MLK march on
page 5
February 2, 2009 www.theAccent.org Volume 2, Issue 1
SGA president goes to Washington
Student Government president Brad Burnett stands in front of the Washinton Monument. Funded by ACC and the Center for Public Policy, Brad
was sent on an all expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. to witness the inauguration and keep a blog of his experiences.
Student posts blogs about the inaugural
celebration of President Barack Obama
Brad Burnett
Staff writer
Over the winter break,
our Student Government
Association president Brad
Burnett had the opportunity
to go on an all expenses paid
trip to Washington, D.C. for
the inauguration and gala.
ACC and the Center for Public
Policy and Political Studies
funded the trip. He attended
the inauguration events from
the grounds of the US Capitol.
While he was there, he kept an
online blog tracking his expe-
rience. An edited version of
that blog follows. Link to the
full blog at theaccent.org.
The Concert
The Inaugural Concert
kick-off event was spectacular.
Jazz band lands next big gig at gala
Right to Left: Mike Minnick, Steve Addamo, Duane Keith and Dave Robison, trumpet players with ACC’s Jazz Ensem-
ble rehearse at the Northridge campus on January 15. This was their last rehearsal before heading to Washington D.C.
to play an inaugurational gala at Howard University on January 19.
I was a few hundred yards
from the stage, and while I
could not see the performers
very clearly from my position,
there were many ‘jumbotrons’
which made up for the fact it
was not easy to see what was
going on on stage.
The crowd was great at the
concert. There was a definite
sense of anticipation and joy
everywhere you looked. I
had never seen such a tightly
packed crowd until the actual
inauguration, It was pretty
amazing to me that there were
no fights in the crowd. Usually
in such a tightly packed area,
there will be disagreements
that lead to fights. There was
none of that. It was as if people
really bought into the “We Are
One” theme, and it was great
to see.
The performers were
equally impressive. I have to
admit that I was not going
to go before my roommate’s
friend convinced me to do so. I
really did not feel like I would
enjoy the music.
Surprisingly enough,
my favorite performer at the
concert was Garth Brooks.
Country is one of my least
favorite genres of music, but
I have to admit that he is an
incredible performer. When
he started playing, everyone
started jumping around and
dancing. Not only were all
the artists who preformed
great musicians, they were
all incredible entertainers.
Similarly, all the speakers were
dynamic and touching. I left
Alma Hernandez • Photo/Web Editor
Photo Courtesy of Brad Burnett
the concert exuberant and
looking forward to the actual
inauguration.
Getting There
Inaugural day was an
experience. Three of my
friends and I had been able to
get tickets to the Inauguration
in the silver seating area,
which was the ticketed area
farthest from the Capitol and
there was standing-room only.
We had planned to leave on
the last subway train toward
Washington (our apartment
was located in North Bethesda,
Maryland) Monday night so
that we could be one of the
first groups in line to get the
best possible vantage to see the
Inauguration. Well, we had
received bad information as to
Kaitlin Neve
Staff Writer
Austin Community
College’s Jazz Ensemble and
director for the Ensemble, Dr.
Tom Husak, were invited to
Washington to perform at a
2009 presidential inaugural
gala.
Special Assistant to the
President for External Affairs at only community college band
ACC, Linda Young, was invited to be invited. They also per-
to serve on the committee for
one of the inaugural galas in
DC and secured the jazz band’s
invitation.
“The Ensemble members
were having rehearsals a
number of nights leading up
to the trip and performances,”
Young said.
The event took place at
the Corcoran Gallery of Art
located across from the south
lawn of the White House, and
lasted from 7 p.m. to midnight. out. People from all over the
The Jazz Ensemble was featured country and from other coun-
along with four other vocal
performances.
when the last train departed.
At 1:30 Tuesday morning, we
boarded the last subway train
going the opposite way to stay
warm in a 24-hour McDonalds
and be at the very beginning
of the subway line when trains
resumed running at 4:00 a.m..
The train was ridiculous.
We caught the first train out
and it was already packed. You
would not believe how many
people were trying to catch
that train at 4:10! By the time
we got to the Metro Center,
the transfer point to two of
the other four subway lines,
there was no more room in our
car. People had to be forcibly
pushed off the train when they
kept trying to pile their way
into the car. When we got to
our final destination, the line
to leave the subway was so
long that it snaked around the
entire platform twice. To show
you just how many people
came to the Inauguration, by
the Metro authority’s figures,
subways serviced over 800,000
rides during the 3 o’clock
hour alone. That was about
two and a half hours after the
Inauguration had ended!
Getting Closer
After a less-than-stellar
job at navigating the secu-
rity perimeter that had been
established, we headed to the
back of a line that was so long
you could not see the first
security checkpoint, which
consisted of a marathon-style
gate that spanned an entire
street. Couple the extremely
long line with a lack of crowd
control which led to thousands
of people jumping the line,
and my friends and I had a
poor view of the festivities for
a while.
There were two staging
areas for the Silver ticket
holders. There was one area
with the best view which was
directly behind the seated and
standing-room only Purple
and Red ticket holders. Once
this first Silver area was filled,
it was closed off, and a second-
ary area behind the Capitol
Reflecting Pool began to fill.
ȩȩ Inauguration continued on page 3
They have already been
invited by the leading can-
didate for President of Costa
Rica to come play for her
there,” Young said.
“They played for one hour
and ten minutes, opening up
the evening with a special
arrangement of America the
Beautiful,” Young said.
The Jazz Ensemble was the
formed at Howard University
on Jan. 19.
The performance was
broadcasted live over the
internet using Technology
Serving Humanity Link-Live
Program at www.link-live.org.
The web cast also featured live
video streaming from events
in several other cites.
“The venue at the Corcoran
was so dramatic and beautiful,
and they played their hearts
tries loved the music,” Young
said.
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Al
Obama
proposes
funding for
students
Karissa Rodriguez
Staff Writer
President Barack Obama’s
website says that “community
colleges are a vital compo-
nent of our higher education
system.”
The President’s campaign
proposals provide a general
blueprint for community col-
leges’ role in Obama’s future
plans.
Obama’s education propos-
als range from making more
money available to students
through financial aid to
making community colleges
free for most students.
The President wants to
make college affordable to all
Americans by proposing a new
tax credit called the American
Opportunity Tax Credit.
The tax credit would con-
solidate the existing Hope and
Lifetime Learning tax credits,
the college tuition deduction,
and cover $4,000 of college
costs and be fully refundable,
according to the American
Association of Community
Colleges.
As proposed, the plan
would make community col-
lege tuition completely free
for most students. However,
recipients of the credit would
be required to conduct 100
hours of community service
each year.
Last year, ACC helped stu-
dents receive over $53 million
in financial aid, scholarships,
grants, work-study, and loans,
according to ACC’s financial
aid website.
ACC will be able to provide
more financial assistance
if Obama’s proposal for
boosting the maximum Pell
Grant is approved. Although
he doesn’t provide specif-
ics as to how high, instead,
Obama pledges to readjust the
maximum award every year to
take account of the inflation-
ary costs of college tuition,
according to the American
Association of Community
Colleges.
The President also plans to
create a Community College
Partnership Program that
would assist ACC monetarily.
Through the program
community colleges will
receive grants for conduct-
ing analyses of the types of
skills and technical education
that are in high demand from
students and local industries,
implementing new associate
degree programs that cater
to emerging industry and
technical career demands, and
rewarding those institutions
that graduate more students
and increase their numbers of
transfer students to four-year
institutions, the AACC states.
Obama also plans to
streamline the applications for
the financial aid process.
The plan will eliminate the
current federal financial aid
application, FAFSA, families
will simply apply by checking
a box on their tax form, autho-
rizing their tax information to
be used, eliminating the need
for a separate application.
Obama said “without
community colleges, millions
of people would not be able to
access the education and skills
they need to further education
or succeed in the workplace.”
 Forum
page 2 Accent • February 2, 2009

R
w w w.the Accent.org

edress of
Grievances
Student Loans
Jamie Carpenter
Campus Editor
ACC has spoiled me. The
organizations are great, and
I’ve somehow managed to
schedule my classes on the
same campus three semesters
in a row. The truth is that
my fondness for this place is
because I can afford to attend
it.
The economy is down the
universities. It’s not worth
it for all of them to graduate
with a four year degree only to
have a ton of debt to pay back
with no guarantee of finding
a good job outside of college.
Unfortunately, these days,
students are competing with
recently laid off job-seekers
with years of experience.
I think it is great that the
community colleges are seeing
a boost in enrollment. They
stop the presses
In a disappointing end to months of
debate, it is decided that the Daily Texan’s
on-site printing press is officially going
up for sale. The decision came after the
Texas Student Media Board of Operating
Trustees voted that now was the best time
to start the process of trying to find a
buyer. The Accent is also printed there and
will have to find another printing press.
The printing for the Daily Texan and The
Travesty will have to be outsourced as
well, they will most likely use the Austin
American-Statesman’s press.
The director of Texas Student Media,
Kathy Huting said that due to the state of
the newspaper industry, it will be dif-

Kar
drain. You can hardly turn on are a great opportunity, but ficult to find a timely buyer. This is the

en K
a TV, read the paper, or listen the elephant in the room is nice way of saying that buying a printing

uhn
to the radio without hearing that once students finish their press right now would be like insuring a
that. While most industries are time here, they can’t afford to

• St
terminally ill patient that’s gasping for air.
go further, and an associate’s

aff A
taking huge losses, enrollment That is to say, it’s the right thing to do, but
at community colleges is on degree is just not as competi-

Our View

r t is
no one will.
the rise. tive as a bachelor’s in a many

According to Business
Week’s article “Community
Colleges get Squeezed” pub-
lished earlier this year, “the
rapid growth in enrollment in
community colleges nation-
wide will only be exacerbated
by the current economic
crisis.” In fact, more than half
of all college students in Texas
go to community college.
I am happy to be at ACC
getting a good education
and saving money, but it’s a
sad reality that if I want to
continue my education it’s
going to cost a lot more than
the $900 a semester that I’m
used to.
I’m not the only one. Even
with financial aid, students
are turned off from big
Karissa Rodriguez
Columnist
More and more employers
are using social networking
sites, looking up potential
employee’s profiles, and
determining if they want to
interview or hire them based
on what they post online. This
practice of pre-employment
vetting needs to stop and be
made illegal.
It’s absurd to know that
while you still may have a
stellar resume and several ref-
erences claiming that you are
a great employee or student,
posted pictures that shed a
not so professional light on
you may land your application
into the trash bin instead of
landing you a call back for a
interview.
Instead of judging you on
your application and resume,
employers are judging your
social life.
Is it unreasonable to ask
an employer to ignore what
they’ve seen on your online
profile? No, because your
social life outside of the work-
place is none of their business,
and employers may be violat-
jobs.
While risky credit might
have caused the failing econ-
omy in the first place, students
still might want to consider
taking a chance with loans to
continue their education. It’s
scary to take on debt in such
hard times, but scarier to face
the job market without as
much education as one can get.
It’s hard to get into a career
field that you enjoy without the
education needed for that field.
Running up debt for a house
you can’t afford or maxing out
your credit card is not the kind
of debt that you want to have.
Consider going for a four year
degree if you can. It’s one of
the few credit gambles that‘s
really worth it.
Social profiling
of violating discrimination
laws, for instance, by not
hiring people of a certain race
or sexual orientation.
Other laws employers
could be violating are pri-
vacy laws and the Fair Credit
Reporting Act, which regulates
how background searches are
conducted.
It is difficult to prove that
an employer is violating the
law by using your profile as a
vetting tool though, so stop-
ping them from using this
practice is nearly impossible.
If employers will not stop
pre-screening applicants with
social networking sites, they
should at least allow you to
defend yourself instead of
automatically ruling you out
because they saw something
they didn’t like posted on your
online profile.
Yes, an applicant could
avoid these potential issues
by ensuring that their profile
settings are made private.
Perhaps that is a precaution
that Internet users need to be
more diligent in considering,
but a social networking site
is assumed to be a place to
make friends and meet people,
whether or not that has to do
with the workplace.
The bottom line is your
social life, offline and online,
should be private from
employers. It’s a shame that
many employers see online
profiles as an opportunity
for weeding out potential
t
It is a loss to journalism students at
the University, and a missed opportu-
nity for those here at ACC that hope to
transfer. UT has one of the best schools of
Staff Editorial
journalism in the country. The fact that
the board is not doing everything it can Sarah Neve Editor-in-Chief • David Rodriguez Assistant Editor
to preserve the long standing tradition of Jamie Carpenter Campus Editor • Alma Hernandez Photo/Web Editor
Jana Lelek Layout Editor • Chris Scott Layout Intern
the best possible training in journalism is
disappointing.
The Daily Texan, The Travesty, The print paper. Blogs have a quick turnover using.
Accent, and any other paper printed on that can eliminate in-depth reporting and Americans still need tangible journal-
that printing press will endure. We will extensive fact checking. ism that is based out of their communi-
all find new printing presses. However, The desire for traditional journal- ties, and small businesses still have a need
this decision has sparked commentary on ism is not gone. As the state of the for a place to advertise locally. All student
the broader issue of the condition of print nation changes, and more and more press organizations and the colleges that
journalism as a whole. history changing events take place, more support them should teach the skills
The closing of the printing press can Americans will take an interest in news, needed for new media, but there should be
be looked at as the beginnings of a move and the Americans effected most by cur- a conscious decision to preserve tradi-
away from traditional printed papers. As rent affairs tend to be the ones who don’t tional journalism training, complete with
in all things, media goes through phases. wake up first thing in the morning and a real relationship with the printing press.
Any long-term choices that hinders the spend two hours cruising the web for The kind of journalism that is
education of future journalists based on headlines in their pajamas. They are the researched, written, and tossed haphaz-
the current trend of online news could ones who wake up early, and work long ardly online by one person, sitting alone
truly hurt the future of media. hours, and maybe can’t afford a computer. in their house, in under half of an hour,
Bloggers provide a great service. Some Journalism is changing. I would have pales in comparison to the skills learned
hoped that, for the sake of the students, working with a conventional staff. It is
break stories quickly and make the news
the Texas Student Media Board would during traditional training that reporters
easier to access for readers online. The
have held off on selling the press until the develop a true need to serve their com-
reality, however, is that the heart of real
newspaper staff had a chance to figure out munity, and a respect for the well crafted
journalism is rooted in newspapers, and
what they were going to do. It’s not exactly journalism that can save lives and change
even if all students of journalism eventu-
a seller’s market, they will have to take a history is looking more and more like the
ally end up working strictly online, they
bargain basement offer on the printing kind we need.
will be better, more thorough reporters,
press that the Staff of the Daily Texan and
for having spent time with a traditional
other papers obviously wanted to keep
Obama = Socialism
level best to obliterate Israel. relatives who saw that movie, is that this system is better,
Plus, you have the bare-faced and they said it was a “lie.” because of what it is than
lie that is man-made global “The NHS is still in sham- how Obama wants it to be.
warming, and it all adds up to bles”, said one, “you still have Universal health care will
nothing but storm clouds, bum to wait months, sometimes cause far more damage than it
deals – mainly for us taxpay- years, for a surgical procedure will create good. Take it from
ers - and laughing terrorist- and when you eventually get to someone who knows.
supporting nuclear powers. the hospital, your doctor will Another thing that greatly
Obama is being viewed, make a call on whether you disturbed me is the way that
although I have no idea why, deserve it, based on whether Obama became president.
Rob Palladino as some sort of savior figure you’re young enough.” This
Columnists is the kind of third world atti-
for America and the rest of the
world. There must be some- tude Obama will bring to what
An old friend called me thing in the water, because it is is a healthcare system that is
from London on Nov. 5 last quite plainly, a joke. America the envy of the world. I have Read more of Rob’s
year and said “what a fantastic has voted in the most left-lean- had a few “procedures” and thoughts on the election,
day for America; we can all ing President in US history within days, sometimes weeks, journalism, and what
like them again now Obama and he will take this country everything is taken care of and Obama will mean for the
won.” He asked me what I
thought and I asked him if he
in a socialist direction never I can get on with my life. U.S. @
previously thought possible Now, I’m not saying that
remembered the socialist UK and it’s not going to be pretty. people without health insur- TheAccent.org
government of Jim Callaghan. Like any incoming presi- ance should not get care, they
There was a pause for the dent he has inherited some should. What I am saying
thought, a tired sigh and all of the problems left by the
of a sudden the conversa- outgoing commander-in-chief,
tion made a left-turn, if you’ll but I have a sneaking feeling
pardon the pun. that Obama will be the creator
Callaghan was a disaster of his own problems (that ulti-
for the UK in many ways. In mately become our problems)
the early 1970s Britain was and within six months will
the most financially back- pretty much own everything
ward, badly governed socialist that’s been going on he will ADVERTISING EDITORIAL FAX
state since East Germany. It have created. All who voted
512.223.3166 512.223.3171 512.223.3086

ing several laws. employees. was the Britain of run-away for this man have been bawl- OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE
If an employer decides to My advice for students who unions strangling the country ing for universal health care, RGC, 1212 Rio Grande St., Room 101.1 Austin TX 78701

not hire someone based on
information found on the
Internet, they could be accused
are seeking jobs: create two
profiles, one private and one
public, professional profile.
Anny Ibarra • Staff Artist
with demand after demand,
the garbage filled streets that
housed hoards of breeding
rats, the three-day week, and
power outages that stopped
the populous dead in its tracks
after 7 p.m. (although candle
manufacturers made a killing,
so I’m sure those days bring
back dewy-eyed memories for
some.)
In the coming months
we’ll all have many words to
write about Obama as he tries
to come to grips with a failed/
failing US economy (using a
pork-laden “Stimulus” pack-
age), the oncoming disaster
that will be Universal Healthc-
are and the lovely jokesters
from Hamas and their
paymasters in Iran doing their
and they will probably get it.
Let me say this once, just so
you understand: Universal
Healthcare doesn’t work,
never has, never will. The
National Health Service has
been tottering on the brink of
disaster almost since its incep-
tion in 1948. By the 1980s it
was in free-fall. Doctors were
working 80-90 hours-a-week,
nurses were looking for jobs in
the private sector and, hos-
pitals were cold, dank, badly
light hellholes that invited
death rather than fought it
and it’s not much better now,
despite what Michael Moore so
blatantly lied about in his pro-
paganda piece “Sicko.” I spoke
to a bunch of friends and
Editor-in-Chief.........................................................................................................Sarah Neve
Assistant Editor............................................................................................... David Rodriguez
Photo/Web Editor...........................................................................................Alma Hernandez
Layout Editor..............................................................................................................Jana Lelek
Layout Intern............................................................................................................Chris Scott
Campus Editor................................................................................................. Jamie Carpenter
Copy Editor............................................................................................... Julie Gorkowski-Day
Accent Adviser............................................................................................. Matthew Connolly
Accent Coordinator................................................................................................Lori Blewett
Student Life Director......................................................................................... Cheryl Richard
Writers Trevor W. Goodchild, Shawn Hinojosa, Adam Oliphant, Karissa Rodriguez, Sarah
Vasquez, Shane Yount, Brad Burnett, Kaitlin Neve, Rob Palladino, Matt Thompson, Lindsay
Preston
Photographers Teodora Erbes, Sarah Vasquez, Kevin Forester
Artists Karen Kuhn, Anny Ibarra
ACC President Dr. Steve Kinslow
Board of Trustees Ms. Nan McRaven– Chair; Ms. Veronica Rivera—Vice Chair; Dr. James
McGuffee—Secretary, Dr. Barbara P. Mink, Allen Kaplan, Mr. Jeffrey Richard, John-Michael
Cortez, Tim Mahoney, Raul Alvarez
All rights reserved. All content is the property of Accent and may not be reproduced, published or
retransmitted in any form without written permission from the Office of Student Life. Accent is the
student newspaper of Austin Community College and is printed by the Texas Student Publications.
Accent is published biweekly. ACC students may submit articles for publication in Accent to RGC’s
Office of Student Life Room 101.1; e-mail articles to accent@austincc.edu or fax submissions to
223‑3086. ACC does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, gender,
sexual orientation, age, political affiliation or disability. Accent offers ACC’s faculty, staff, students and
surrounding community a complete source of information about student life. Accent welcomes your
input, as well as information about errors. If you notice any information that warrants a correction
please e-mail accent@austincc.edu. Individual views, columns, letters to the editor and other opinion
pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of Accent.
 News
February 2, 2009 • Accent page 3

w w w.the Accent.org

To Be Brief Every campus watches the inaugural celebration

Three hour Blackout scheduled
The Student Government Association will be hosting
Blackout, ACC’s game night, on Friday, Feb. 13 from 6 p.m. to
9 p.m. in the Rio Grande Campus student lounge. The event
will have pizza, snacks, and soda. Halo, Rock Band, and Dance
Dance Revolution are among the games that will be available to
play on the various gaming systems that includes Xbox 360, Wii,
and Play station. The event is free for all ACC students, but you
must be over 17 to enter and show your ACC ID. One non-ACC
guest is allowed per student.

Round Rock groundbreaking

ceremony open to everyone
The Round Rock Campus groundbreaking is scheduled
for Thursday, February 5th from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The
campus is scheduled to be open for enrollment Fall 2010. The
event is open and free to the public. Parking will be made avail-
able at the Round Rock Higher Education Center. To R.S.V.P, call
223- 7595.
Teadora Erbes •Staff Photographer

Philosophy, Religion Dept. host Above: Students at NRC gathered to watch the inauguration in the lobby. More
pictures of students celebrating can be found on the theaccent.org
three part lecture series at EVC Left: Student Life at Eastview poses the question to students, “What can I do to
bring change today?”, as part of their inauguration viewing party on Jan. 20.
Alma Hernandez • Photo/Web Editor
The Philosophy and Religion department will be hosting a 3
part lecture series that begins Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 at 7
p.m. at the Eastview Campus Auditorium. The first lecture will
focus on Judaism and will be given by Rabbi David Komerofsky.
According to the press release, students can apply to be panelists
Inauguration captured in student blog
by contacting Melinda Rothouse at mrothous@austincc.edu.

Board Approves Renovation Funds ȨȨ Continued from page one
The ACC Board of Trustees approved spending $125,800 on My friends and I were
stuck in this secondary area up
Jan 12 to renovate the Highland Business Center Boardroom.
against two waist-high chain
The sound and video equipment has not been replaced for almost
20 years. The renovation, which will be done by Ford Audio- link fences.
It was not long before the
Video in Mar., will replace aging microphones with dynamic
first of these plastic barriers
microphones that reduce ambient noise, and add three additional
video cameras to better caption the proceedings of the board fell. There were only two US
Capitol police officers to look
meetings. Six 42” flat panel monitors will also replace existing
CRT TVs inside the boardroom. Presentations will be enhanced after thousands of people and
about 100 yards of barricade.
by an improved sound system and integrated projectors, which
most classrooms at ACC already have. Once the first barricade got
trampled over, four US Border
ACC branch of Phi Theta Kappa Patrol agents were called in to
look over the second, and last,
invites new members for spring barrier between us and the
Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society, has a local reflecting pool. The irony of
US Border Patrol agents being
chapter at ACC for students who are interested and meet the
academic requirements. The societies acceptance of members is tasked with guarding a wall
contingent upon GPA status which varies depending on hours was not lost on us, and they
kept the crowd back for about
completed here at ACC. Students will formally be invited at the
beginning of each semester if the requirements are met. Outside an hour or so. When the dam
finally burst and the fence was
of academic success, Phi Theta Kappa also believes in “serving
as leaders in their community” according to their press release. overrun, the Border Patrol
could do little to hold us back
More information on the honor society is made available on
ACC’s website. and let us go.
Once this last barrier
between the crowd and
the open space around the
reflecting pool fell, a stam-
pede rushed down the sides
of the reflecting pool to get
the best spot they could.
About 10 US Capitol police
officers rushed to keep stop
the crowd and reestablish a
secondary barricade so that
the situation did not get out of
control and so no one would
get injured. There were a few
tense moments as people
looked around and wondered
if they would get in trouble for
following the crowd into the
previously restricted Reflecting
Pool, but the US Capitol police
were very polite and profes-
sional the entire time. They
only started removing people
when people tried to bypass
this secondary barricade.
Most importantly, no one was
injured.
The Inauguration of Barack
Obama
From the Reflecting Pool,
we watched the Inauguration.
Trees partially screened both
the stage and there were
unwisely placed jumbotrons,
but at least we were closer. The
atmosphere was much like the
one I had experienced at the
‘We Are One’ concert, although
I must admit that Mr. Obama’s
recitation of the Oath of Office
was a bit anti-climatic. It might
be because I could not see it
very well, I could not hear it
well due to everyone around me
screaming their heads off, my
overblown expectations of what
it would be like, the fact that I
had not slept in over 36 hours,
or that the oath is very short;
but I was felt with a feeling of,
“That’s it?” I guess that is just as
well since the Founding Fathers
hated pomp and wanted to
differentiate the President from
the royal trappings of a King.
people everywhere. It seemed
like a science fiction movie
to see such a mass exodus of
people walking down a paved
highway, and the subways
were just as crazy. The subway
station closest to where we were
had a line over a block-and-a-
half long and compromising
of half of the street, just to
get into the station! Seeing
the massive crowds, we took
refuge in the Longworth House
Office Building where one
of my friends, Congressman
Rep. John Hall of New York,
was having a small meet-the-
Congressman social for about
an hour. From there we had to
walk about six or seven blocks
to one of the three or four
working Metro stations within
3 miles of the Capitol.
All told, I spent over 16
hours at the Inauguration from
the time I left my apartment
at 1 am to when I got back
at 5:30 pm. Once I got to my
apartment I had to turn around
and throw on my tuxedo so

ACC’s Channel 19 goes all digital

Adam Oliphant
Staff Writer
ACC’s Channel 19 is now
only being broadcasted digi-
tally on Time Warner Cable.
The move, which happened on
Jan 12 will improve sound and
picture quality.
Channel 19 serves ACC in
a variety of ways. Some dis-
tance learning courses use the
channel as a means of sending
lectures to students in addition
to streaming them over the
Internet, and providing them
in the libraries. The channel
also broadcasts the ACC Board
meetings, career openings at
ACC, and original program-
ming, including ACC Cooks,
a culinary show housed by
ACC’s Culinary program.
ACC and Time Warner
Cable started announcing
the switch in signal because
the community depends on
the program. The change
was publicized by TWC
before the switch using
many avenues, including the
Austin American Statesman,
the TWC central Texas web
site, and in the bills of TWC
subscribers. ACC has notified
the faculty of this change, and
has announced the switch on
its web site, and on a repeating
message on Channel 19.
Roger Heaney, a spokes-
person from Time Warner
Cable said that one free digital
cable box per household will
be provided free of charge for
TWC customers who subscribe
to all non digital packages.
The box can be picked up at
any TWC customer service
locations or can be mailed to
subscribers by calling 512-
485-5555. TWC customers
who subscribe to digital cable
or have TV’s equipped with a
QAM tuner will be unaffected
by this change.
The digital box will also
provide premium content
including an enhanced TV
programming listing, access
to Movies on Demand and Pay
Per View for an additional fee.
Anny Ibarra • Staff Artist
For me, the most exciting
and emotionally gratifying
part of the whole program
was the Inaugural Address.
Mr. Obama is a very dynamic
speaker and I could listen to
him all day. What struck me
most, however, was not his
delivery; it was his words.
He speaks to the heart of
every American, whether
Republican, Democrat, or
Independent. He also speaks to
the world and I think he served
both the American people and
the world very well with his
first speech as President of the
United States.
Getting Out
The dispersal of the crowd
was as big a spectacle as the
actual inauguration was. Traffic
into DC was closed for the
Inauguration, and there were
that I could go to the LINK
America Gala where ACC’s
Jazz Ensemble was featured.
You have to hear them play if
you ever had a chance. ACC’s
ensemble was the best musical
act there! It was great meeting
some of the band members
and most of all, hearing them
play.
My trip to DC was
amazing and something I will
never forget. I met many great
people and say many incredible
things. I think it will take a few
years to fully appreciate and
digest everything I witnessed
this past week-and-a-half. I
hope I was able to share at
least a little bit of it with you.
Hopefully you will check back
in a day or two when I am able
to get all of the pictures my
friends and I took posted.

RGC parking lot opening

on time with more spaces
Matt Thompson
Staff Writer
The parking garage at the
Rio Grande campus is cur-
rently on target for its comple-
It’s a bird, it’s
plane, no it’s a tion date of Aug. 2009.
crane! Construc- The garage, located on
tion of the new the corner of 12th and Shoal
ACC Rio Grande Creek, was approved for
parking garage another level in late Oct. of
is projected to last year, making the planned
be completed by structure seven stories. The
Fall of 2009. additional story will provide
90 more parking spaces, put-
ting the structure at a total of
543 spaces.
Project Manager Pamela
Collier notes, “a parking study
in 2004 indicates the Rio
Grande campus is deficient by
nearly 1,200 parking spaces
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s a crane! Kevin Forester • Staff Photographer
and maximizing the parking
Construction of the new ACC Rio Grande parking garage is projected to be completed by Fall of 2009.
is extremely critical at this
campus.”
The City of Austin
approved the seven levels and
provided the development
permit on Oct. 31.
The construction is run-
ning on schedule and remains
under the 75 foot height limit.
The retail level on the ground
floor is an appropriate amount
of square footage, as suggested
by neighbors, and is on budget.
Right now, as many have
noticed, is the loudest time
during construction as big
machinery is now on site
and concrete has begun to be
poured.
More information, along
with photos, on the develop-
ment of the project can be
found on the official ACC web
site.
Chris Scott • Layout Intern
 Campus News
February 2, 2009 • Accent page 5
ACC honors MLK Day with march, awards
Eastview campus hosts
Youth Legacy Awards
Jamie Carpenter
Campus Editor
This year’s Martin Luther
King Jr. Youth Legacy Awards
were held at Eastview campus
for the first time. In the past,
the ceremony took place in
several locations, including
St. Edwards University and
Huston-Tillotson University.
The Legacy Awards took place
on Sunday, Jan. 16 from 2 p.m.
to 4 p.m.
Huston- Tillotson’s Jazz
Ensemble Band, which played
a varied set of songs includ-
ing “Girl from Ipanema,”
and “These are a Few of
My Favorite Things” pro-
vided entertainment for the
reception.
Dr. Joni Jones, director
of the Warfield Center for
African-American Studies
at the University of Texas,
emceed the Awards Ceremony.
Dr. Kathleen Christensen,
Vice President of Student
Support and Success Systems
of ACC, said “higher educa-
tion is worth the struggle. It
has the best rate of return.
Once you have it, it does not
depreciate. According to the
College Board Statistics, those
who have their G.E.D. earn
about $31,000 a year, their
associates about $39,000 a year
and their Bachelors, generally,
$56,000 a year.” Aside from
the monetary incentives, she
also said “there is nothing
more satisfying than personal
accomplishment.”
Dr. Jones informed the
audience that this ceremony
honoring MLK has been
around for the last 16 years,
and that despite Dr. King’s rec-
ognition for his commitment
to African-Americans, he also
had a “strong commitment to
everyone with his principles.”
Along with his involve-
ment with the Civil Rights
Movement, Dr. King was also
a strong anti-war advocate and
supporter for environmental
concerns.
Sydney Barber, a tenth
grader from McCallum High
School, provided entertain-
ment midway through the
ceremony by performing one
of Mozart’s pieces.
Before handing the mike
over to Dr. Richard Reddick,
MLK Day, Obama inspire service
Trevor Goodchild
Staff Writer
While many were taking
a break from work on Martin
Luther King Jr. Day, others,
such as government major Yari
Ojeda Sande, were busy vol-
unteering on Jan. 19 for a Day
of Service. President Barack
Obama encouraged the nation
to be active on this day to help
out their communities, and he
declared it a National Day of
Service.
President Obama pitched
in by painting a wall in
an emergency shelter in
Washington, D.C. for homeless
teens. Ojeda Sande volun-
teered at the Martin Luther
King Jr. Celebration at Huston-
Tillotson University (HT).
“It is rewarding to get
involved in the community.
It makes me feel like I have a
purpose and that I’m con-
nected,” said Ojeda Sande.
She volunteered as part
of her commitment with
AmeriCorps, a nonprofit
that rewards tuition money
for helping out in addressing
critical needs of communities
across the country.
“I feel like you have to live
what you believe, and I believe
volunteering is important,”
said Ojeda Sande.
The participants marched
w w w.the Accent.org
the guest speaker for the night,
Dr. Jones, said that “too often
we hear stories of youth in
Austin that are not uplifting.”
However, she said that this was
not the case for the nomi-
nees up for the scholarship
awards whose determination,
drive, and focus were “some-
thing that some adults never
acquire.”
Dr. Richard Reddick, assis-
tant professor at the University
of Texas, is “a proud graduate
of Johnston High School.” In
his speech, he focused heav-
ily on the positive influence
mentoring has on youth,
noting that Jan is National
Mentoring Month. He men-
tioned his own mentor at
Harvard, Benjamin Mays, who
went to school at Moorehouse
with Martin Luther King Jr.
He also mentioned that the
first role Michelle Obama had
with Barack Obama was as
his mentor when he first came
into their law firm.
There were 73 nominees
for the 13 different scholarship
awards including such catego-
ries as Best Athlete (male and All photos by Alma Hernandez • Photo/Web Editor
female), Beating the Odds, Above: Austinites gather at the capitol as part of the 16th annual Community March celebrating the MLK holiday on January 19. The
and Academic Excellence march celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy while promoting diversity and multi-culturalism in Austin.
and Community Service.
King day march rallies at Capitol
R.J. Vaughn, a junior at
Hendrickson High School who
won the Youth Humanitarian
Award said, “I was actually
pretty humbled.” Left: Thousands march on Jan. 19 from UT to the capitol to their final destination, a
After the students received cultural festival at Huston-Tillotson University to celebrate the MLK holiday.
the awards, a closing message
was read from the office of
Lloyd Doggett. “If all Martin Below: CODEPINK Austin joins the march and displays their message of peace. CODE
PINK Austin is a grassroots group initiated by women working to end the war in Iraq
Luther King had done was
dream, we wouldn’t show up.
When MLK rallied the nation
for civil rights, he fought
not just for them. When
we embrace the dream, we
renew his commitment to the
dream.”
Loretta Edelen, Director
of Community Outreach for
ACC said, “I hope that par-
ticipants will observe the use
of their taxpaying dollars at
work in the community at our
Eastview Campus and hope-
fully inspire them to strive for
achieving higher education.
I also hope that they will be
inspired by the actions of our
youth, motivated to reach their
highest goals, and reminded
that good work is recognized
and rewarded.”
Advice game, speaker
highlight conference
Jamie Carpenter
Campus Editor
Sigma Alpha Pi has several
leadership events this semester,
including speaker Tim Duffy
and the Presidential Adviser
Game. “It will be off the hook,”
said Student Life Coordinator
Quevarra Moten.
Duffy, a National
Leadership Consultant, will
Photo courtesy of Claudette Jenks
Rosa Toscano, a member of College for All Texans/Americorps helps speak to students on how to
a child paint what she would want to exist in a peaceful world. The get ahead in their personal
peace wall painting was an activity at the MLK Day Festival hosted at and professional lives on Feb.
Huston-Tillotson University Monday, January 19. 6 at the Riverside Campus, at
from the MLK statue on the known for uniting business 1 p.m..
UT campus to HT where they and religious leaders for race The Presidential Adviser
took part in the free activities dialogues, oversaw the events. Game is a part of America’s
such as face-painting, tie-dye- Several well known Next Top Leader event on Feb.
ing t-shirts, cotton candy and speakers, such as actor James 20 at 9 a.m. at the Eastview
live entertainment. Earl Jones, U.S. Ambassador Campus. Participants will
“[It] was interesting to Andrew Young, and Director mock advise President Obama
watch the different races of the NAACP Kweisi Mfume on what he should accomplish
interacting on an event like have spoken at the event over in his first 100 days and first
this. There were two kids in the years. The NAACP website year in office. The event is
particular, one black and one quotes MLK’s discovery of free, and information will be
white and it was nice to see his method for improving the made available on the stu-
them hug and interact like world: “It was in this Gandhi dent life web page regarding
good friends... It was evident an emphasis on love and non- registration.
that times have changed,” said violence that I discovered the “[ACC’s Sigma Alpha Pi] is
Teadora Erbes • Staff Photographer
Ojeda Sande. method for social reform that I one of the largest chapters in
The Austin Area Heritage had been seeking.” the United States. It’s not just a
Quevarra Moten, Riverside Student Life Coordinator animated the
Council, a nonprofit that is conference it’s an experience,” leadership training session at Riverside campus on January 21.
said Moten.

page 6 Accent • February 2, 2009
mov ie re v iews
There’s nothing new in New In Town
Lindsay Preston
Staff Writer
New In Town, directed by
Jonas Elmer, offers a run-of-
the-mill fish out of water story.
Lucy Hill, an ambitious,
callous female executive
(Renee Zellweger), is con-
fronted by the folksy wisdom
of small-town Midwesterner
Ted Mitchell, a still-waters-
run-deep union leader (Harry
Connick, Jr.), when she is
transferred from Miami to
Minnesota in order to oversee
Notorious biopic does him justice
Photo Courtesy of Fox Searchlight
Life&Arts
the downsizing of a plant at
the heart of the local economy.
After some friction
and culture shock
felt by both
parties,
her heart
thaws as she
Photot courtesy of Lionsgate
comes to
recognize the
significance of community
within the frozen tundra,
where people survive by rely-
ing on each other.
The plot is nice on the
surface, albeit a little tired.
New In Town even introduces
some populist whisperings
of weighing the corporate
bottom-line against the lives of
those potentially devastated by
it’s impact.
However, the script is terri-
ble. The characters are over the
top and the plot is thoroughly
predictable at every step. The
film is tedious and insulting to
its audience.
Shawn Hinojosa
Staff Writer
Jamal Woolard gives a
passionate and engaging
performance as Chris “BIG”
Wallace in the riveting biopic,
Notorious.
Director George Tillman
Jr. captures Wallace’s energy
and stature vividly with
stunning cinematography
and a wonderful sound track,
punctuated with a gripping
scene about the first recording
of Biggie’s hit, “Juicy.”
Naturi Naughton slam-
dunks the difficult role of Lil’
Kim, and Angela Bassett is
w w w.the Accent.org
New In Towns one hour
and a half of monotonous,
schmaltzy dialogue feels more
like purgatory than an enter-
taining romp.
Naturally, the blossom-
ing, confrontational love affair
between Zellweger’s execu-
tive and Connick, Jr’s union
boss is inevitable as every one
comes to learn a little more
about the gift of community
and judgment of how the other
half lives, everyone but the
audience that is. If any reader
is interested in finding this
familiar tale within a stronger
and more interesting venue, I
would encourage watching any
episode of Northern Exposure,
the 20 minutes of your time
would be far less exhausting
and cheaper.
always great as she recreates
Wallace’s wise mother, Voletta.
The closing montage
honors Wallace as the man
and entertainer that he was,
is, and forever will be remem-
bered as.
Any fan of hip hop music
will appreciate this coming-
of-age story of one of hip hop’s
royalty, which may be a little
heavy-handed near the end as
Wallace makes amends with
nearly everyone he wronged
shortly before his murder,
which is still unsolved to this
day.
JP Pfertner, lead singer of Built by Snow calls for crowd participation
during their show at Club Deville on January 24.
Built By Snow’s MEGA
Improvement from Noise
Sarah Vasquez
Staff Writer
On Jan. 24, 2009, Built
by Snow along with friends
Hollywood Gossip, The
Bubbles, and The McKenzies
shared the stage at Club
m u sic
Sarah Vasquez • Staff Photographer
Deville to celebrate the release
of Built by Snow’s “MEGA.”
After a week of summer
weather, the 40 degree night
didn’t freeze the band’s, and
fans’ celebratory mood.
“MEGA” captivates
listeners with hand clapping
pop goodness, and an homage
to the original Nintendo
games’ music. With the album
length at twenty-two minutes,
the nine songs are long enough
to be fulfilling but don’t wear
out their welcome.
Some have compared the
band to Weezer as well as
the Cars, and it goes without
saying that this observation
is warranted. The melodic
keyboard with the accompany-
ing dance driven beats inspires
even the somberest of listeners
to shake some part of their
body.
“MEGA” is a definite
improvement from their first
EP “Noise,” released a year
ago. The band took more time
writing and recording this
album with producer Alex
Lyon, and the effort is evident
in the final product. The musi-
cality is tighter, and the vocals
are more stable.
Anyone’s inner nerd,
whether their poison is Zelda
or physics, will be drawn to
the geeky themed lyrics and
titles.
In “Science of Love,” lead
vocalist JP Pfertner sings,
“Magnetic hearts are beat-
ing static through our veins
attracting you and me while
pulling us away.”
t
Wansee
to re?
mo
Want to see more?
Go to www.Accent.org

February 2, 2009 • Accent page 7
Bolano’s 2666 most pertinent novel of the century
Chilean born novelist Roberto Bolano was recently named a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle
award. “2666” was on many “Best of” lists along with Time naming it the best book of 2008.
David Rodriguez
Assistant Editor
Roberto Bolano’s “2666” is
arguably the greatest novel of
2008.
Unfortunately, Bolano
passed in 2003 due to liver
failure.
He was born in Santiago,
Chile in 1953, and spanning
his half of a century of exis-
tence, his loved ones can defi-
nitely call him a poet, revolu-
tionary, intellectual, journalist,
critic, and novelist.
He is best known for his
novel “The Savage Detectives,”
which won him the Herralde
and Romulo Gallegos prizes,
but he is rapidly gaining a
mystique and well deserved,
but tardy acclaim for his
posthumously published tome
of indescribable, unforgiving,
and all-consuming fear and
anxiety.
“2666” chronicles the more
than 300 deaths of young
Star Ocean
calling RPG
enthusiasts
Shane Yount
Staff Writer
Star Ocean: Second
Evolution is a Play Station
Portable port (the transfer of
a game to make it compatible
with another system) of the
1999 Play Station title Star
Ocean: The Second Story.
Second Evolution takes
place two decades after the
events of Star Ocean: First
Departure. The game is in the
role playing style (RPG), and
chronicles two people from
separate worlds that must
work together to stop a tyran-
nical force from destroying the
universe.
Unlike many RPGs,
Second Evolution allows play-
ers to choose which characters
to play through the game.
Depending on the character
chosen, certain story events
will play out differently.
Second Evolution features
an upgraded interface, in
addition to a bonus character
that was not available in the
Life& Arts
entertainment
Photo courtesy of www.cccb.org
women in the border town
of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (he
uses the pseudonym, Santa
Teresa).
Bolano meant for “2666”
to be published as five differ-
ent parts to be more profitable
for his family, but his publish-
ers chose to publish it in its
entirety (for philosophical
reasons?).
This review will appear in
two parts, and the work will be
treated as five different novels
with a common thread. The
first three parts of the novel
are reviewed here, and the
fourth and fifth parts will be
reviewed in the Feb. 16 issue.
1. The Part About The Critics
Bolano begins part one
by introducing four academ-
ics with a common obsession:
a German novelist named
Benno von Archimboldi.
The quartet consists of
three men and one woman.
The three men are Jean-
original game.
The graphics of Second
Evolution are pretty, albeit
not ground-breaking, with
cute 2D sprites against lush
3D environments. The battle
engine features four charac-
ters battling enemies on a 3D
plane. Characters and foes are
free to run around, providing
a more action-oriented system
than most RPGs.
Innovative features, such
as “item creation” and “private
actions” provide an entertain-
ing experience.
“Item creation” enables
characters to learn a variety
of skills by utilizing the skill
points they earned by gaining
levels in battle. Upon learning
enough skills, characters can
learn specialties like cook-
ing and alchemy. As long as
a character knows a specialty
and has the necessary materi-
als, a plethora of items can be
made.
“Private actions” allow the
player to split up in towns,
and then go speak with other
team members, and engage
in a variety of scenarios and
conversations. Depending
on the responses that the
player receives during these
situations, emotional values
between characters can change
b ook re v iew
Claude Pelletier, the French
authority on Archimboldi;
Piero Morini, an Italian
teacher of German literature
who is confined to a wheel-
chair; and Manuel Espinoza,
a Spanish Jungerian turned
Archimboldian. The woman is
Liz Norton, a British academic
who is slowly taken by the
enigmatic author’s books.
They all eventually meet
at a German literature confer-
ence and progress to intricate
friendships. The Part About
The Critics begins quaint and
very ordinary, like when you
step on an old ladder and
everything feels normal, but as
you descend upward things get
shakier and sketchier, but you
must continue to see what’s
over the wall.
The characters are the
nationalities they are for a
reason, and the sex they are for
a reason. This is hard to catch
on to if you haven’t visited
their native lands personally
v ideo game re v iews
Graphic courtesy of Square Enix
accordingly.
The main reason that all
RPG fans should definitely
give Second Evolution a try is
that it is an updated port of a
retro classic.
The original Star Ocean:
The Second Story is heralded
as an epic space opera with
multiple fantasy elements.
The game may seem a little bit
dated by current RPG stan-
dards, but Second Evolution is
a blast to play. When it really
comes down to it, isn’t that the
most important thing?
re v iews
and are unfamiliar with the
nuances of their cultural
quirks.
Bolano hints inside of
hints, or hints into a brick
wall, and a shallow grave in
a desolate desert. Bolano’s
prodding of his audience is
not malicious, but puzzling
and fun. It is almost as if he
gets lost in his own underlying
themes.
The academics build
unmanageable relationships
with one another that lead all
but the handicapped Morini to
pursue Archimboldi to where
he reportedly was last heard of
in Santa Teresa located in the
northern Sonoran Desert.
Bolano now introduces
the main character of the five
novels: the city of Santa Teresa.
Bolano abruptly sneaks in the
omnipresent character of a
city. Santa Teresa is horribly
large and unyielding, violently
beautiful, and confusing, but
simple in its ugliness.
Bolano braves abysmal
waters, not unlike what David
Simon, George Pelecanos, and
Richard Price did with the
television show “The Wire,” by
casting Baltimore as the main
character and exposing its
viscera.
While in London, Pelletier,
Espinoza, and Norton experi-
ence a purgation. Themes of
painful but necessary lib-
eration, utter sadness, and
distance begin to permeate
the pages. Bolano’s bittersweet
execution of the quartet’s
thoughts, experiences, and
desperate relationships is very
real, and makes the drama
that much more palatable, yet
upsetting.
It is humorous to try to
predict where Bolano is going.
He may not have known either
during the writing process,
but you can feel the beaten
road, the despair, and gangly
arms of unsaid truths tapping
you on the shoulder, star-
ing at you in the eye from a
distance, forcing the audience
to possibly examine a lie that
they have told to themselves
over and over, making the lie
an intrinsic part of their outer
shell.
With this novella of an
introduction, Bolano sets the
stage for “2666” with the first
saturated 159 page. Part one
is wonderfully constructed
and coaxes more, even after
the shocking, but expected
conclusion.
2. The Part About Amalfitano
Professor Amalfitano is
Brawler SF1V
Attacks America
Shane Yount
Staff Writer
Street Fighter IV will be
hitting North American shores
on both the Play Station 3 and
the Xbox 360 on February 17.
Street Fighter has been
a favorite amongst gamers
ever since the first install-
ment, released by Capcom, hit
arcades in 1987.
The original SF began as a
challenging and entertaining
2D brawler. Since 87’ the series
has undergone multiple evolu-
tions, some more successful
than others.
When SF IV arrived at
arcades last year, longtime fans
were blown away for a variety
of reasons.
The graphics are noth-
ing short of phenomenal.
Characters and environments
are rendered as 3D models
with polygons, which gives
the fighters a special stylized
effect, and a hand-drawn look.
The characters still battle it out
on a 2D plane, just like in the
original installment.
The new game-play fea-
tures, such as “focus attacks”
and “ultra combos,” provides
a Philosophy professor at the
University of Santa Teresa. He
is introduced in the first part
of “2666” as “an expert on
Benno Von Archimboldi,” to
the three academics in search
of the elusive German novelist.
Amalfitano has a teenage
daughter named Rosa, who is
his muse, but this word does
not accurately describe the
emotions and unconditional
love Amalfitano has for his
daughter.
This part of the novel
reads as a one sided conversa-
tion, that needs no rebuttals
or comment. Amalfitano is
confessing for the sake of con-
fessing, and the reader gets the
sense that he is going mad.
Bolano digresses into
Amalfitano’s lonely history,
and echoes of an autobio-
graphical sketch linger behind
the visage of the Chilean
Philosophy professor, who has
only a daughter, and has no
idea what he is doing in Santa
Teresa.
Amalfitano has had a
bohemian existence not unlike
Bolano.
Amalfitano is obsessed
with a geometry book, and
hangs it on his clothesline in
his backyard to see how long
it will last in the elements.
This allusion to a true Marcel
Duchamp story is yet another
prodding anecdote that
amuses and draws the reader
in, as opposed to coming off as
pompous and exclusive.
Amalfitano seems a nod
to everything Bolano saw
himself as, but larger and more
complex, as fiction should be
(who wants to read absolute
truth in fiction or at least know
it’s absolute truth until later
reflection).
Amalfitano is horrified of
the killings surrounding his
and his daughter’s existence.
Bolano stunningly conveys
Amalfitano’s infinite anxiety,
sadness, and helplessness as a
concerned father and a burned
out shell of a man, overedu-
cated and overqualified for the
life he has fallen into.
Bolano forces Amalfitano
to be swallowed in the desert
and eaten whole by a monster
with no teeth, gumming away,
and turning his bones to gel.
Bolano pens Amalfitano’s
digressions masterfully, and
Bolano’s dark humor is slightly
lighter throughout this section
due to Amalfitano’s brooding
charisma and fascination with
geometry.
Bolano’s vignettes leave the
reader uncertain but not quite
a highly addictive fighting
system.
The former, are moves
that allow the player to absorb
an attack, and then launch a
counter attack in response.
The “focus attack” tech-
nique is executed by hold-
ing the medium punch and
kick buttons simultaneously.
Depending on how long the
buttons are held, the “focus
attack” can become very
powerful.
“Ultra combos” are long,
cinematic moves featur-
ing lengthy combinations of
attacks; as opposed to “super
combos,” which can be used
after hitting the opponent sev-
eral times. “Ultra combos” are
satiated, demanding a plunge
into the third part. Treated
as an isolated novel, this part
stands alone as exceptional
and ethereal.
3. The Part About Fate
Quincy Williams, pen
name Oscar Fate, is an African
American, New York City
journalist who writes for a
pseudo revolutionary Afro-
publication.
Fate is an interesting char-
acter. He is a fringe journalist
not unlike Bolano was, but
very detached.
Detachment and loneliness
permeates all of Bolano’s male
characters, and the feeling of
Santa Teresa as the main char-
acter (almost with masculine
attributes) is clearly evident
as Fate is called there to do a
boxing story because of the
untimely death of the sports
writer for the publication he
works for.
Fate comes across
Amalfitano’s daughter, Rosa,
and refuses to allow Santa
Teresa to have its way with her.
The third part is very noir,
and reads like an Elmore
Leonard novel with more
clandestine subtleties and
depth, or a Richard Price novel
with less dialogue, and set in
Mexico.
Fate’s section of this
enigmatic masterpiece shows
that Bolano is not just aca-
demia and obscure philoso-
phy. Bolano’s nods to writers
most Americans have never
heard of, much less history
Americans have such a pen-
chant for forgetting, regret-
tably, are even more below the
radar in The Part About Fate.
The feeling persists after
the first three parts of “2666”
that the novel is a five dimen-
sional opera begging an audi-
ence but not in need of one,
and a show that will continue
even after the final notes are
sung.
Bolano is the Spanish lan-
guage equivalent of Herman
Melville, Cormac McCarthy,
and John Steinbeck.
His storytelling is mag-
nificent, and his translation
of emotion through a con-
versational style of writing is
unnerving, and frightening.
Clichés such as tour de
force and sprawling master-
piece come to mind, and the
novel is barely climbing inside
of a violent and poetic gondola
to its apex.
Graphic courtesy of Capcom
able to be executed after the
player incurs a specific amount
of damage.
SF IV offers an impressive
roster of 25 characters. Old
school favorites Ryu, Sagat,
and Chun-Li join newcomers
Abel, the amnesiac fighter,
and the beautiful female spy
Crimson Viper. Other charac-
ters such as Cammy, Gen, and
Rose have been confirmed for
the home editions of SF IV.
What makes SF IV such
a success is that it stays true
to its 2D fighter roots while
offering its audience a fresh
graphical update, and multiple
new features.