PC|Bluestocking

#4 Pierre Miller

They have done it again! PC’s Men’s Basketball team defeated Montreat College tonight for their second win of the season bringing our record to 2-5.

The game started out strong with back-and-forth even scoring by both teams. Things looked bad as the Blue Hose trailed by five near the end of the first half, but the defense came back strong with a layup and two free throws to even the playing field once more. The rest of the half was neck-in-neck scoring between the teams, but PC confidently walked into halftime with a five point lead.

The team came back from halftime strong, holding their lead until Montreat shot a three pointer, bringing them back to level ground. Once again, PC’s defenses showed their determination giving PC a ten point lead with just under nine minutes left in the game. Their strength continued and the Blue Hose walked away with another victory: 68-50.

The next home Men’s Basketball game is scheduled for December 3rd at 7p.m. and will be played in Templeton Gym.

Facebook terrorism is a huge blot upon our civilization.  But rather than fighting the War on Facebook Terror, why not join in on the fun and bug the heck out of all of your friends.  Most people have 500 friends, and there’s gotta be some you don’t actually stay in touch with.  So prank them, and lose a friend.  Quite arbitrarily ranked, here are the top 10 ways to terrorize Facebook friends, and maybe lose them too.

10. During a wall conversation, write an off-the-wall remark or quotation.  If people are talking about the New Moon movie, maybe they’re really just begging to hear the latest Albert Einstein quotation you read.

9. Get drunk (if you’re over 21 of course), then wall them, chat, inbox them, etc.  Or do all three.

8. Defriend someone.  Then send them another friend request saying it was an accident.  Rinse and repeat.

7. Create applications and send them to all your friends.  Especially applications that generate silly religious picture gifts and tell you about them every five seconds, and to top it all off you can’t cancel it.  Thanks a lot Peter Geromel.

6.  Create a bogus group, event, organization, etc. and invite all your friends to it.  Better yet, create 10 bogus group, events, organizations, etc. and then invite all your friends to it.

5. Gift them stupid stuff.  If you play a game like Farmville, repeatedly gift them stupid stuff like bales of hay.  Sometimes it really is better to give than receive.

4. Tag them in irrelevent stuff.  Write a completely bogus note and tag them.  Write 10 completely bogus notes and tag them.  Better yet, take embarrassing pictures of them and tag everyone but them.  And then tag them.

3. Write a message on their wall.  One word at a time.

2.  The Like Blitz, as I’ve heard it called.  Go onto somebody’s page and like everything.  The next time they check their account, they’ll have upward of 50 updates.

1.  Hack their account and change everything.  Or change it according to your favorite fictional character.  Or change only one thing that they’ll never notice but wish they had.

So there you are.  Feel free to comment on other methods of social networking terrorism and go out and lose some friends.

Putting in a review of an Improv performance is like putting the pretty pictures on toilet paper.  It’s completely unecessary, and it probably does not affect whether you are going to partake in that particular service (or product) nor does it distract you from the end result.  Toilet paper always ends up in the toilet.  Improv performances  are always funny.  But I get paid per article, so I shall continue.

Replay did Renaissance for the umpteenth time.  The original scene involved woodcutting, but it’s been a few weeks so I’ve forgotten the specifics.  There was also a completely rational fear of getting attacked by bears (or lions and tigers).  When they did Nepal, however, they forgot about the Yeti (or as I like to call him, Frosty the Gay Snowman–get it–because being gay is such an abomination).  Okay, I’m digressing again.  And in case you couldn’t tell since this is typed, my sentences are supposed to be dripping with sarcasm.  Seriously, Yeti is fair game for Nepal or Tibet.  But that’s like criticizing an ice cream cone for having caramel sauce instead of chocolate sauce.

There was also Emotions, where a situation was acted out while the MC gave each character an emotion.  The situation itself was very funny.  A married couple in a tar pit.  Ellison and Rachel took it in funny directions too, especially when Megan joined, and Ellison completely subverted our previous understanding by saying Megan was the museum curator and they had crossed the velvet rope.  The switching emotions were great, a confused Ellison pondering how they got there, a jazzy Rachel who talked like an instrument.  Though Megan did not do as much as I was  hoping with envy, and I’m not sure if Rachel knew what quizzical was (although I only had the vaguest idea as well).  This was my favorite skit though, by far.

Sentences was much better than the week before.  The scene involved saving a burning turkey before Thanksgiving was ruined, and the audience-suggested sentences were better justified than before.  Occasionally they fell back into “mom always said (sentence)” or things like that, but it was usually well thought out considering it was on the fly.  My favorite was when two consecutive sentences were almost identical (make good choices). 

All in all, it was funny.  I didn’t have any cookies from MFB this time, but so what.  The next show will be next semester.  Come and laugh.

This past Wednesday (November 18) PC was lucky to have Mr. J. Stephen Rhodes come visit. Who is J. Stephen Rhodes? He is a poet. Why would he come visit? Because we asked him. The poetry reading was held at My Friends’ Bookstore and for a poetry reading the place was packed. Stephen Rhodes smiled at the crowd and informed us that according to Philip Levine when poets give a reading they should read something by another author; so Mr. Rhodes graced us with a reading of the poem “Luck” by B.H. Fairchild. He continued on and read several poems from his first volume of poetry entitled The Time I Didn’t Know What To Do Next. The collection is a mix of poems that reflect the hardships Mr. Rhodes has faced and his humorous side. Don’t be afraid to write, because according to Mr. Rhodes, “You just never know what’ll happen when you write a poem.”

Stephen Rhodes didn’t just read us poetry. He also offered lots of good insights on growing up and being a writer. He said, “Do not, by any means, sell your dreams short.” This is great advice for any college student, especially those who are getting ready to graduate.

Hey! Speaking of poetry… do you like creative writing? Check out the PC Creative Writing blog. It’s awesome. For reals. It has works in progress from students and a bunch of helpful information about writing. Go and check it out: http://pcwordsmiths.wordpress.com/ Questions about creative writing? E-mail Mr. Robert Stutts at rstutts@presby.edu

Hey guys, it has recently come to my attention that my most recent article on china has offended quite a few people. first off, props for reading the newspaper. but seriously, i did not mean to offend anyone at all with this article. it was a complete coincidence/accident that the article on the confucius institute was published directly above my article explaining the negative aspects of my experience in guizhou, china. my article was not intended to have any correlation to the confucius institute at all, it was strictly a description of my experience in china this summer. i know it looked bad with my article being published next to the article about the confucius institute, and for that i am sorry. it was also meant to be humorous at parts (chinese werewolves? seriously? they aren’t real. if they were that would be scary, but if you want to go to china i wouldn’t worry about them. and they would likely be more like lupin than fenrir greybeck anyways.) in my defense, i also published an article about the positive aspects of china the week before. yes, this article was significantly shorter than my negative china article, but i also wrote both of these lists while i was in china with my group, so they are true depictions of how i felt at the time i was studying abroad. so once again, i truly did not mean to offend anyone, i was just writing how i felt at the time. it had nothing to do with the confucius institute. i think that the confucius institute is great! also, if you have any feedback , feel free to contact me and let me know! the comment option is there for a reason, and i only found out second hand about the offense a week after i published the article, and then about an hour ago first hand by complete accident. i really appreciate your feedback because these articles are meant for you guys.

As you may or may not have noticed, the PC radio station has been flooded by music from all around the world this week.  This is because a group of our international students have become disc jockeys for International Education Week.  I had the honor and privilege of being with them during their broadcasts and thought it would be my duty to tell you what transpired this week.

Oscar Salgado, representing Chile, was up first this week and hosted his radio program in two parts.  The first part occurred on Monday from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. and featured traditional Chilean music.  The second installment, which ran Tuesday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., focused on Chilean rock music.  Many of you may have recognized the name: Oscar not only writes for the PC Bluestocking, but also works as a Spanish T.A. on campus.  In a later conversation with Oscar, he revealed that he was considering permanently taking up the position as one of PCX’s fulltime DJs.

Pamela Lopez, another Chilean student, hosted her DJ program on Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Her playlist consisted of numerous South American artists and focused on the hip-breaking genre of reggaetón.  When taking photos of Pamela, I was amazed by the ease with which she handled the equipment.  I soon learned that Pamela once ran her own radio program which focused on children.  This program was so popular that she needed a secretary to take her calls.

Next up, representing Germany, were Sylvia Inhoff and Connie Sehr.  After successfully managing to make the unruly station submit with the help of PCX 97.1 station manager, Edwin Breeden, the German duo hosted Wednesday’s 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. show.  Deciding to take a slightly different route, they chose to make their program as much about commentary as it was about German rock music.  Interestingly enough, one of their favorite things about attending PC is GDH.  The reason behind this is that, in Germany, a meal plan is not included in the German collegiate system.  If you want food while going to college in Germany, you have to pay for it in cash.  Furthermore, the taste of said food may or may not be suitable (in other words it may taste atrocious).  Their insights allowed listeners to see elements of their lives from another person’s perspective.

Thursday’s 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. radio program was hosted by Gwen de la Kethulle and consisted of French rap, electronica, and dance music.  While a little nervous at first, Gwen soon became adept at working the microphone and conversing with her listing audience with ease.  One of the last songs on Gwen’s playlist was sung by Vanessa Paradis, a famous French actor and singer.  If any of you find that the name is familiar, yet you do not know why, do not be ashamed because I too was at a loss at first.  Vanessa Paradis is the current wife of Johnny Depp, better known for his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.  For me, the best part of the show was listening to French rap and trying to figure out what exactly they were saying underneath all of those insane rhythms.   If you haven’t listened to French rap before, I would advise that you do as soon as possible.

Last but not least were today’s DJ’s Jihyun Kim and Jiyeon Park from South Korea.  I was very excited listening to their radio program on the way to the station due to the fact that one of the artists featured in their broadcast, Jeong “Rain” Ji-hoon, is a personal favorite of mine.  Known simply as Rain to his fans, he was named in Time magazine’s 2008 “Top 100.”  Upon arriving at the station, it was obvious the girls were enjoying their time on the air.  They performed their DJ program with a slightly different and interesting approach by giving background information on each song before playing it.  Not only were listeners able to hear the music, they were also given the chance to learn more about it and its significance in South Korean culture.

I would like to take this time to thank the international students for allowing me to snap countless photos, letting me get know them, and getting the opportunity to work with them this week.  Special thanks to Ms. Diane Pritchard and the Study Abroad office for informing me about this week’s events.  Hopefully, students were able to catch at least a glimpse of foreign cultures this week during the events.  If not, I am sure there will be more international–themed events on campus in the near future.  Speaking of which, Pamela and the International Office are thinking of starting a dance class for those interested in learning how to dance to reggaetón without hurting themselves.  If there is enough interest in the idea, there may even be a dedicated reggaetón dance party.  I’m down for it; all I need now is a dance partner…

Many people may be wondering what cornhole is and to be honest, the very same question crossed my mind today when I saw the sign-up sheet in Springs this afternoon.  Was this some sort of newly created game made by creative PC students?

Actually, it wasn’t.  As Rachel Genrich and Steven Smith soon explained, the game of cornhole was not the brainchild of some innovative PC student.   Apparently the game of cornhole (also known as Corn Toss), is an established game played for quite some time.  Even the ACA, also known as the American Cornhole Association, is a bit fuzzy on the details: “It has been said that the game originated in Germany in the 14th century, and then was rediscovered in the hills of Kentucky over 100 years ago. The truth is, who really knows, but the game is great fun for all ages and can be played anywhere!”

So what is cornhole and how is it played?  The simple explanation given by the ACA is as follows:

“Cornhole or Corn Toss is similar to horseshoes except you use wooden boxes called cornhole platforms and corn bags instead of horseshoes and metal stakes. Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags at the cornhole platform until a contestant reaches the score of 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point.

Scoring can be swift and the lead may change hands several times in a match before the winner is decided.

The game is generally played tournament style with an individual or team being named the champion at the end of the tournament. “

The game appears to come in two varieties: fun and hardcore.  The “fun” version is played with loose rules with the intent that the simpler the rules, the more people can enjoy it.  The “hardcore” version is the one played in most official tournaments and features ACA rule mandates on everything from cornhole size to the setup of the field.  Full rules and official tournaments can be found on the ACA website.

The important fact is that this game will be played by PC students this Saturday near New Bailey Stadium at 10:00 tomorrow morning.  Interested students are encouraged to sign-up in two-person teams for the mere intro fee of $20 a team.  Prizes include gift certificates to local businesses and bragging rights around campus.  All proceeds from this event, organized by PC’s own Stacy Dyer, will be donated to SEE, PC’s Students for Environmental Education.

So be sure to check out tomorrow’s game if you have the time.  After all, how often does something like this happen on campus?  Hopefully there will be no “cornfusion” during the game.  Before anyone groans thinking that I made a bad pun, the word “cornfusion” is an actual cornhole term for when participants can’t agree on the scoring of an inning.  Yes my friends, this game is so well established it has its own lingo.

Links and Source Information:

http://cornholetips.com/cornhole-lingo/

ACA Official Website: http://www.playcornhole.org/

Photos by Akeem Favor

In case you missed it, three Philosophy Majors: Claire Hahn, Sally Besuden, and Will Ramsay, performed their capstones last night. Claire Hahn spoke on Wittgenstein and language, Sally Besuden spoke on the role of the novel in moral philosophy, and Will Ramsay spoke on Aristotle on excellence of character. All three capstones were about a half hour long and extremely informative. A small group of professors watched and asked interesting questions. If you haven’t been attending the capstones this far, you need to begin attending, because it’s a delight to see people so knowledgeable on certain subjects. I urge you to see the English capstones on Monday night on the second floor of Neville, it should be a real treat.

This week has been fun in the radiostation at PC. The international students were invited to come during the empty hours in the afternoons and play cultural music from their home countries. If you didn’t get a chance to listen in on some of the great songs and conversations, make sure you e-mail WPCX right away so that we can have another international week. The music ranged from German to Chilean and more. Make sure you tune in to WPCX 97.1 FM to listen to your fellow student’s radioshows (including my radioshow from 8-9pm on Monday nights).

Hello dedicated readers!  After a long hiatus I have finally been able to return to you just in time for the wonders of PC’s International Exploration program.  This week is devoted to broadening the minds of PC students by allowing them to experience a small taste of the world beyond our borders.  The international students, Carol International House residents, and study abroad faculty have arranged for us to immerse ourselves in foreign cultures through the use of various open events taking place around campus.

Today’s event, aptly named the International Food Bazaar, was located in Springs today from 11:00 am to 2:00 p.m.  The smell of exquisite international cuisine enticed students as they entered Springs, and before long the small area was crammed with students and faculty.

The International Food Bazaar featured delicacies from around the globe, specifically: France, Ireland, Germany, Vietnam, Chile, and Korea.  France featured olive bread and Quiche Lorraine while Ireland presented a tasty traditional Irish stew.  Chile cooked completos (hot dogs topped with chucrut, tomatoes, and cheese) and cheese-filled and beef-filled empanadas.  The Korea table prepared jabchae (an interesting dish of noodles and various other vegetables and ingredients) and kimbab (a dish of rice and vegetables rapped in dried seaweed).  Cuisine from Vietnam included summer rolls (various tasty ingredients wrapped in rice paper), spring rolls (the same as summer rolls only fried with the addition of meat), peanut sauce, and specially flavored grilled chicken (the taste of which is hard to describe, yet extremely delicious).  Last, but certainly not least, the table representing Germany served bratwurst, fresh pretzels topped with various condiments, and sauerkraut.

As a reporter of this event (and hungry participant), I can honestly say that if you did not come today then you have definitely missed out.  While the food was delicious, the true meaning of these events is for us to learn more about other countries and to get to know the international students on a more personal level.  Take time to immerse yourselves in this week’s international music broadcasts (full schedule provided in osalgado’s previous article: http://www.pcbluestocking.org/?p=428) and learn more about our international students through their music.  Crêpe Night, the next international education event, will be tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. in the CIH classroom and will be presented by the French Club.

Updated Thursday, November 19

Photos by Akeem Favor