Catalyst

PAGE 1

Features James Bond, Church of the SubGenius --page 4 Sleepy Hollow --page 5 Volume X, Issue 11 Student Affairs creates a new position Opinion Editorial: Raccoons still a problem --page 7 Well, that was absurd, let's eat dead bird! November 24, 1999 soon: New College student television Ed Ericsson encourages students to form a college television station. by Ryan McCormick Price, Esq. Gourmet', followed at five by yet another spine-tingling Another long, dreary night slouches wearily towards installment of 'Goth Theater'! NCfV isn't just a public dawn as you desperately search for something to fill the access channel; it's a revolution!" time so you can put off starting Soothed and becalmed, you that 30 P.age paper that is due Ed Ericsson ,vould. like to sink into the cushions of the the mormng. You've bad your fill couch and stare vacantly at the of Snood, and the only thing of see the students of Ne,v screen, freed of all your worries by Darren Guild interest in Palm Court was a conand cares as you indulge in the There will no longer be an vocation of raccoons, none of c II d d finest television programming a Assistant Director of Student whom seemed terribly interested JO ege get CXCtte an tiny liberal arts college can proAffairs, the position formerly held in hanging out with you. So, in duce. by Tim Richardson. Instead, a desperation, you turn to Ham take over" the campus cable This scenario, according to search committee is being assemCenter, where you find that Coordinator of Media Services bled, ads are being placed, and glassy idol, the TV, sitting flCt\VOtk by adopting Ed Ericsson, is no mere electronic applications are being accepted for a placidly before a row of padded fancy. Rather, Ericsson hopes to brand new position. pews, alone in the dim and echo-Channel 23 as their verv see students forge this idea into On paper, the position is titled ing cafeteria. With trembling an entity: a s tudent-acces s televi-Associate Director of Student hands you reach out an d push the own N CTY. sion station maintained and Affairs but around New College it power button. A hiss of static, a produced by a student organizawill be titled Director of Student flash of divine white light, and .__ _______________ _j tion utilizing the facilities of the r. 1'ln if"' e ft nil!eiiwe_,then a sonorous voice emerges from the speakers: Jane Bancroft Cook Library Media Center. Ericsson del-' s re 'To ight, on NCIV, tune in at four o'ciOCIC a.m., three scribes the current will be new responsibilities outlined central, to catch another edition of 'The Budget Vegan campus cable net in the job description, and the new position will receive a pay raise from class 3 to class 4. Mark Blaweiss, Director of Student Affairs, says that he hopes that an applicant wil1 have been chosen and start working before the end of spring term so that he or she can meet students and feel settled when a new group of students arrives in the fall. Anne Fisher, who works at the Parkview Counseling and Wellness Center, is to head the search com mittee. The committee will be comprised of seven or eight mem bers, three student representatives appointed by the NCSA and three or four faculty representatives ap pointed by Dr. Fisher. The search committee will be intimately in volved in the application process, and the search committee's job will be to review the applications, rate the candidates, and meet the final ists. Blaweiss said that while he has the final say, the search committee's recommendation will have a large influence on which candidate he will choose for the new position. The search will be conducted na tionally. Want ads for the position "HOUSING" ON PAGE 3 Professor Gilchrist lectures on hermit crabs In this third installment of the faculty lecture series, Biology shines. by Max Campbell On Wednesday, November 17, crustacean enthusiasts and casual crab-lovers gathered to hear Professor Sandra Gilchrist's epic lecture, entitled "Emerging From the Shell: How Hermit Crabs Have Influenced the Masses." The usc of the word "masses" in the presentation's title, Gilchrist explained, refers to the many students who have studied hermit crabs in the past, and whom she hopes will continue to do so in the future. "At the end of this presenta tion," she said, "I want you to agree with me that hermit crabs have to be some of the world's most interesting ani mals." Indeed, Gilchrist's lecturethe third installment of New College's prestigious faculty lecture series--truly bad some thing for everyone. This became apparent in the earliest moments g ,.Professor Gilchrist lectures in Sudakoff center. of the presentation, when she first held up a large, plush, her mit crab-shaped object. "In my guise as being a teacher for a variety of age groups, I often make use of... puppets," Gilchrist announced, working her hands to manipulate the crab's legs. Not that puppets are al1 that the presentation had to offer--a veteran of sixteen years of dealing with New College students and faculty, Gilchrist came prepared with slides, a brief video of an aggressive octopus, and even what she described as "the obligatory lobster shot." For those of us who are un familiar with crab lore, hermit crabs are the ones who take up residence in the vacant shells of snails and similar dead critters. "A hennit crab is shrimp-like in the abdomen," Gilchrist ex plained, "and when we talk about the crabs, we mean both jsEE '{CRABS" ON PAGE 6

PAGE 2

2 The Catalyst Hand of God Suspected in EgypWr Crash With no evidence found of explosion or me chanical failure amid unusual circumstances of the October 31st crash of the Boeing 767 EgyptAir Flight 990, investigators from the FBI, the Egyptian government, and Boeing Industries focused on lhe voice recorder from the pilot's cabin, which features the voice of a relief co-pilot alone in the cabin saying: "I have made my decision now; I put my life in God's hands", only moments before the jet began its fatal descent into the Atlantic off the Massachusetts coast. The American media im mediately began broadcasting this information in a manner which implied the fanatical co-pilot may have been directly responsible for the crash. These allegations have fomented the wrath of the Egyptian media. There is currently no official cause for the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990. Americans Now Over 20% Less Likely to Be Gunned Down on the Street According to the latest government statis tics, shooting deaths dropped 21%, to the lowest levels in 30 years, and firearm related in juries dropped 43% between 1993 and 1999. The information, gathered by the Center for Disease Control from emergency rooms across the nation, reflect a booming economy and in creased police presence. These statistics reflect the drastic fall in homicide rates across the na tions; !he 1990 homicide levels are at levels lower than any era previous to the 1960s. News NASA Launches Thirteenth Mars Mission, Hopes for Good Luck Crossing its collective fingers, NASA plans to observe the successful landing of the Mars Polar Lander on December 3rd, shortly after 3 P.M. The last mission to Mars ended in com plete disaster when the probe was destroyed (presumably by Martian defense satellites) upon entering the upper atmosphere. The probe's primary mission is to search for traces of liquid water, indicative of the possibilities of life on Mars. Florida's Congress is Packing According to an article in the Palm Beach Post, Republican Representative Frederick Brummer opened his campaign by applying for a concealed weapons permit in order to bolster support in his conservative district of Apopka. Brummer is one of ten Florida House of Representatives members and eight Florida senators to carry concealed weapon permits. Most politicos claim they carry the weapons for protection, fearing grudge-bearing psy chopaths "Peanuts" Creator Stricken Charles Schulz, beloved creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Peppermint Patty, and a variety of other cultural icons with suspi ciously generic names but lovable identities has been diagnosed with colon cancer. Schulz un derwent emergency surgery for a blocked abdominal aorta on Tuesday, November 16th, and doctors are attempting to determine the best November 24, 1999 Y2K: Even Worse Than You Thought Air Traffic control systems are still rated as highly unsafe by Rep. Steven Hom, the official grader for the American government's Y2K compliance program, who gave federal agen cies fifteen A's, five B's, three C's, and one D. The unlucky dunce was the Justice Department, which still has three critical computer systems unfixed and no emergency backup plan. 17 fed eral programs are listed "at risk of failure", and society is undoubtedly destined for a plunge into anarchy and chaos. Stock up on canned goods for Christmas. Churches Stage Lock-In in Jerusalem Christian churches throughout the Holy Land, from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christ is presumed to have been buried after his crucifixion, to the little churches of Nazareth locked their doors in mass protest against the Israeli government's decision to allow the construction of a mosque beside the Basilica of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel is said to have given the announcement of Chrisl's birth to a undoubtedly-surprised Virgin Mary. The triple dispute between the Christians, Moslems, and the Jewish govern ment of Israel are building up to an explosive millennium problem. Fear Armageddon, heathens. Researchers Complete Genetic Map of the Uber-Bacteria course of treatment for the cartoonist. Schulz ore o -sru a 1 Last Friday, November 19th, gene sequenc', a ; Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Dinner of Champions at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington in Rockville this past Monday. Aimed at breaking down some of the stereotypes about Jewish people in today's soci ety, the Dinner honored great Jewish athletes of today and yesteryear, including baseball players Sandy Koufax, Jim Wexler and Marc Heyison, Redskin's announcer Phil Hochberg, world ranked tennis player Paul Goldstein, and professional wrestler Bill Goldberg. Ben's Best Deli of Potomac provided the catering, which included kosher hot dogs, knishes, chopped liver, corned beef, pastrami, potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage, and pickles. catalyst James Bond vs. the Headless Horseman MGM's latest Bond extravaganza, The World is Not Enough, and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow topped the box office this past weekend, each drawing over $30 million. Another mon ster rounded out the triad of heavyweights; a pocket monster. Pokemon: The First Movie took in $13.3 million for a total gross to date of $68.2 million. Box office draws like these three blockbusters, along with the epic The Phantom Menace and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me helped push total box office re ceipts to over $6.9 billion this year. microorganism with the hefty name of Deinococcus radiodurans. The little unicellu lar superbeing can survive and thrive in environmental of extremes of heat, cold, radiation, and can blithely ignore lethal atmospheric levels of toxin. Scientists intend to use the newly-discovered gene sequence to aid in researches directed toward finding a way to clean up toxic waste spills. Compiled from The Associated Press. The Catalyst is available on the World Wide Web at http: I /www.sar. usfedu/-catalyst/ General Editor Shanon Ingles Managing Editor Ben Ruby Online Editors Nikki Kostyun and David Saunders Layout Editor Michael Jones Photography Heather Whitmore The Catalyst is an academic tutorial spon sored by Professor Maria Vesperi. It is developed in the New College Publications Office using Adobe Photoshop and Quark Xpress for PowerMacintosh and printed at the Bradenton Herald with money provided by the New College Student Alliance. Contributions may range in length from 250 to 500 words. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 250 words. Submissions should be labeled as either letters to the Editor or contributions and include names and contact information. Submissions in "rtf' or "WriteNow" format may be saved to the Catalyst Contributions folder in the Temp Directory on the Publications Office file server, printed submissions may be placed in campus box 75, and all other contributions may be e-mailed to catalyst@virtu. No anonymous submissions will be accepted. Staff Writers Max Campell, Kathryn Dow, Darren Guild, Ryan McCormick Price. Esq., Michael Sanderson, Mario Rodriguez Contributors Mr. Turkey Direct submissions and inquiries to: The Catalyst 5700 N. Tamiami Tr. Box #75 Sarasota, FL 34243 catalyst@virtu.sar.usfedu The Catalyst reserves the right to edit submissions for space, grammar or style. All submissions must be received by 5:00 p.m. in order to appear in the following week s Jssue.

PAGE 3

3 The Catalyst News I Entertainment : The prom you always wanted to atte;;t' 24, 1999 Queer Formal Despite a student injury, the event went off well. Velvet and Vinyl and Leather, oh My! by David Saunders On November at 11:00 pm, College Hall was taken over by people m bnghtly colored wtgs, fake-eyelashes, and lots of glitter. Queer Formal h.ad back. to New College. The red carpet was literally rolled out and hmousme ervtce was provided for all. There were women dre sed suit men dressed in fine evening gowns, and many others garbed m mynad and sundry outrageous fa hions. Students gathered in ide the main hall, the back hall, and outside near the bay. College Hall never looked so fabulous. !"lowever, transfer student Maytal Grossman slipped and fell de cendmg the stairs behind College Hall. It seemed that she had her left ankle. As the ambulance arrived, she proclaimed that she was feehng much better, but when the paramedics asked her to tand on her ankle she couldn't do it. She was then taken to the hospital. Her current status i' unknown to the Catalyst. Aside from the omewhat ill-prepared bar and the sometimes mind-bogNCTV? Could it be a reality? I.FROM"TELEVISION" ON PAGE 1 I ..... work situation. The Media Center maintain a cable ystem with a num-ber of modulators that send a set of channels from various output to a number of cable hookups acros campu Almost every classroom has a cable hookup, as well as the We tside Student Center and the Hamilton Center. B-Dorm was hooked up recently and there are plans underway to Second Court Lounge as well. This cable access provides televi SIOns m these locations with a variety of preset channel including CNBC, the Weather Channel, PBS, and a Russian satellite station pulled in from New work channel receiving its input from a VCR in the Media Center. Currently, thi channel is designated by Ed Ericsson as "Ringling TY," playing a five hour video loop featuring dance tutorials, graduations, and a video campus tour from bygone days. Ericsson, however, is tired of seeing the same taped montage repeating itself five times daily and would like to see the students of New College "get excited and take over" the campus cable network by adopting Channel 23 as their very own NCfV. gling .choices of music, and of course the injury, Queer Formal was a lovely expenence. People could dance, drink and act as crazy as they wanted to. The Formal gave many student much nicer memories to substitute for their highcbool proms. Organized by fourth-years Chris Holleran, Julia Skapik, and Eric Kolb, thls.Queer Formal wa as wank as they come, perhaps in order to make up for 1ts absence last year. There was a slight discrepancy having to do with the renting on the limo. It had been originally voted against when the SAC consulted the Town Meeting. H.oJJeran went to the SAC with a petition with 150 sig natures, which was ev1dently an adequate rebuttal, and so it was funded. The limo it elf was very upscale. It picked up and dropped off students 11:00 pm am. It was quite swank, which could be quite help ful tf you are t.rymg to '!?nore four dru_nken party-goer drinking from coconuts, weanng Hawauan shtrt and blanng Don Ho from a beach radio. One could only be so unlucky. Thne in to channel23. access station. He ee thi as an opportunity for student to reach out to the community, gradually insinuating them elve into the public airwave of ota and Manatee counties. Eric son wishes to ee a tudent organiza tion fo.rward to set up a programming chedule, with student-provided edited and taped by volunteers into eight-hour program blocks that will be run from the Ringling VCR cabinet at the Media Center, switched a necessary during the day and left to run at night. One such group has already taken the initiative, engaging in intensive planning sessions to establish a program log. The New College Society fm: ilU, ( >ll b \ successful campaign to procure a new teievisioa for Second eo.ut (the television should be pur ptaee soon fered to coJJectively fi)) the role of producer for the buJgeO!Iing tyou have ideas for submissions, whether you already possess taped footage that you wish to be aired, or you want to have access to the equipment necessary to create your own show, contact NCSAATV co-founders, (both of whom are members of the Catalyst), Ben Ruby or Ryan McCormick Price, Esq., at boxes 773 and 787 respectively. With prior experience in PEG (Public, Educational, Government) access television in Hawaii, Eries on is familiar with the processes of a public Anne Fisher heads the search committee for the new position IFROM "HOUSING" ON PAGE 1 I L--------------__1 are to appear in various circulation of higher education such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, which is dis tributed to most college and univer ities nationwide. 'I here will al o be ad posted on the Internet at the home page of U P ara ota/New CoJJege and through professional conferences. The candidates will have to respond to the ads by a specified time. "The candidates will have a certain time," Blaweiss said, "until the end of January or early February to send to Dr. Fisher their resume, cover letter, reference Then the search committee will go through those and decide who they will bring them to campu and interview." With ad. sent aero the country to places of higher education, there will likely be applicant from areas all over the country. Blaweis said that he would expect to receive "anywhere from 100 to 200 applications for the position." Although the search is being conducted nationwide, it is by no means restricted to the national level. Blaweiss commented, "there might be people from our own campus that apply; there might be people from Tampa that apply, there might be people from across the nation that apply." The search committee will bring approximately 3 to 5 of the top appli cants to campus for a day or two, where the candidate will have the opportunity to meet with faculty and students. "When I came," Blaweiss said, "I met with the NCSA, UPSA, and other student from New College and the University Program." After the campus visit, the search committee will evaluate the candidates and come up with a list in rank order, which they will then show to Blaweiss, who will make the final decision. The new position will be intimately involved in ew College re idential life. The chosen one will be in charge of ucb things as serving as a judicial hearing officer, coordinating room and housing as ignment, making sure that housing standard are maintained properly, and enhancing computer er vices for students. Another major part of the new position is that it will act as a liaison from the office of Student Affairs to the students, and physical plant and food service staff. Among the other responsibilities outlined in the position for the Director of Residence Life and Food Services are to erve as the chief resource staff person to all New College students with di abilitie Blaweiss said that his major goal for the position i "to make our re i dence halls of the same quality a our academic program That i my biggest goal-to mirror in Student Affairs what we do in Academic Affairs." Included in being a large figure in residential life is that the person will be open and able to interact with tudents on a day to day basis. "The per son will have to have energy and creativity," Blawei s commented. "They will be an advocate for the tudents by making sure that they fight for con cerns that the students have." The new job description was written up because the title did not fit the duties, and the salary for the e duties was too low. The pay rai e from cia 3 to cia 4 means that the new po ition will receive an annual pay of orne where between $38,000 and $40,000. The new title, job description, and pay raise ha been approved by USF Tampa. The person selected will mo t likely be required to hold an advanced degree.

PAGE 4

4 The Catalyst Entertainment November 24, 1999 The World is Not Enough is a worthy James Bond Installment Hailed as one of the best James Bond flicks in over a decade, the film offers action and humor. by Max CampbeU For all of its 19 installments, the long-running James Bond: 007 series is still running strong, and The World is Not Enough definitely delivers. One critic called this film "the best Bond movie in decades," and while I'm not sure that I'd go that far, this certainly was one of the best in the James Bond serie For anyone unfamiliar with 007, James Bond is the agent of England's se cret service, MI-6, who won fame and fortune through his notorious womanizing and his heroic exploits against the communist menace during the Cold War. Come to think of it, he's the kind of character whose head many New College students might be glad to see on a pike-still, the movies are a blast for those of us who'll admit to loving racy comedy and big explosions. And, while it's uncertain whether The World is Not Enough will provoke the same deep musing and thoughtful discussions as such movies as Stigmata or American Beauty, it sure was a blast to watch. In this movie, Pierce Brosnan, the latest thespian to don the heroic Bond mantle, takes on 007 for his third time. The basic plot of the movie involves James Bond's efforts to save the heiress of an oil company, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), whose life and business are under attack by a vile terrorist known as Renard (Robert Carlyle). One downside to the Bond series as a whole is that the movies tend to be pretty predictable. The villains' evil plan is fairly ho-hum (how many new and original ways are there to take over the world?), and if you think that something will happen, it probably will. See that helicopter with the giant chain saw apparatus, peacefully trimming tree limbs? Well, take a wild guess the film. We can delpel1Ld weapons expert. We can also depend on 007 to wreck them completely. There's also Bond's usually share of philandering, with both Elektra and the other female lead, Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards), who's name might have won the prize for worst ever in the series ... if it weren't for Ms. Pussy Galore from Goldfinger. You know that the writers are going to stick Bond's two trade mark lines in somewhere in the film: "Bond. James Bond," and "shaken, not stirred." Yet it's the recurring elements in the 007 series that keeps the audience com back. The movies just wouldn't be the same without an M who's per petually disgusted with Bond's antics, and of course the ever-present Moneypenny (Samantha Bond). What was is Not Enough was that the movie also managed to bnng m some mterestmg new aspects and a few surprising plot twists, carrying with it some of the biggest changes since Goldeneye first introduced a new, female, M (Dame Judi Deneb). For the first time in my own memory, for example, the true identity of the villain turned out to be something of a surprise. Furthermore, it looks like Q is finally retiring-in this film, he's grooming are placement, whom Bond dubs as "R." R is played by John Cleese, a former Monty Python member who has starred in such movies as A Fish Called Wanda, and who played a big part in some of the film's funniest moments. The by-play be tween the evil conspirators of the story was unusually interesting, and the terrorist Renard-a man who has found su perhuman strength due to a bullet in his brain which is slowly killing off his senses-makes a far better villain than, say, the evil newspaperman from Tomorrow Never Dies. (This reporter will admit to some possible bias on that score, being an evil newsman himself.) Finally, the film delivers those mainstays of the Bond series, violence and romance, in epic proportions. The "new" Bond of the recent movies seems to become much more emotionally attached to the women he becomes involved with, with some interesting results, and all of the explo sions, gunshots, and killer doohickeys are most definitely sights to be seen The film also carries several dangling plot threads and an injunction that "James Bond will return" before the ending credits, so we may be sure of is one series with some definite staying power. t ing-tHs So, if you can stomach the violence, womanizing, and commercial plugs which typify the series, go and see The World is Not Enough and have a good time. If you're totally horrified and disgusted at the prospect, go and see the movie anyway-after all, there are worse ways to get a quick, rejuvenating hit of moral outrage to propel you onwards. Super-sufficient SubGenius slack detrimental to Devival The Church of the SubGenius recently held their first Tampa Devival. Stay tuned for improvement. by Kathryn Dow Slack is one thing, but the Church of the SubGenius' first annual Tampa Bay area Devival suffered from an excess of it. An event that could have been very interesting, were it better organized, resulted in a hodgepodge mishmash of chaos that kept only the most die-hard Subgenii until the end. The Devival was held on Saturday, November 13, at Gyland's in Ybor City. Informed that the original start time of 5:00p.m. had been pushed back an hour, my companions and I arrived, ready for the madness, around 6:30 pm. A sign on the door informed us that it had actually been postponed until 7:00. So we waited. And waited. A-; the minutes slowly pa, sed, more and more individuals straggled in, many adorned in T-Shirts bearing the likeness of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, the deity of the SubGenii. It seemed that most of the younger atten dees were goths or punks. The vendors' table was set up, selling The Book of the SubGenius, along with other books, 30 dollar membership packets, and bumper stickers with logans such as "Act like a dumbshit and they will treat you as an equal." Finally, somewhere around 9 p.m., the PA system fmally came to life. My suspicions about the venue's acoustics were aroused as the first band--Ruim, your basic angry political punk band--had their sound swallowed by the in ability of the building to handle it. From what I could tell, they were a decent band, but the mix didn't do much for them. After screaming for about 30 minutes, Ruins packed up their instruments and the rants began. The first speakers explained the Church of the SubGenius' ideas about Slack and the importance of giving all your money to Bob. According to the SubGenii, Slack is what we have taken from us by the structure of mainstream society. Slack is what allows us, for example, to walk down main street wearing purple polka-dot pajamas. Their philosophy stresses the importance of Slack, and promises that by sending 30 dollars to the Church, you can get your Slack back. At any rate, the time came for the second band, Martyr Complex, to play. Despite serious technical difficulties with the guitar amp, and the vocals van i hing from the mix halfway through their cover of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)," they were energetic, and the audience was definitely into the performance. Vocalist/Keyboardist/Programmer/Songwri ter Aaron Eglin later said that he felt it was their best show to date. So, on with the rants. After some more confusion and chaos, as the dis organized organizers tried to determine what was going on, Papa Joe Mama took the stage. Wearing a red priest's collar and a black robe tied with a red rope, he looked like the devil's preacher man. In actuality, he was Bob's preacher man, delivering a sermon entitled "Bob said it, I believe it, and that settles it!" After this point, the night descended into a chaotic mess, with a sadly unimpressive performance by Susie the Floozy and some interesting, if odd, weirdness arranged by Hell Pope Huey. As th1s was only Tampa's first atlempt at holding an event of this type, I ha_ven't up on them yet. Given a bit more planning and organization, th1s. Devtv;al have been an inspiring conversion experience for your cymcal, reporter. Despite the uninspiring spectacle of the overall ev_ent, the htghhghts led me to the conclusion that in future years, this event m1ght become the grand-scale display of intelligent kookiness I expect from the SubGenii.

PAGE 5

s The catalyst Entertainment November 2 4 199 9 S leepy Hollow is an artistic arrangement of blood and be aut y Tim Burton s directorial brilliance shines in the darkness of Sleepy Hollow. by Kathryn Dow Sleepy Hollow Tim Burton s latest effort, brings Burton's art i stic vision to life in a breathtakingly beautiful piece of cinema. With s tunning performances and beautiful camera s hots the movie's overall effect more than makes up for a mediocre script. Director Burton shows us once again how beauty can be found in the macabre and humor in the horrible, as Washington Irving s classic horror story is given a slightly different twist. Set to a score by the inimitable Danny Elfman the Headless Horseman rides again artistic sensibilities. The film was shot mostly in England, where the production crew built the entire town of Sleepy Hollow on the Hambledon Estate for the movie shoot. The Western Woods are foggy and dark, the Tree of the Dead is gnarled and old, and everything is wonderfully beyond real. Burton's inspira tion for the style of the movie came from the old Hammer horror films, and asked his cast to watch them as a frame of reference. True to that form, the film is bizarre and ridiculous, yet at the same time creepy and compelling. Johnny Depp, who played the title roles in Burton's Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, is back in another leading role, where he showcases his aptitude for bringing youthfully exuberant, quirky-as-hell characters to life. Playing the scientifically minded Constable lchabod Crane, he is thrown into a world A pre production sketch shows Tim Burton s unique artistry. Sleepy Hollow is a stunning remake of an American fairy tale. All the elements of hor ror and romance are there. Extremely realistic severed heads and a mind-twisting mystery surround a simpler story of love at first sight. This is Burton's most beautiful movie since Edward Scissorhands. which befuddles him thoroughly. It befuddles the viewer as well, as the plot takes a series of twists and turns, with every scene a testament to Burton s Never mind the slightly muddled script. Sleepy Hollow is an absolute must-see for Tim Burton fan Sleepy Hollow proves to be a d isappointment to horror fa n s This newest Tim Burton film suffers from a mediocre script, but is redeemed by good acting. by Michael Jones Slee p y Hollow c ould h ave been a spine remake of a classic ghost st u u ror stand-by, but it was n't. The truth is, it fell somewhere in between .. Johnny D ep p Christina Ricci, and many others carry an otherwise mediocre script into what be came a moderately entertaining hybrid between humor and horror. The movie begins leaving the audi ence questioning as to whether this is a joke, or a piece of crap. The music sets right off into the pit of horrific cord, playing classically intense mustc, which every moviegoer recognizes as .a hint that they should be scared. The audi ence wasn't. As the movie unfolded, I spent the first half-hour wondering whether I should be scared, or laughing. By the time I real ized that it s probably supposed to be a mixture of the two, it took me a half hour to switch gears and not look at this a piece of crap horror flick, but a tongue-m cheek spoof. After the entire ordeal .of intention unfolds itself, I was left wtth about 20 minutes to realize that the movie, actually, was rather mediocre. dictums they place their faith. The j u xtaposi t i o n w as t her e, but i t wa s hardly successful. Thankfully, the audience was able to leave t h e the a t e r t ver e and the eve n o t to see a. trite Jove story as the whole mess un folded. How nice. Any insightful look at the rivalry, or l a ck thereof, between science and supersti t ion were short lived, and malconcievcd. Crane deal s w ith witchcraft, magick and the supe rna t ural all in t h e same monoto nously idiotic, yet boyish l y naive (awww, how cute) way. By the time he's fini:hed fiddling around with these two wor l ds, you get the distinct impression that writer meant to say something, but forgot to open his mouth. Depp, Ricci, and a compo ition of enough high profile names to make !he movie a ure fire profit maker (somethmg has to) did a very respectable job with .a highly mediocre script. Depp hts character well. I pity him for havmg to pla y it. Still, he pulls off a mix of naivete and arrogance that suits the character beautifull y The plot itself, thankfully, ts compri s ed in such a way that by. the tim,e you get to the end of the movtc, you re so caught up in its twists and turns, that forget the muddled inanities you bad to s1t through for the first 30 min.utes. The movie leads you through a senes of accu sations and plot twists that are reminiscent The story is based on the L e gend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, in which an awkward young school teacher, Ichabod Crane, encounters the headless horseman in the dark of the night in a town called Sleepy Hollow. This movie adds the spin of making Ichabod Crane a constable from New York city, sent to prove his worth as a forensics expert and of an old school murder mystery. Johnny Depp, as the scientific /chabod sports goggles remmls-The twists were fun, but it was no cent of early forensic .. Strangely and useful when Clue. In fact, that's the best way to cla -scrutlmzmg the decapitated. sify this movie. It's no Clue. It trie_s to be, as an emissary of science. The idea of a scientist going to explore a ghost story leave one assuming that a nccessful juxtaposition of science. and_ superstitiOn would leave the audience with an eerie feeling of uncertamty m the credos and but fall just short, leaving you a vacuous, poorly thought out fhck that manages to entertain you by the time you walk out the doors.

PAGE 6

6 The Catalyst News November 24, 1999 It's a crab's life: Gilchrist shares her passion with students the crab and the shell." In studying the crabs, scientists and students observe how they acquire these shells, which shells the crabs want, and how that shell affects them. Gilchrist herself focused much of her presentation on a comparison between the popu lation of hermit crabs here in Sarasota and the crabs of Roaton, off the coast of Honduras. A key outpost for the study of the crab of the Honduras area, Gilchrist said, is the Institute of Marine Science at Anthony' Key, which possesses an area for training dolphins, as well as re sources to allow the researchers to view videos and develop their own film on-site. "I hope the new marine re ] search Jab will bring some of the same advantages we have in Honduras," Gilchrist said. Why compare the two areas' hermit crab popu lation at all? "We share at least one species [of hermit crabs} in common, and we potentially share a larval pool with Honduras," Gilchrist exl "The areas sbare complex habitats, the crabs' activities, researchers may spend years or decades of direct observation on focal areas or focal animals, conducting visual transects, and building simulated predation sites. The latter method is a convenient way to draw hermit crabs to a specific area: the researcher piles up heaps of snail shells, as if they were the discarded leftovers of a dining predator. "We've modeled our elves after the octopus," Gilchrist proclaimed. Scent traps, or crushed shells with dead snails inside of them, are included, as if the predator had just fed off of them. Then, the researchers can sit back and wait to observe the hermit crabs who begin arriving to claim new homes. Not that it's a free lunch for the would-be tenants, who may end up becoming lunch themselves if there are any real predators waiting in the area. As Gilchri. t commented, "It's as if you went into the store to "At the end of this presentation, I want you to agree '\vith me that hennit world's most interesting animals." Professor Sandra Gilchrist get some new clothes, and someone was there to whisk you away." The net result of all this time and effort on the re earchers' part? "I have yet to find a single pat tern in 16 years for this data," Gilchrist aid, "It really makes me question some of the studies that have been done over three months. What are we really learning in such a short period?" Still, the studies have dug up some interesting 3. Organization: RAs--World AIDS Day Activities Sarah Himmelheber 1. Organization: Queer Formal Holleran $125 or $165 for a Limo ruJu ... $165 for Limo. Holleran ob150 signatures, which is more than those that voted against it at the Town Meeting. Organization: New College Theatre Baker Requesting: $124.11 Allocated: $124.11 4. Organization: Simpson's Circle Sarah Himmelheber Requesting: $65.07 Allocated: $65.07 5. Organization: Dance Thtorial Kristen Partian Requesting: $40 for food Allocated: $40 from food reserve. behavioral tendencies in hermit crabs. For one thing, Gilchrist observed, "crabs have been coming into the predation sites, not in pristine shells, but in shells that have already been broken. Usually, the crabs that show up, we hypothesize, are crabs with ill-fitting or broken shells." Shell shape, the shape of the shell's aperture, and shell weight all appear to be impor tant factors for the crabs in choosing their home. The crabs even appear to be able to sen e when a specific genus of snail is being killed by a preda tor, when determining whether the leftover shell would suit their purpose. "They are very particular in what they will or will not respond to," Gilchrist said. Sometimes, the crabs have been observed carrying shells to store them else where, usually moist areas where the crab often returns. "They're caching the shells almost as if they're anticipating a return to that area," Gilchrist explained, "This indicates some pretty sophisti cated mapping, and even what we would call learning ability." a s dispfay"':f'tlie e an trm s 10 y ave itg r mit crab, marred only by a brief equipment failure towards the midpoint--which was soon rectified, to the applause of the audience. The lecture was capped off with the brief presentation of a beauti ful underwater video of a feeding octopus, another species of interest in Gilchrist's field, which she credited New College's Professor Demske for pro viding. "We're very much looking forw'ard to working with these animals in laboratory conditions," Gilchrist enthused. Just another example of the glory to be found in the exciting world of oceanography, where students may scour the seas in pursuit of knowledge and that elusive, perfect snapshot of a photogenic lobster, (a common am bition among such folk, as Gilchrist noted). 'g. 0 ffil ,.... f1) $107.75 for lighting. : $107.75 Allocations: $461.93 From Food Reserve: $40 The Slavic V ocalEnsemble performed last Thursday, in the College Hall Music Room.

PAGE 7

7 The Catalyst Opinion Editorial: Raccoons still a problem Raccoons, the all too visible menace, trash can is knocked over, and lids that still stalk this campus with impunity. These require opposable thumbs to open. semi-large critters rip open garbage bags, These new trash cans would have the overturn trash cans and occasionally follow obvious benefit of removing the raccoons pri-Catalyst staff members up the stairs of Pei. mary motive for invading dorm space. The tiny beasts certainly are cute, but someAs to who would pony up for these thing needs to be done about these tiny mentrash cans, housing is an obvious suspect. aces to Novo Collegian society. Although the cost of premium, high grade Already the valiant student members of garbage cans might seem potentially expen the Methods of Field Ecology class have leapt sive, it is really cost effective in the long run, if into action. Talcum powder has been spread it means less disease carrying, potentially around various outdoor trash receptacles, in hostile animals roaming around our dormito-an effort to obseNe raccoon behavior, estiries. mate their population and make recommenThere is one other possibility, which is dations on how to deter them from campus. rK,.,....,..:.., mixing tabasco sauce and water, and then In the mean time, we at the spreading the concoction around the rim of Catalyst would like to make some your garbage receptacle. The disadrecommendations on preventing raevantage is that many New College coons from disturbing our trash and students, attempting to dispose of our lives. Our proposed solution has their trash at 4 a.m. might harm them-two important elements, neither of which selves with a handful of tabasco water. are particularly burdensome. One way or the another, students are going Unfortunately, our initial plan, which to have to pick up some of the slack. started out as a way of convincing all the rae-The last peg that must fall into place is coons that it would be a good idea to swim that students must be responsible. If we want out into the bay, devolved into something that to get rid of the raccoon menace, we can't vaguely resembled a recipe for baked clam leave food lying around, we can't feed them, sauce. The second plan ended up as a killer we can't name them and we can't leave the carrot cake. The third plan, however, stands lids of the garbage cans open. The raccoons tall and it is that plan that we present to you. might seem cute, but they are a potential danThe primary part of Operation Resist ger, as well as a considerable inconvenience. Raccoon involves trash cans. Not the current It is important not to encourage them to trash cans, which our omni-resourceful friends become anymore comfortable in our dorms already understand, but new, raccoon-proof than they already are. trash cans. ca effort to make a trash can raccoon-proof. All that is required are lids that don't fall off if the Do you know someone who you've always thought \vould be perfect for New College_? The Offic..:e of Admissions invites you to i'dd your favonte hnght, passwnate, motivated, independent, eu:entriG {im>ert your own a?.jecti.vc here} high school student senior) to our wathng h$L Please fill out the ionn as completely ;15 possible and then return il to u5. ProspectiVe student's Mailing Addrer.s Gly I State Zip I Phone Numht:cl f ligh L-------Year of GraduJ.tion Pn-..Jble Study lntcrcsts 10 S.tudcnt Your N<1me L------------New College of USI Off1ce of Admi.,sions S700 t... Tamlami Trl Sarasota I L 34236 (941) JS()--4:>69 FAX (94 t) 359 4435 ncadmi!:.sions@sar.usf.edu Contribution Guidelines Letter to The Editor: A reader's response to previ ous articles, letters and/ or editorials, o:r an o inion. that is intended to be shared with the student body. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 250 words, and are not a forum for free advertising. Contribution: A factual article written by someone not on staff. Contributions should be informative and to the interests of New College students as a whole. Contributions may ran_ge in length from 250SOOwords. Guest Column: A so licited OQinion piece. Guest columnists do not necessarily represent the views of the Catalyst, but rather opinions of which we feel the New College community should be made aware. Guest columns may range in from 250-500 words. All submissions should be received by in order to ap pear in the next issue. I I I I I j l I I I j I j j

PAGE 8

8 I'm giving thanks that we don't have to go through this for another year. Except we do, because those bastards went and put Christmas right in the middle, just to punish us. Simp on Knitting Circle Meets on Sundays in B Dorm at 8pm. Food and supplies provided. Football is now every fri day at 4pm. Dr. Beverly Brechner is giving a lecture on Tuesday November 30 at 3pm in LBR, entitled Applications of Mathematics to Neurosurgery" Joanne: You're calling me a freak? Tommy: No, I'm calling you a product of baboon Iovin'. There's a distinc tion. HAPPY TURKEY-DAY!!! 11.15.99 llam Criminal Mischief Utility tunnel hatch cover hasp and padlocks in Pei and a telecom locker han dle were pried and broken. Estimated Damage: $200 Status is pending. 11.15.99 3:16pm Burglary in Pei. Persons unknown did enter a room a stole $40 cash fom resi dent's desk drawer and a wallet with $190 from the other resident. Status is pending. 11.12.99 2:14am NC student caught smok ing in a public building. Status: Student issued to pay $100. Referred to Student Affairs Announcements ....... CAREER CENTER Summer Jobs:John's Hopkins University is currently looking for Resident Assistants for their Center for Talented Youth and Center for Academic Advancement. RAs have small groups, no more than 13, and work with an exceptional group of highly able, motivated students. Excellent pay and room and board at the college campus. Applications will be available in mid-November and may be obtained by sending e mail to KAT@jhu.edu or by calling (410) 516-0053. Application dead line is January 28, 2000. lntemships:Yosemite National Park has internships available in Education, Search and Rescue, Deaf Services, Natural and Cultural History Interpretation, and Wilderness Management. Must be upper-level undergraduate or gradu ate student; minimum 3.0 GPA or top 10% of the class, and solid aca demic base in one or more natural, physical, or cultural sciences. $6/day or $30/40-hour workweek, $1,000 scholarship, free housing. Possible reimbursement for travel cost For more information email: kathy_ dimont@nps.gov or call (209) 375-9505. Application dead line: Feb. 1, 2000. MarineLab internships are available to college students during spring, ummer and fall in six week ses sions. Duties include assisting staff instructors, lab set-up and mainte nance, snorkel gear maintenance and inventory, supervision of stu dent snorkeling activities, and preparations for group arrivals. Interns may assist with almost all phases of the MarineLab environ mental education program. CPR and First Aid certification; open water scuba certification; comple tion of at least two semesters of college level biology with a grade of B or better; comprehensive health insurance. Room and board and a small stipend are provided. Intern students should request an intern ship application packet in writing to: MarineLab, Marine Resources Development Foundation, PO Box 787, Key Largo, FL 33037.Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory of fers Summer 2000 courses and research opportunities in field biol ogy June 11August 5, 2000. Courses are offered in 8-week or 4-week session in ecology. Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) lets students conduct inde pendent re earch under the supervision of RMBL scientists and receive a $2,500 stipend and free room and board. Minorities under represented in the biological sciences are strongly encouraged to apply. To request application mate rials call or fax (970) 349-7231, email rmbl@gunnison.com or download an application from http://www.rmbl.org. Fellowship:The Levy Institute Forecasting Center Fellowship is for outstanding students headed for a career in economics, business or public policy. Spend two years gaining valuable, practical experi ence at the Levy Institute Forecasting Center. Additional in formation is available on the Career Center website.