Culture 8 CAMPUS LEDGER • SEPT 9, 2010 CAMPUS LEDGER • SEPT 9, 2010 13 A&E New student lounge sets mood for relaxation Orchestral and metal collide ‘At the Edge of Time’ By Tasha Cook By T.J. Hafer Voice in the Dark” are reminiscent Students have always found creative The original bards of power metal, of their fast-paced early work in ways to relax between classes, but the What’s the Blind Guardian, are back with their first the late 80s and early 90s. Fans of new student lounge takes on-campus full album since 2006’s “A Twist in the their more recent, prog-influenced What: Jeff Havens: How to Get breaks to a whole new level. strangest thing Myth”. work will find plenty to love in the Fired, free Located in COM 309, the lounge was “At the Edge of Time” contains stylistic likes of “Valkyries” and “Road of No When and Where: Craig Auditorium a part of a large renovation project in you’ve seen influences from the German group’s Release.” (GEB 223), Sept. 21 from 11 the COM building this year. The old around the Kansas entire 26-year career, and does not The album also contains two a.m.-Noon Corner Lounge, located on the first floor, disappoint. medieval-style acoustic ballads that Why You Need to Be There: was replaced by the new third floor City area recently? Portions of the album actually play out should sound familiar to long-time Come enjoy the comedy of Jeff lounge, which includes video games, more like a film score than heavy metal, Blind Guardian fans. Of the two, Havens as he presents a satirical high-definition TVs, ping-pong table, “There was a balloon man with entire movements populated by the phenomenal “Curse My Name” monologue on how to fail in the foosball, a chess board and several other orchestral instrumentals. stood out as one of the best tracks working world, then closes with entertainment options. in Westport the other night. It does not take long for the band’s on the album. real tips to help you make the “It’s been a blast to be involved,” said He made a blow-up doll out trademark sound to kick in, however. The lyrics are exactly what one transition to your future career. Jim Freed, director of Facility Planning. The complex, heavily layered vocal and would expect from Guardian, with “A lot of our stuff is pretty basic, of balloons… he was a big instrumental tracks that set Guardian a fairly even mix of religious and What: Noon at the Nerman, free classrooms and offices. Not that those hit, and of course everybody apart from its peers are present in full mythological references alongside When and Where: Atrium, Nerman aren’t very important, but this [time]… force. homage to fantasy literature, Museum, noon on Fridays we could kind of loosen up and really likes that. I was really While the pace is slower overall primarily Robert Jordan’s “Wheel Why You Need to Be There: Take have a lot of fun.” Amadeo Ramos plays foosball in the new students lounge located in COM 309. Students can entertained.” –Ivey Rison, than “A Twist”’s relentless, bombastic, of Time” and George R.R. Martin’s a walk around campus with a Freed credited the college President now come to relax between classes to a fun filled environment. Photo by Lily Sisay progressive-influenced track list, there is “A Song of Ice and Fire” this time college staff member to find out Terry Calaway, dean of Student student no lack of energy to be found here. around. more about a particular piece of Engagement Rick Moehring and kind of sad when they closed down for liked the result. Front man Hansi Kürsch is at the “Control the Divine” which campus art each week. assistant dean of Student Life Pam construction,” said Christine Iiams, “In the beginning there wasn’t much up top of his game on every single song, lyricist Kürsch described as a very Vassar with putting the plan into motion. student. “But this lounge is actually here, just a bunch of chairs and furniture, “Kids texting while riding their soundly dismissing recent rumors that logical exploration of Lucifer’s Illustration by Rick Hernon What: Constitution Day with “Terry Calaway set the stage for that, really cool because you can play video so I thought it really came together,” he the 44-year-old is getting too old for this. motives in rebelling against heaven, Benjamin Franklin, free got Rick involved, and Rick and Pam games and watch TV in between classes. said. bikes, that’s pretty strange.” Lead guitarist André Olbrich continues was particularly interesting from a lyrical than a genre-defining album for a new When and Where: COM 156 on worked together very closely and came It’s just a great little atmosphere.” Freed said one of the main intentions –Taylor Harris to prove that there is more to being a standpoint. decade, it will more than satisfy any true Sept. 17 from 11:00-11:50 a.m. up with the concepts for the spaces Student Rody Walker didn’t believe the of the new lounge was to provide students great metal guitarist than just how fast The album closes with the epic “Wheel metal fan. Why You Need to Be There: See up there,” Freed said. “I’m blessed, lounge was being built until he actually with a room away from home that felt you can shred, offering his irreplaceable of Time” featuring an Arabian-influenced And it is not at all a bad place for Benjamin Franklin portrayed privileged that I’ve had an opportunity saw it. like their own place. brand of Celtic-sounding thrash, power, instrumental track that sounds more like newcomers to the heavy metal scene to “OK, most recent weird thing by the college’s own professor to be involved in that, it is a lot of fun to “I found out about it and I was like “The rest of the campus is pretty and prog riffs. Led Zeppelin’s classic “Kashmir” than jump in either. of History, Fred Krebs, in an do things for the students.” ‘where is it, ping-pong? I’m there’,” institutional; a lot of the carpets and I saw was some guy pressing The diversity of musical textures any past Guardian song. While “At the entertaining and informative Freed said the COM renovations cost Walker said. “I kept hearing rumors they finishes are very similar. We wanted to goes beyond any of the band’s previous Edge of Time” as a whole ends up seeming Contact T.J. Hafer, A&E editor, at mock interview conducted by about $345,000 altogether. were opening it. I didn’t know if it was a do something really unique up there that his butt up against the offerings. Tracks like “Tanelorn” and “A more like a Blind Guardian retrospective [email protected]. Tim Owens, adjunct associate The room is a popular new hangout for freshman prank, or if it was seriousness… really gave the students a place they felt window of some coffee shop.” professor of Political Science. students to sit around a table and chat or I thought they were kidding until I was their own,” he said. just simply kick back and relax. actually walked to the front desk and –Eamon Devine OPINION Compiled by T.J. Hafer “The first lounge was nice, and it was they said it really exists.” Contact Tasha Cook, news editor, at Compiled by Elisabeth Bronaugh Student Patrick Costello saw the lounge [email protected] N area while it was under construction, and IO N I By T.J. Hafer game for which you can download to PC gamers has surpassed the current

P Common reading programs dampen spirits With such high-profile titles as user-made modifications, colloquially generation of consoles in a year or less. O “Dead Rising 2” and “Guitar Hero: known as mods, that double the Plus, PC hardware can be upgraded By Elisabeth Bronaugh disease that has plagued the country This year, the college chose “The Warriors of Rock” released since our amount of content available for free. without replacing your entire system A new reading program has for many years. Kidder’s moving Glass Castle”, by Jeannette Walls. last issue, some of you may wonder The exercise is pointless, as with the or waiting for a new “version” to come gained popularity throughout the story encouraged good works and Once again, a non-fiction book, why I did not do a game review this exception of casual games like “Little out. If you buy a new console, you are nation, with colleges and universities kindness. though this time it is a memoir time. Big Planet”, there are not any. stuck with the graphics card inside for integrating it into their freshmen and I was not surprised by Loyola’s instead of a guilt trip to participate The simple answer is that these “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” three to five years minimum. sophomore English classes. decision, given that it is a Jesuit in community service and other games are not available on the stands out as a game for which user- The age-old keyboard and mouse The common reading program is a school, to select a book focused on community programs. platform that I do almost 100 percent created mods extended what is combo blows any console controller program each school independently good works and outreach to third- Going along with the chosen of my gaming on; the past, present, normally about a 40 hour game to out of the water, especially in the runs. The college will select a world countries. common read book seems lazy. and future king of gaming platforms: almost 100 hours at no additional shooter and strategy genres. If you book and either require the entire So again, I was not shocked when Whether these professors chose the the PC. charge to me. do not believe me, try playing “Grand incoming freshmen class to read it I enrolled in my second-year English common read book because they did I will admit to owning a Wii, but I None of that content would have Theft Auto IV” with the precision over the summer, or assign it to all class here at the college to find that not care what they taught, or because use it mostly to watch TV shows on been available had I bought the aiming of the mouse controls. If it the students enrolling in English I or we were participating in a common they just wanted to appease, they Netflix’s instant play. console version. doesn’t make the game feel almost too II. reading program as well. This time should have reconsidered. At all other times, I game on the very And if you are interested in easy, you are doing something wrong. When I showed up for my freshmen we were reading “The Soloist” – yet Assigning a book to students when machine into which I am typing this developing your own content, the PC Console fans can bicker about their orientation at Loyola University in another non-fiction story focused it is meaningful to the professors is article. is simply the only place to do it. Do not silly Xbox-Playstation rivalry until Chicago, Ill. everyone received a copy on sacrificing skills and time to help much more exciting than some book That itself is one reason I am such a even get me started on the map editor the end of time. Frankly, their only of “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by others that are less fortunate. a group elected for an entire school to rabid PC fan boy. in “Halo 3”. Some PC gamers are still advantage is a lower price tag. Tracy Kidder. During the course I wrote four to read. While working on a paper or laughing at that thing. I plan to stick with the only true This non-fiction book told the story five papers over “The Soloist”, reading I value my professors’ opinions browsing Facebook, I can boot up The PC is also home to superior hardcore gamer’s platform, as should of a prominent physician, talented it several times, and resenting the and wish they wanted to individually “Fallout 3” or “Dragon Age: Origins” graphics and controls. any who are serious enough about enough to work anywhere, who chose book more and more each time. By select the texts for their courses. without even leaving my chair. Sure, when a new console is first gaming to throw down the extra cash. to go to the poorest parts of Haiti. His the fourth paper, I could not help but Furthermore, PC games offer more released, it generally offers superior goal was to study, treat, and prevent wonder whether my professor even Contact Elisabeth Bronaugh, value in the long run than console visuals to its PC contemporaries. Yet, Contact T.J. Hafer, A&E Editor, at multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, a liked this book. culture editor, at [email protected] games, period. Try to think of a console time and again, the hardware available [email protected].