his 4-year old daughter. The incident began when Tabor's daughter failed to recite the alphabet. According to Police, Tabor remained calm throughout the arrest and acted as if waterboarding was an acceptable form of punishment for children.

SGA Weekly

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Last week in SGA, an election was held in each house. In the Senate, Avatar Davis won the position of Sergeant at Arms. In the Assembly, Leanne Merrill won the position of President Pro Tempore. The Officer Reports section saw President Danielle McMullen report that the SUNY Palooza would be on March 24, 2010.

New hope in Andrew Cuomo

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

This November there will be another election in New York, another call to civic duty, and undoubtedly another overanalyzed race in which newspapers focus on minutiae. This time the race is for the governor's seat. It's easy amid all the typical politics to lose interest in the outcomes or to wax cynical about how the process has become separated from the people it is supposed to benefit.

"Why buy more computers?" asks a concerned student

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Why does the school feel like it needs to replace the computers that were working perfectly fine? Even if the school is collecting the money from the Student Tech Fee to buy newer and better technology, we are facing budget cuts and a recession. Smarter ways to go about spending the money would have been putting it towards other needs like keeping our classes or keeping campus faculty and staff.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, a student's opinion

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

There has been much discussion of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the news lately, and a lot of people have been very vocal in their opinion of it. Most of these opinions seem to revolve around the idea that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is a good idea because sexual orientation is irrelevant to military service.

Le Tour du Café a success

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

In Support of Haitian Relief Efforts, Potsdam's downtown "Jack & Wezzie's" coffee house was a host to approximately 50 generous audience members and 3 to 5 performances each of the four Fridays from January 22, 2010 to February 12, 2010. "Le Tour du Café," as the event being noted was named, was successful in reaching various goals.

The Count Basie Orchestra alive at Potsdam

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The history of jazz and its roots run deep in American music history. When big band and swing took over in the 1930s, musicians like William "Count" Basie and Duke Ellington paved the way for jazz as some of the most important musicians, composers and bandleaders from the big band generation.

Editor's American Idol season 9 predictions

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The sensational "find-a-new-pop-star" talent show, American Idol, created by Simon Fuller, is underway and already on season number nine. I'll admit that the show is uncharacteristic of my tastes, but it has proven to be a wonderful guilty pleasure, and just about the only television show I watch.

Roxy in Review: The Wolfman

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The Wolfman, directed by Joe Johnston, was finally released in the U.S. on February 12, 2010, after several delays. A remake of the original 1941 horror flick by the same title, the film follows Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) who returns to his home in Blackmoor upon learning of his brother's strange death.

Math the Band performs subtraction at Hurley's

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Math the Band, an electro-pop band from Providence, Rhode Island, played to a meager crowd at Hurley's Nightclub on Friday, February 19. While the band played with a tenacity to be reckoned with, they hardly enticed the crowd into exuding little more than slight bobbing of heads and polite applause at the end of each tune.

Echo Drive and the Best of the Worst perform

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Echo Drive and the Best of the Worst put on quite a show this past Saturday at Hurley's. Echo Drive opened the set to a swelled Hurley's crowd. Despite being down a trumpeter and saxophonist, Echo Drive proved they still could stir a crowd into what only can be described as a "skanking whirlpool.

What to look for: Spring video game releases

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Video-gaming is a great replacement for legitimate college work. As someone who half-heartedly endorses that statement, I've chosen a few games for all of you to unhealthily occupy yourselves with this semester. There is a game here for whatever system fancies you.

"Twitterature," and clever classic-twists lure readers

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Mr. Darcy is a zombie, Ophelia is on Facebook, and Romeo and Juliet love Disney's High School Musical. As old becomes new, classic literature has become re-vamped by other authors.

This style of parody can be argued to be something that as been mimicked for decades, a notable recreation being the musical West Side Story, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet in 1950's New York City.

Alumnus and student fight for education

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

For Alex French, SUNY Potsdam alumnus, what started as a motorcycle ride to see a friend's family ended in an effort to help 300 young schoolchildren in a country that most people could not point out on a map. Now, French searches the Potsdam community for donors to raise the $16,500 necessary to build a school in Gembeltu, Ethiopia.

The Roxy theater: a gem in downtown Potsdam

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

If you've ever walked into the village of Potsdam, you've noticed the Roxy Theater. The old fashioned billboard style marquise, framed in glowing yellow lights, tips you off that this is not your average corporate mega-plex. In fact, the Roxy has a unique history all its own.

New restaurant opens on Market Street

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Julian's, the new restaurant in town, is open at 38 Market Street. Julian's serves lunch and dinner from Monday through Saturday, 11a.m. to 10 p.m. Opening just a few weeks before the new year, the restaurant hopes to leave a lasting impression on 2010. With mood lighting, piano jazz and elegant food, Julian's makes for a sophisticated place to bring company.

Experiential Education Office helps you get an internship

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

An internship, as defined by the Experiential Education Office, is "a structured educational work experience, a form of experiential education. The work is conducted in a specific organization setting, may be part-time or full-time, paid or unpaid and may consist of special activities or is part of a regular job.

ECSO Column

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

If you are anything like me, as I like to imagine you all are for my own purposes, you are something of a daydreamer. Occasionally you succumb to the will of your imagination and put down some form of literary art on paper, or a computer. Of course, none of this ever finds its way into the public because, naturally, you know it's a serious piece of crap which should not be aired, for fear of how much stink it may produce in a public setting, right? Wrong, my friend.

Men's hockey season ends at Brockport

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The Potsdam Bears (9-14-2) had their playoff hopes come to a sudden halt with a 3-0 defeat at Brockport (14-11-1).

Although Bears Head Coach, Chris Bernard, didn't have any expectations in this season's playoffs, he knew that all of the disappointing losses, including two of the last three regular season games after having a lead in the second period, would have an impact on the outcome of their season.

Men's hoops ends season with victory

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Anthony Williams, Jr. (Brentwood/Upper Room Christian) fought off visiting Geneseo 68-66 on Saturday afternoon at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium in the Bears' season finale.

Williams, Jr. scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists in his final game as a Bear.

America, eh?

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The grade that I'm going to get on my Anthropology test should be higher, but I watched America destroy Canada in men's hockey on Sunday night instead of studying. I'll get over it. Now to the game, let's do this.

I'm a die-hard Rangers fan, but I've got to give it to Ryan Miller.

Sweatpants in the Shower

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Goodmorning! Quick story, so tiny column. Basically went on an impulse buy. Well, I found out my friend had a thousand dollars in the bank, so I took him on a extremely influenced buy. I wanted a PS3, and I was getting one.

Turns out that every Walmart in 40 miles was sold out, as were the Gamestops.

Webcomics Corner

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Hey there, campers. I'm a busy man, as you probably know, but I figured I'd take a few minutes out of my life to find a few new comics to tell you about. That's how much I love you. Cherish this knowledge.

Anyway, this week I wanted to tell you about Tree Lobsters.

Injury Lad

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Viktor

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Viktor: What are you doing, Tim? Tim: Getting ready for my date Viktor: Whoa! You're leaving your lab for a girl?! Tim: No way! She's coming here... Tim: I'm going to show her the robot I built, and then I'm going to read to her! Viktor: Ooooo, romantic poetry? Tim: Even better.

All of Us

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Loon Cry

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Her cry is the first intrusion of my solitude. I stand unmoving on the small grains of sand. The crushed rocks of centuries move cold between my toes. The breeze plays on the surface of my skin, rippling my nerves at its very touch. I see the loon. She is gliding alone, so graceful that not even the lake cares to make a sound as she moves.

Mistakes

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

There he sits in front of the television, watching a movie he's seen a million times. I have to tell him soon, before I lose my nerve. It was so much simpler to tell my mom; she didn't judge. My dad would. He would say that it was my fault, even though I couldn't have controlled what happened, or he wouldn't say anything at all and simply ignore me like every time I disappoint him.

Glimpses of Alien Worlds

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The air is thin here, on this desolate plateau, but the stench of disaster is inescapable. Streaks of soot and shattered rock point the way to the demolished behemoth that fell from the sky. The solidity of the earth seems misleading, as though it should still be shuddering at the violence done to it, and the absence of the sounds of destruction is deafening.

Words in The Morning

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

In the morning
When i woke up,
After i took a leak,
I looked in the mirror
To see my smile:
I had just woken up
Next to beauty!

It seems that
I had not left you
In our bed,
Because upon my chin
Hung a lone, long
Pale hair of the color
Yellow daisies seem to be.

My 1970

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Blazing eyes and dancing barefoot
Dancing wildly in the stacks
Knowledge at our fingertips
(LOL)

These are the moments
This is my 1970
Dancing skirts across a quad
(JK)

Laughing about something
A fickle professor
A new form of macro-super, belch-induci