VOLUME 23, NUMBER 09 Www.BROWARD.EDU/OBSERVER JANUARY 26, 2009 Sports Entertainment Superbowl Movies Steelers and Cardinals clash on Upcoming movies and the Feb. 1 latest reviews on what’s playing PAGE 17 PAGE 15 Welcome Week: Fire, painting & lots of food! Brian Brushwood: fire eater, escape artist and stuntman. PHOTO BY BRITTANI PHILBIN Events during initial week gets students excited for the new term, on page 3. $3 million in money woes College faces budget cuts, again. BY BUZZ LAMB STAFF WRITER Total amount: $3,056,000 According to William Pennell, Federal revenue lost: 4 percent BY PHILIPPE BUTEAU Broward College’s Chief COPY EDITOR Fiscal year: 2009-2010 Financial Officer, it was See the small headed, big decided during the 10- From: July 1 - June 30 bodied guy to the right? day special legislative session that took place William Pennell Money saved: Well he and his fellow CFO/VP FACILITIES punchers and kickers January 5 – 16 that are back in an all new the budget cuts will be four percent of revenues for Waterless urinals: $200,000 Street Fighter game set all community colleges in the state. “For Broward New printers & copiers: $100,000 to release next month. College (BC) that translates into $3,056,000 and And before some change,” he said. “So that is what will be cut Travel budget: $100,000 you say it, for the balance of this year.” Gov. Charlie Christ has Street Fighter said that he would like to borrow money from the won’t be the only state’s trust fund in order to lessen the cuts made to our budget,” he said. “Therefore our students and our thing to play this education spending. faculty will not see any impact from it directly during season. Though this Pennell said his office had already set aside $3 the rest of this fiscal year.” time of year usually million out of last year’s surplus in anticipation of Pennell said even though his office anticipated lacks when it comes the four percent cut. “We have already provided the cuts and planned for them this time he will now to both quantity and that funding so the budget we started with won’t have to plan for them on a recurring basis “because quality of games, the new Street have to change for the rest of this fiscal year,” he said. that same four percent is coming out of next year’s Fighter is among the games “However,” he cautioned, “not only do we have that budget also.” Pennell said the college’s fiscal year runs that are going to kick, nay, $3 million cut facing us next year, we will have to from July 1 to June 30 annually. “Right now we are deal with additional expected cuts coming from the hurricane kick the new year of okay for this year. We know that the special session video games into motion. March and April regular session.” imposed the four percent cut. We are anticipating the So follow the jump to find Broward College President J. David Armstrong, regular session could add an additional six or more out what three games you Jr. said even though the cuts are dramatic, the percent in cuts because the economy is continuing to should be looking forward to state colleges fared better than other parts of state get worse,” he lamented. government did. “There were some programs that and what else is coming out this BUDGET season. they cut out totally. Anyway, the good news is we GAMES had planned for that four percent cut when we set up CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 JANUARY 26, 2009 THE OBSERVER SOUTH 3 Young illusionist breaks Houdini’s record Brian Brushwood shows off his magic at South. BY JILLIAN GOLTZMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER faculty was awesome and the record of escaping a straight jacket audience was so responsive. This in two minutes and seven seconds As the lights dimmed upon is in every way my favorite kind of with eight seconds left to spare. the open stage, all eyes fell on to gig!” “The show was sweet and a bit the magnificent flames that swept So how did the award-winning disgusting all at the same time,” through the air. The fire, like a illusionist make his way on to the said BC student Lidia Rodriguez. vibrant phoenix, danced around South Campus stage? Emmanuel Rodriguez’s friend and fellow the stage as it mesmerized its prey, Eyim-Danquah, BC student and student Jasmine Polanco went on to the eager audience. On Jan. 13 active member of the Student say “It was very entertaining!” The over 100 students sat at the edge Programming Board (SPB) - a two agreed that Brushwood’s show of their seats in the Auditorium as group of students that work succeeded in being unique, which the burning flames were suddenly hand-in-hand with Student Life is Brushwood’s main purpose. “I engulfed and extinguished in the - attributed the planning to SPB. really wanted to make what I did mouth of the invincible illusionist, The show was planned as part different…. Bit by bit the show Brian Brushwood. of Welcome Week and has been has gotten [weirder and weirder] Brushwood, 33, has worked his planned since July of 2008. and has become the monstrosity way up to the top in the world of The idea sparked when that it is,” Brushwood claims. The magic entertainment. “The Tonight Brushwood performed at the “monstrosity” consisted of concrete Show” and even Halloween Association for the Promotion of blocks on his bare head, flame Horror Nights 2008 in Orlando’s Campus Activities conference that swallowing, transporting pins from Universal Studios are just a few of SPB attended in Georgia during his eyes all the way to his mouth Brushwood’s major appearances. March of 2008. “The show is and even a demonic hand puppet One thing Brushwood enjoys awesome, he even turned $5 into named “Mr. Happy Pants.” more than his wall of trophies or $100,” said Eyim-Danquah before Many audience members left television credits is touring colleges the show. the laughter-filled auditorium with around the country. He admits Brushwood has been perfecting t-shirts and copies of Brushwood’s during his show, “I love working his skill since the young age of 8. book Cheats, Cons, Swindles and for colleges. You guys are the The passion was originally just a Tricks: 57 Ways to Scam a Free Drink. smartest, hippest and most fun to hobby. Brushwood said, “It wasn’t To find out more information perform for.” until college that I got into magic on the “Bizarre Magic of Brian After the rattling and engaging seriously, once I did though I had Brushwood,” or to pick up a few display was over Brushwood the bug pretty bad,” Years later, magic tricks check out his website exclaimed, “This was great! The Brushwood has beaten Houdini’s www.shwood.com. PHOTO BY BRITTANI PHILBIN Brian Brushwood performing one of his illusions. “Mother Earth, Thought Woman” open at South Dr. Kyra Belán shares her work at the art gallery. Dr. Kyra Belán Art in BY AMY SNITEHURST group them into a particular reference to the divine feminine. permanent locations: NORTH BUREAU CHIEF configuration of pieces for a Dr. Belán is currently a particular environment.” She uses professor of art and art history Bass Museum of Art, Dr. Kyra Belán is currently painting, photography, and text at South Campus. She is also the Miami Beach, FL. showing a mixed media instillation because she likes to “mix [her] coordinator of the Visual Arts entitled “Mother Earth, Thought media” or combine art forms. Program, and the founder and Museum of the Woman” in the art gallery of South She also pointed out the director of the Seminole Arts and Americas, Miami, FL. Campus. The show is comprised symbolism of the exhibit, such Culture Project. She has published of three different media: painting, as dogs as human companions five books over the past nine years, Art & Culture Center of photography and text. Each piece and guides to the afterlife. Dogs, the two most recent being “Art, Hollywood of artwork has something about the she said, are very connected to Myths, and Rituals” in 2007 and beauty of Mother Earth, which Dr. Mother Earth, because they “enjoy “The Virgin in Art” in 2005, which Metro Dade Art in Belán calls her “main inspiration.” the surface of Mother Earth”. is in libraries all around the world. Public Places Dr. Belán shared what exactly This was conveyed by her candid She’s done over 45 solo art her mixed media instillation was photographs of Dalmatians playing exhibitions and over 80 group Broward Art in Public all about. First she explained that, in the grass. Her text also stated exhibitions in her 25 years in the Places “Instillation is a contemporary that the wonderful painting of the art world. She has been presented PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA MARTINEZ form of art where instead of just Grand Canyon as a backdrop for with numerous awards, such as working on one piece … [you] the Statue of Liberty was a double Cambridge’s “Who’s Who in American Art” in 2008-2009 “Instillation is a contemporary form of and the “Florida Achievement Award art where instead of just working on in the Arts”, Women’s one piece … [you] group them into a Caucus for Art Chapter in 2007-2008. particular configuration of pieces for a She exhibits across particular environment.” the country, and her largest conference is -Dr. Kyra Belán this February where she will be speaking about her instillations.