10.29 revised

Windows 7 is here: The Univer-sity Times reviews Microsoft’s new OS.

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The History of Halloween and why it’s so popular

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The University of North Carolina at Charlotte • www.nineronline.comTHURSDAY

October 29, 2009 Vol 22, No. 16

Got a tip? Give us a call at 704.687.7148 Partially Funded by Student Fees Published twice weekly

ChriS WoodSr. Staff Writer

The only way I know how to describe the man standing 5 feet away from me is talented. In one hand he is holding a piece of D.O.M. tubing, in the other hand is his tape measurer; which he nonchalantly throws off to the side knowing that his measurements are perfect.

Baja Team Crew Leader,

Brendan Mylton does what all great and successful people do in this world: he takes his job and occupation home, and makes it his hobby and craft. While others are doing what college students typically do, Mylton is fabricating, notching and welding; enhancing his skills to better serve UNC Charlotte.

“My expectations are to first and foremost have a blast, and

learn some very useful skills to add to my repertoire along the way. Oh yeah, it would be great to earn a Top-10 finish at the SAE Collegiate Competition.”

In order for Mylton’s goals to become a reality, he and the rest of the Baja Team must continue to display the diligently work they’ve displayed thus far. “We’ve put in about 3,000 total man hours into the team this

year.” While spending an afternoon

with Mylton, it is clear how much talent and experience he bestows. Not many people could design a roll cage from scratch; none the less know how to engineer structural bends to strengthen the roll cage without adding unnecessary weight.

“As a team, we have to design the chassis and all custom

Laura CamiLoStaff Writer

Three of Charlotte’s distinguished Latino leaders spoke in Afterhours on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The occasion, beginning at 7:30, was hosted by the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and was part of a series of events during Hispanic Heritage week. A crowd of about 25 gathered to hear the speakers, enjoy some complimentary refreshments, and mingle with peers and colleagues. “This is my first year as treasurer, but I know that LASO’S been doing events like these for about

six years now,” said LASO treasurer Marisa Maher. “It’s very important for us to network, but not just within the university. We need to maintain close ties with Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Latino community.”

LASO president Osby Garcia opened the lecture; “These are great, outstanding leaders and professionals in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area…they are orgullos hispanos.” Rubén Campillo, advocacy coordinator of Latin American Coalition and state direction for the Reform Immigration in America Campaign, was the first speaker. Originally from San Luis Potosí,

aLexa maSSauAsst. News Editor

Virginia Tech student went missing from a Metallica concert Oct. 17. Police are investigating the disappearance of 20-year-old Morgan Dana Harrington. She was last seen near the concert venue, John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville Va.

There is a $100,000 reward for her return, and the Metallica band is adding $50,000. The band has placed a picture of the missing girl on their website.

There is video footage placing her around the venue until 9:30 p.m. the night of the concert. After the concert her phone and purse were found outside the arena, and her car was still in the parking lot.

In a news conference

with Harrington’s parents, her mother said she hoped that her daughter would come home safe and soon. She also mentioned hoiw out of character this was for Harrington.

In an interview with The Roanoke Times, Harrington’s roommate and concert companion, Amy Melvin, said she did not know why Harrington ventured outside of the arena before the concert began.

Building on this atypical circumstance in a Fox News interview with her father Dan Harrington. He said, “She is [not] out there with someone she chose to be with.”

As of now the Virginia State Police are treating this as a missing person case.

Photo/ Chris Wood

See motor sports page 2

Anything but rocky start for UNC Charlotte’s Baja team

See Latino page 2

Brendan Mylton’s custom rock crawler used for competition

Virginia Tech student missing after concert

TiFFany handyStaff Writer

Sunday at 6:00 p.m. the fourth annual Afribbean Fashion Show was held in the Student Activity Center at UNC Charlotte. Models from the Caribbean, Africa and the United States sported brightly colored clothing as they walked the catwalk in front of a crowd of around 65 people.

The show’s feature designers were Twice Original Designs and Odelia Studio with entertainment provided by Toochukwu T.C. Anyachonkeya, author of “Deeper Than Rhymes,” rapper/song writer Chief Capo,

and singer/song writer Rainey Vexen. Albeit it was over 45 minutes late getting started and visibly chaotic, T.C. helped ease the tension by strutting his stuff on the runway before reciting an inspirational poem from his book.

The reason for the delay was said to be because Chief Capo was running behind; however, five minutes before the show, he preformed the sound check. Due to this set back, the rest of the show as affected. There were long pauses between models, moments of silence while waiting on the performers to come on

stage, and the announcer seemed bewildered.

After having to restarted her final song three times, singer/song writer Rainey Vexen admitted that she was nervous and kept missing her queue. “Like always, I get nervous, but I try to turn my mishaps into part of the show,” Vexen said. She played off her mistake by making it appear as if she were trying to get the crowd more involved. By the middle of the song, she had most the audience clapping to the beat of her music.

The modeled clothes where flirty and fun ranging from sun

dresses to business casual pants, from halter tops to tiger print evening gowns. Twice Original Designs had an urban feel and featured men’s polo shirts in various colors. Odelia Studio was the last and most extensive line presented to the audience.

Odelia Rouse was born in Dominica, and in 1985 she moved to United States. She went to fashion school at Bauder College in Atlanta, Ga. In July 2008 she opened a store in Concord N.C where she hand made all the clothes featured in Sunday’s show. While this was only the second line of clothing

See Fashion page 2

Charlotte area designers host “Afribbean” fashion show

Latino leaders promote tenacity

Photo/Michael Golly

❚ october 29, 2009 ❚ THE UNIVERSITY TIMES

parts that we cannot buy from other companies. Here at UNC Charlotte, we use a program called CAD (Computer Aided Design) Software, and/or Solidworks, which is specifically designed for mechanical engineers.”

Once a design has been created, the next step is then to get a printable version to the machine shop, where they will be able to orchestrate various bends in building their car.

“We fabricate and design just about everything on the car ourselves, other than the 10 horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine.”

Many members of this team

have goals to become part of a larger team one day. Whether that team is on the NASCAR circuit, or with a Desert Racing Company, they know that every lesson they learn today will only set them ahead of their peers.

In the meantime, Mylton will continue to build competition winning off-road vehicles. Remarkable; as a sophomore here at UNC Charlotte, Mylton has already has opened BM’s Offroad Fabrication (http://www.bmsoffroadfabricat ion.com)on the South End of Charlotte, NC. Here, he further develops his craftsmanship; continuing to practice and prepare for his team’s shot at victory at the SAE

Collegiate Championship on April 8-11, 2010.

Coming off of a Top 20 Competition Finish last year, UNC Charlotte has the make-up, the tools, and the desire to become better than ever. Speaking on behalf of UNCC’s Baja Team, Mylton encourages all students of the Engineering Technology Program to come out and join one of the teams and stay committed. “Your learning process will most definitely prevail.” To get more information on UNC Charlotte’s prominent Baja Team, visit their website at: (http://motorports.uncc.edu).

Mexico, he has spent 15 years in Charlotte and considers it his home. Campillo’s beginnings gave little indication as to the influence he would later have. He dropped out of school in the 9th grade, married, and worked construction and janitorial jobs. It was not until the birth of his son that Campillo realized things had change; “I had to do something with my life.” He started attending classes at CPCC and simultaneously got his GED. Since he had a full time job and had to take several remedial classes, it took Campillo about ten years to complete his education. “The biggest lesson I learned in that time is to be persistent,” said Campillo. “Once you get motivated, once you have a goal, the rest kind of just fades away.” After obtaining a degree in social work at Texas A&M, Campillo returned to Charlotte, where he now works intimately with the Latino community. He hopes to help give a voice to one of Charlotte’s fastest growing communities. “You have to be passionate about what you do, no matter what. I love what I do. I don’t think the fire in me is ever going to expire.”

Passion and perseverance are also important to Lope Max Díaz II. Today assistant Defense Attorney of Mecklenburg

county, Díaz was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Raleigh with his family when he was 12. Díaz’s father was an artist and a tenured professor in Puerto Rico, and expected nothing less than success from his son. Admitting that he did not always meet his fathers’ expectations,

Díaz recounted how his father told him, “We didn’t come to North Carolina to settle, to get Cs and Ds. We came to get a better life. Take advantage and you will succeed.” Díaz took these words to heart now believes that “Latino heritage means excellence. The term Latino paints us with a broad brush, but we all have a story to tell…our Latino heritage forms a fabric, colorful and unique. All of our experiences add to that fabric. But that fabric does not exist in a vacuum… As a DA I see a lot of success stories but I also see a community with needs. We all need to step up, do our part, and better our community.”

Few have done as much for Charlotte’s community in as

little time as Cristina La Paz, executive director of Mi Casa Su Casa, a private non-profit organization. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, she moved to the US in 2000 and became involved with Mi Casa Su Casa in 2001. She has also hosted 2 radio shows targeting the Latino community and is active in the Adolescentes en Acción

program, which informs and m o t i v a t e s Latino youths to take action. Although she studied to be an engineer, la Paz said “I don’t see myself doing anything else. We’ve got too much to do in this community.

I’ve been teaching them, and they’ve bee teaching me.”

The speakers’ message of serving one’s community stuck with the students in the audience. Senior José Paniagua was particularly moved by Díaz’s speech. As a Systems engineering major, Paniagua related to Díaz’s drive to succeed in the professional world, but was also “inspired to help my community, to raise the bar for myself and for others.”

ChriS BroTherTonStaff Writer

UNCC Model United Nations club this past weekend held Carolina’s Conference 2009. last Saturday marked the 64th anniversary, when the United Nations Charter was ratified on October 24, 1945. Carolina’s Conference is a two day event that lets other schools as far away as Florida come together to learn the rules and procedures of Model United Nations (MUN). This years theme was “Striving for a Free & Prosperous Tomorrow.” Every year the theme sets the tone for what the Conference will be working on to solve world problems. This time around the conference worked on the global economic recession and ethic problems such as child soldiers.

This year was a special year for Carolina’s Conference. This conference was the first ever fee-free conference on the East Coast. The MUN club has gotten increased funding from the Student Government Association for this to happen.

The conference will host around eighty four countries

and bring in fourteen different schools. Every member from our delegation, has a different country to represent. This year the Secretary General is Devin McRae and the Director General for 2009 is Niza Sulahry.

They have been work around the clock the past few days to make sure the conference goes as smoothly as possible. They hope to gain exposer to the community of MUN schools as well as to help new schools become familiar with the process of forming a new club. They expect great debate, resolutions and have everybody leave with a high level of confidence for their next big conference.

The next conference that our school will be attending is SRMUN(Southern Regional Model United Nations). It will be held November 19-21 and its theme is “ Enhancing Global Commitments to Human Rights and Equality.”

Carolina’s Conference is a training ground for the rougher, longer, and harder conferences to come. They work on how to speak in a diplomatic way, and build collisions to bring consensus to the assembly. They

also work on writing resolutions in a way that would appeal to all countries and their interest.

As a former member of MUN Carolina’s conference is where I learned the basics so I could really do well at SRMUN. Kyle Kriby spoke about the conference and noted, “As a member of SGA and MUN I am proud to note the level of dedication and professionalism shown by all member of our university, and I can say without a dough that is an honor to be apart of this fine group of men and women.”

Our university has a long and outstanding performances in Model United Nations. The Model Untied Nations club is headed by Dr. Cindy Combs, who is regarded as one of the top professionals in International Politics and Law. The MUN club has earn over 100 awards from conferences all over the world, and our alumni have gone on to work for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Peace Corps, law schools, executive business positions, State Department, and graduate schools. It is no wonder why Carolina’s Conference is held at our school.

Motor Sports

“As a DA I see a lot of success stories but I

also see a community with needs. We all

need to step up, do our part and better our

community.”-Lope Max Díaz II

continued from page 1

Latinocontinued from page 1

UNC Charlottte hosts “Carolina’s Conference” for Model United Nations

she has designed, her pieces have been in many fashion shows. Although Odelia had no opinion on the organization of the show as a whole, she felt that her line was present very well. “It was crazy, fashion shows are always like that. I thought it was a big success,” Odelia said.

The only Caucasian model was Mary-Beth King, 19 year old daughter of Ann King. While

trying on clothes in Odelia’s store, Odelia commented on Mary-Beth’s figure and asked if she would like to be in the show. She agreed, and at around 8:30 Sunday night, Mary-Beth paraded down the runway in the first of her four outfits. “It is very exciting,” King said, “she is only 5’2 but Odelia thought she would make a good model.”

By 9:00 p.m., the show

concluded with Odelia bowing to a standing ovation. Three gifts where given out to those with the lucky ticket number: two, five percent off coupons for any of the designs by Odelia and a free gift basket. Proceeds from the fashion show will be donated towards research for AIDS and any of the entertainment can be found on Google.

Fashion continued from page 1

Fourteen schools gathered at UNC Charlotte to promote dialogue on a “free and prosperous tomorrow”

THE UNIVERSITY TIMES ❚ october 29, 2009 ❚ PAGE 3

viewKristen Litchfield Editor-in-Chief Will Grier ManagingEditor

Ryan Freeman NewsEditor Jim Ghegan A&EEditor

Dana Nigro ViewpointEditor Josh Carpenter SportsEditor

Shannon Morgan PhotoEditor Rob McCormick Jr. FeaturesEditor

Sarah Jones LayoutEditor Paul Lascara CopyEditor

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pointpointFellow 49ers,

SGA has been working hard this semester to make UNC Charlotte a better place for you. As secretary of academic affairs, this will be my last semester serving you as I am graduating in December. For those of you looking for further recognition for achieving the Dean’s or Chancellor’s list, I have good news! The registrar will send you an e-mail directing you to the website where the lists are located. Academic Affairs is also working making graduation more sustainable and acknowledging students who earned the cum laude honor during the ceremony. There is now a 5-year plan in place for continuous improvement of advising made possible by the Advising Redesign Committee headed by Dr. Wolf-Johnson. An important part of this plan is the standardization of academic plans of study and departmental websites, to ease navigation for students in multiple majors. Also, don’t forget about the extremely helpful advising website, advising.uncc.edu! Have a safe and happy Halloween, and as always, GO NINERS!

Brittany Bernado, SGA Secretary of Academic Affairs

A letter from SGATiFFiany handy

Staff Writer

When the moon is low and the fog is thick, he hears shrill of an innocent maiden as he walks with palpitating heart to the haunted castle. What awaits him are the most gruesome of characters with the soul intention to terrorize him until he cowards in fear. When it is all over; when Jason and Freddy have had their fill of his screams and he finds his way to the exit, he looks back and says, “Let’s do it again!”

Apparently, movies about manslaughter and cannibalism are not enough. We have to smell the exhaust from the chainsaw, hear its running blades scrap the ground behind us as we burry our faces in trembling hands. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we love to be scared senseless?

For some, the answer to such a question is deep and psychological but, it all bowels down to curiosity and the thrill of a pounding heart. The adrenalin rush of being chased by a made-up zombie is the same as jumping out of a plane with a parachute. Apart of the brain knows the risk level is fairly low but the other part senses something is wrong which, gets the heart pumping and the bleed circulating.

Haunted houses provide a safe environment to experience ones worst nightmare. While the monsters are the same, the participant has the comfort of knowing that the werewolf cannot touch them unless otherwise touched.

Aside from the thrill seeking adventurers, there are people that go who hate being scared and spend most of the time hiding their face in their neighbor’s shoulder. These are the people who are more scared of being left out then they are of vampires.

Her friends are about to leave for what they think will be the scariest haunted house of the season and she are perfectly content staying home to watch Casper on ABC’s “Thirteen Days of Halloween.” However, her roommate begs her

to go and, although she vowed to herself last year that she would not fall for it again, she throws on a coat and whisper a prayer as she walks out the door. If this is you, then I recommend getting a backbone because you either learn how to say no, or you learn how to enjoy it.

There is another group of haunted house attendees, and this is where I find myself. Yes I hide my face almost the entire time, and yes I always say I will never do that again. But, the truth is, it is a tradition. I do not know if it would be Halloween if I did not watch scary movies and go to haunted houses. It is a love/hate relationship that I am completely comfortable with.

So if you are the thrill seeker searching for the next scariest thing, or the weak friend who cannot say no, or if you are like me and subject yourself to the ghouls and goblins because it would not be Halloween without them, one thing remains the same. Haunted houses make millions a year off of your screams and they know, as well as you do, that you will return next year.

Haunted houses make more than scares

Courtesy of MCT Campus

ChriS WoodSr. Staff Writer

Got Jake? Unfortunately, the Carolina Panthers do. Nine – the number of interceptions he has over touchdown completions this year. We could talk about Delhomme’s stats for an eternity, or we could talk about his commercials, or maybe even his personable demeanor on and off the field.

Let’s throw a few more stats your way; Jake Delhomme does lead the NFL in a few prominent categories; he has a league-leading 13 interceptions, and he has thrown more touchdowns than the past two number one overall quarterbacks selected in the draft: JaMarcus Russell and Matthew Stafford.

Okay, we all know stats don’t tell the entire story. He is a positive influence in the Charlotte community. I personally love Bojangle’s cajun chicken biscuits, they’re quite delicious, and I doubt I’d ever have eaten one without Jake’s influence leading me in the right direction. The city seems to really rally around him; I’ve gotten closer with many of my Charlottonians -- booing in unison at Panthers’ games, or even in the pre-game jargon about how many turnovers he’ll provide for us today.

Looking back at it, his epic failures have made

me happier, and I realize now what’s important in life. I no longer feel the urge to sit in front of the TV for three-plus hours knowing what lies ahead. I’ve become more productive with my Sundays, and who am I kidding, I owe it all to Jake. Thanks Jake!

What about the future? Unless things turn around rather quickly for the Louisiana-native, I suspect there won’t be too much value for a rather inconsistent 34-year-old who handles adversity like my 9-year old sister. It’s rather similar, quite scary actually. They both flail their arms in the air and scream in high-pitched, annoying confusion. So inevitably, Jake Delhomme and his $42 million contract over the next 4 ½ years (ESPN) will probably retire a Carolina Panther. That was actually a good business decision though, saving Carolina many millions of dollars due to Delhomme scheduled to make over $10 million in the final year of his previous contract.

With Julius Peppers’ ludicrous $1 million per game contract expiring this year, the Panthers will have some options. Unfortunately, even with their poor performance up to this point, they won’t be selecting their 1st Round draft pick, as they traded it away for the 43rd and 111th overall picks in last

year’s draft in which they selected Everette Brown; who is currently averaging just over 1 tackle per game, and Mike Goodson who appears to be a promising 3rd string running back.

Unless Carolina trades up in the 2010 draft, don’t expect them to take a quarterback at all. There are only a couple college quarterbacks who could have a chance at being successful right away in the NFL, and anything less will be detrimental to their success and confidence in Carolina, as they would face unreasonably high expectations. Of all the possibilities, I like Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame. He has incredible arm-strength and he seems to only get better as the heat turns up; an attribute that Delhomme doesn’t seem to posses. I expect them to resign QB Matt Moore as he will be a restricted-free agent this off-season and will be relatively cheap to keep. He’ll hopefully make for an excellent 3rd stringer behind Delhomme.

Who will be starting? The list of possible quality free agents is petite, but Carolina will have the cap space to make some moves. Their first choice should be Kyle Orton if he doesn’t re-sign with Denver. At 6’4, Orton posses the qualities of a traditional, smart, and winning quarterback. In a conservative run-first offense, Carolina doesn’t

need an ostentatious or glamorous quarterback. They just need a man who goes out, plays hard and smart, and gets the job done. Orton is really proving himself this season, and his confidence is only increasing with each win every week.

The future for Carolina remains unclear, in multiple categories, not just at the starting quarterback position. If I was Carolina’s General Manager, I would place WR Steve Smith on the trading block. At 30 years of age now, his “Smith-like” years of pure quickness, acceleration, and excitement are dwindling. His value is still very high, as he is unquestionably an elite receiver in the NFL. In Carolina today though, he is unhappy (with reason), and he isn’t as successful as he could be elsewhere. Quality wide receivers are more available in the draft, and we need fill other concerns if we want to become an elite team once again.

Unfortunately, there is a decent chance Jake Delhomme will be the starting quarterback next year. But as all Panther fans know, he is reliable for one thing: having good seasons every other year. Ultimately, Delhomme will more than likely remain a Panther. Unfortunately for John Fox, the same cannot be said.

Laura CamiLoStaff Writer

America’s love/hate affair with celebrity has intensified in the past decade, as there are more paparazzi and celebrity “news” magazines now than ever before. Whereas before our celebrities were artists, those whose talents led them to the entertainment industry, this changed with the advent of the reality show. TLC is home to several reality shows, two of them being “John and Kate plus Eight” and “18 Kids and Counting.” Although the two families featured in the programs are very different, both shows appealed to viewers because of their unusually large families.

The stars of “18 kids and counting” are the Duggars, a family headed by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar. The Duggars chose to have a large family because they miscarried after using oral contraception early on in the marriage and believed the two to be related, so they stopped using birth control. Hence the 18 kids, and counting (they are expecting another child in March of next year). In a time when divorce seems to be rivaling marriage as a right of passage, America’s curiosity was roused by this almost antiquated but apparently functional family.

Sure, there’s plenty to scoff at here- it’s easy to dismiss the Duggars as freakishly right-wing close-

minded baby-making machines set on convincing American women to turn their (uteruses into clown cars/bodies into reproductive assembly lines). Or at least, it was for me. After watching a couple episodes though, I’ve got to say that the cynic in me has softened. These people seem (gasp!) genuinely nice. I waited for a tell-tale sign of how much of an act was being put on for the cameras, but the episodes just gave me a case of the warm and fuzzies; there’s a lot of love in this household.

There’s certainly no dearth of quality time with the family; the kids are home-schooled and they even spent three years building their house together. At times I found myself wanting to put on a long skirt and break bread with those kooky, fertile Duggars. This is not the case with the Gosselins of “John and Kate plus 8”. As anyone who’s bought groceries in the past few months knows (thank you, gossip mags), the Gosselins are now separated.

Everyone claims to be sick and tired of hearing about it, but John and Kate continue to sell airtime and print space. By letting these families into our homes, we begin to feel that we really know them, that they’re part of our own families. America’s voyeurism can quickly turn into scorn; we relate to and build up the “average folks” who seem to stumble into the limelight, only to tear them apart when they disappoint us.

Is time running out on Jake Delhomme?

JiLLian muLLenStaff Writer

The theater did a great job for opening weekend; it was decorated festively, there were enough seats for that particular movie, there were no glitches in the movie, and it started on time without any interruptions.

After attending a show during the opening weekend of the new 210-seat movie theater in the Student Union, I can confidently say that it is well worth the hype and the $0 ticket price. There was a lot of uncertainty in the weeks previous because of the delay, but the Student Union advertised the grand opening weekend with signs and decorations to attract moviegoers, and it seemed to pay off.

The movie theater was filled with students, and before the movie started, the Student Union gave away a handful of prizes (such as the life-size Dark Knight poster). Because the theater plays movies that are already on DVD, there are no previews and advertisements, so the film started promptly on time. There was a relaxed, comfortable, pleasant atmosphere before, after, and during the film.

The movie lineup was also impressive. Films such as “The Hangover”, “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, and “The Dark Knight” have been shown so far. These movies can be easily rented at a Redbox rental machine or Blockbuster, but that unlike the Student Union theater costs money.

Regardless of the late grand opening and rushed organization, it turned out well. The Student Union is making up for lost time by showing funny, popular films, as well as decorating the theater and making it even more appealing. It’s a great opportunity that everyone on campus should take advantage of and enjoy.

Movies are shown on Thursdays and Fridays at 4:30pm, 7:30pm, and 10:30pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm, and 10:30pm. Movies are free for UNC Charlotte students with an ID and student tickets are available in advance throughout the day of show at the Student Union Information Center. Beginning half an hour before show times, faculty, staff and the general public can purchase tickets for $2.

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Love to hate reality TV

The Student Union movie theater is worth the hype


arts&entertainmentQuenTin hoLneSS

Staff Writer

As college students, we come to college for a plethora reasons. Most of us will begin our lives by what we accomplish here. This is where debates are won and dreams are achieved. One of the biggest debates across the gaming community is between the games “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” and which is better.

Who holds the crown amongst these two behemoths in the rhythm gaming world? First off, Japan did it first, except as always we like to buy American. Put a franchise tag on anything in America and it may start a consumer explosion.

But when it comes to buying our products, we’ll always believe that our brand is the best one, that our team is the best one, or that our city is the greatest one (ATL).

It’s just how America has been built. We support our own, and in this case, what we buy.

Personally, I don’t think “Rock Band” is better than “Guitar Hero,” and since it’s sponsored by MTV, it kind of makes me hate it a little more. MTV seems to be “sell-out,” central for a lot of things; “The Real World,” unspeakable amounts

of musicians, reality television, and now even videogames (“Lego Rock Band?”) I’m at a loss for words after hearing that.

To be fair the “Rock Band” series have gotten better reviews, but then again they’ve only released two games in comparison to “Guitar Hero’s” five (not counting the musician specific and specialty

releases). On average, according to the critic review

aggregator of Gamespot.com, “Rock Band” receives an average of 9.2 out of 10 while “Guitar Hero’s” games have received an average of 8.8.

Scores don’t tell much though when it comes to consumer’s opinions of things. It’s a terrible irony that the same people who released the first two “Guitar Hero” games, Harmonix, also developed every “Rock Band” game to date. These games share far too many qualities when it comes to gameplay to determine a winner in that category.

Who’s got the better peripherals? I have to give a nod to “Guitar Hero” in this category. “Rock Band” has a bigger guitar, had the entire band set up first, but the game added the influential symbols to the drums and a slide bar to the guitar. “Guitar Hero” developer, Neversoft, also raised eyebrows by stating that they would love to incorporate their spin-off game “DJ Hero’s” turntables and the peripherals from “Guitar Hero.” Regardless

of “Rock Band’s” more “realistic,” approach to designing their instruments, it doesn’t feel right on your fingers.

The guitar’s strict button formation forms around your fingers and feels like you’re actually pressing a button rather than wishing you were squeezing a string.

So which game has better songs to offer? Well each game has their highlights. “Guitar Hero’s” songs are definitely pushing more focus on guitar playing, which, in reality, is the most fun aspect of playing these games. “Rock Band” takes the more obvious band approach.

One could go either way with that one. In order to choose a winner, which I must do, one has to pick the game that has their favorite songs.

That game for me (and many others) is “Guitar Hero.” Who wouldn’t want to play songs like “Beat It,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and so many more? A gamer that plays these rhythm games couldn’t ask for more. “Rock Band” does have the Beatles, but would you really rather play a psychedelic guitar solo from Jimi Hendrix or slap hands on the drums for a Ringo Starr drum solo?

“Guitar Hero” is for the hardcore gamers, and thus, the cooler gamer. “Rock Band” aims to please a far wider audience while “Guitar Hero” keeps it real. Price-wise, it doesn’t matter which one you buy, there’s going to be a divot in your wallet after you buy either game in its entirety.

“Guitar Hero” shines over “Rock Band” in video game duel

Image courtesy of Neversoftscreenshot of the upcoming “Guitar Hero 5”

WiLL GrierManaging Editor

Users have been waiting for Windows 7, whether or not you are an advanced PC user or a novice that knows just enough to get you through. Microsoft answered the beckoning call of users that wanted a stable op-erating system that delivered a pleasureable experience.

I’ve used Windows 7 since the Release Candidate (RC) was available for Microsoft TechNet subscribers. At first the installation of Windows 7 there were a handful of prob-lems, the most prominent one being playing music files. If a user would play an .mp3 file, for some reason every music file across the network that the user was attached to would be erased.

Needless to say this prob-lem was resolved quickly, I nev-er personally experienced this problem, but it deterred many from trying Windows 7 before it was released to the public.

The Windows 7 expierence can be defined as the stability from Windows XP, the look and “feel” of Windows Vista, and the security of Windows 2003 Server Edition. I’ve used all of these operating systems and feel that Microsoft got it right with their combination.

Virtualization was intro-duced in Windows Vista and now is much more intuitive and efficient with task handling. If you don’t know what virtual-ization is, you should Google it and you will get a better under-standing of Windows 7 actu-ally operates.

Starting from the desktop, users notice a huge difference from Windows XP and many improvements upon the Win-dows Aero engine in Windows Vista. The task bar has been revamped and is much better with managing programs. In the system tray only essential information is shown, but you can customize which programs do show up.

Once you start opening multiple program windows, users will notice much better management of grouped pro-grams. If a user hovers over an open program group, all the windows associated with that program are displayed, hover-ing over the individual win-dows will bring the window to full screen. If you’ve used a Mac, it’s like Exposé but based from the task bar. If users go to the top-right corner of the screen, they can get a “glimpse” of the desktop and even mini-mize everything with the click of a button.

The settings customization in Windows 7 is very user-friendly. In simple English, not tech jargon, users can navi-gate through scenarios of what Windows should do when presented with an change. For example, power management is much easier–especially on a laptop–, users can customize what they want their computer to do should it be on battery or

AC power. Users can also cus-tomize what they want Win-dows to do as far as automation of certain tasks like updates and regular maintenance.

Out of the box, Windows 7 has native support for mostly all devices and peripherals. Us-ing my Dell Inspiron laptop, the only thing I had to down-load was the unified drivers for my webcam and microphone; something that conveniently only Dell offers, not even the manufacturer supports it so I blame its not working natively on Dell.

On my desktop I had full support for my ATI Radeon 4850 and Creative Labs sound

card, I could enjoy Direct X 11 and listen to surround sound without having to download a batch of drivers like I did us-ing XP and Vista. Drew Sani-slo, a Junior Chemistry major said, “The first time expierence is great, due to the fact that it installs all necessary drivers and networking components for you.”

Viqas Chowdhury, a Senior Finance major, said “Windows 7 provides a new and fresh experience that was not there when Vista came out.” The experience that Chowdhury is talking about seems to be the general concensus amongst the tech world. It’s obvious be-cause Apple is having a hard time making fun of Windows 7, I wonder why? The only thing that Snow Leapord has on Windows 7 is its 64-bit ker-nel architecture, the rest is all a matter of preference.

The only thing that I have a problem with is how Windows 7 manages wireless network

connections. Using the Uni-versity’s wireless network can sometimes be a little daunting.

When a user connects to the network, Windows 7 saves the IP information assuming that it is static, this is not the case for the University’s wire-less network. In order to rem-edy not being able to connect to the wireless network, go to Start, Run, type “cmd” with-out the quotes, then “ipconfig /flushdns” without the quotes and press enter, type “exit” and hit enter and the window will close. Next go to the wireless network selection on the task-bar and disconnect from the uncc49er network, connect to the network that is not broad-casting a name (SSID) and type uncc49er for the SSID and con-nect. Viola you’re back online.

If you have any problems with Windows 7, consult Google, if you can’t seem to find an answer, send your ques-tions to [email protected] and we’ll take a stab at it.

PC users rejoice: Windows 7 is here!

“Windows 7 provides a new and fresh experience that was not there when Vista came out.”

Viqas Chowdhury


ninersportssportssports SPORTS SCHEDULEMen’s Soccer @ Dayton Fri.Oct.30,7pm,Dayton,OHWomen’s Soccer @ St. Louis Fri.Oct.30,8pm,St.Louis,MOWomen’s Volleyball vs La Salle Fri. Oct.30,7pmCharlotte,NCMen’s Soccer @ Xavier Sun. Nov.1,1pmCincinnati,OH

JoSh CarPenTerSports Editor

Two members of the Charlotte 49ers nationally-ranked men’s and women’s soccer programs have been named A-10 Player of the Week for this week. For the second time this season, men’s senior Adam Gross and women’s forward Whitney Weinraub were named Player of the Week in the same week.

Gross earned the Atlantic 10 honor for the second time this season after his efforts last weekend against La Salle and Fordham. Gross scored a goal in Charlotte’s 3-0 win over La Salle on Friday. He then scored the first goal for Charlotte in a

2-2 double-overtime tie against Fordham on Senior Day.

Gross is tied for third in the A-10 and leads Charlotte in the goal-scoring category with a career-high seven on the season. He also leads Charlotte in assists with six, which ranks him second in the conference.

Gross will lead nationally-ranked 49ers on the road this weekend as they take on A-10 foes Dayton and Xavier.

Whitney Weinraub earned A-10 Player of the Week for the third time this season for her efforts in the 49ers’ road wins against Temple and St. Joseph’s last weekend. The junior forward had two goals and two assists in Charlotte’s two wins. Weinraub

had a goal and two assists in Charlotte’s 5-0 win over Temple, Friday. She then scored the game-winning goal in a 3-1 win against St. Joseph’s on Sunday.

Weinraub leads the A-10 in points with 32 and has a career-high 13 goals to lead the conference. Her 13 goals this season rank as the fourth highest single-season total in team history. Her 31 career goals tie her for third on the program’s all-time goal scoring list.

Weinraub will lead the 49ers as they look to claim their fourth straight A-10 regular-season title when they play their final regular season game on the road at St. Louis, Friday, Oct. 30.

Two student athletes earn A-10 honors

Alex Georgi/PhotoWhitney Weinraub was named the A-10 Player of the Week for her efforts over the weekend against St. Joseph’s and Temple


Each one of the five Charlotte 49er competitors recorded singles victories as the men’s tennis team took to the court for the final time this fall at the College of Charleston Invitational over the weekend.

Moritz Bernhoerster and Michael Anders both won a singles and doubles match.

Bernhoerster defeated Will Minter o Richmond 6-4, 6-1 on Friday and Anders prevailed over Mickael Boyer of the host Cougars 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday. The two 49ers upended Richmond’s

Minter and Rafael Arana 8-6 in doubles play.

Charles Martin-Lecamp (6-2, 6-2), Chris Huynh and Jesse Hutchinson (4-6, 6-1, 6-3) all logged at least one singles win with Huynh nearly winning a second. Huynh defeated Andrew McKinnonn of Appalachian State 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, and lost in a thriller 7-5, 4-6, 7-6, losing 14-12 in the tiebreaker.

Charlotte begins team match play with a tough opening stretch, playing North Carolina State, North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first week of play.

Men’s tennis finishes strong


Charlotte 49ers freshman shooting guard Shamarr Bowden may miss up to three weeks after suffering a separated shoulder in Saturday’s Green-White scrimmage game, team officials confirmed.

Bowden, who was named to the Atlantic 10 preseason All-Rookie team last week, had X-rays of the injury taken on Sunday.

Bowden’s doctor confirmed there will be no need for surgery, but Bowden may be out up

to three weeks. Bowden, who missed last season due to a knee injury, will likely miss Charlotte’s exhibition game against Johnson C. Smith and the regular season opener against UNC Asheville.

An outstanding outside shooter, Bowden missed the entire 2008-09 season due to a fractured kneecap suffered in the preseason. He was the 49ers leading scorer in an August 2008 tour of Canada, averaging 14.0 points per game.

He may be ready to go for the NIT Preseason Tip Off on Nov. 16 when the 49ers take on Elon.

Charlotte begins team match play with a tough stretch against two in-state rivals, North Carolina and N.C. State

Shooting guard to miss three weeks

Courtesy of Charlotte Athletics

File photo


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Calendar of Upcoming Events

SGA’s Town Hall MeetingNov. 6. More information to come. Check NinerOnline and upcoming issues of the University Times.

.Want your event published in the Calendar of Events? Contact the University Times Editor at [email protected]

Fall Fashion ShowOct. 29 7-9 p.m. in McKnight Hall. Along with the fashion show, there will also be a short presentation explaining the Urban Ministry. Contact FAME for more information.

.Halloween CarnivalOct. 30 from 6-8 p.m. in the SAC Salons. BSU will be hosting this event and their goal is to unite students in an organized activitiy.

.Atkin’s Library’s First Annual ScareFairOct. 30 from 2-4 p.m. in the library. Dress up in your Halloween costume and check out campus from the library’s roof, fortune telling, pumplin carving, scavenger hunt, and free food.

.

. Atlantic 10 women’s soccer tournamentNov. 5-8 at Transamerica Field. Come out and support the 49er as they look to claim their fourth conference title. Wear green & Go NINERS! Check charlotte49ers.com for game times.

USC-ICA Formal: Building into the Future10/30/2009 at 8:00pm. Come network and mingle with other collegiate institutions in the Charlotte area. Located at the Holiday Inn. Contact Aawaz-Indian Student Association [email protected]

.

FAME 1 Pajama Party10/30/2009 at 10:00pm until 1:00 a.m. Come out to have fun and come together in a relaxing atmosphere. Located in the Student Union 340G Questions? Con-tact FAME 1 [email protected]

.Halloween Dance10/31/2009 at 6:00pm. Come out and dance until 10:00 p.m. in the Lucas Room on the top level of the Cone Center. The 49er Social Ballroom and Dance Club are hosting the FREE event. If you wear a cos-tume you can win a prize!

.

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up with the idea for the Flux Capacitor...

-Marty McFly, “Back to the Future”


Ciera ChoaTeStaff Writer

The first Halloween celebrations were not merely just for dressing up and going door to door asking for candy, but it was a religious holiday meant to honor the dead and for comfort throughout the winter.

Halloween began as a Celtic tradition called Samhain about 2,000 years ago. Their new year was on Nov. 1. It represented the end of t h e s u m m e r h a r v e s t a n d

the beginning of the long, cold winter. Samhain was a holiday associated with human death and was thought to be a night when the boundaries between the living and the dead were blurred.

Oct. 31 was a day, which the Celtics believed, when ghosts of the dead returned to the earth.

The ghosts caused trouble and damaged the crops of the Celtic people. The presence of the ghosts made predictions of the future easier for the Celtics. They depended on these

predictions for comfort through the dark

winter.For their

celebrations the Druids built bonfires used for sacrificing crops and animals to the deities of the Celtic people. During

these sacrificial ceremonies the

people would dress in animal heads and

skins and attempted to

tell the fortunes of others. By 43 A.D. the Romans had

conquered most of the Celtic territory and two Roman festivals were combined with Samhain. Feralia was a day in late Oct. that commemorated the passing of the dead, and the second is the day to honor Pomona. Pomona’s symbol was an apple and is where we get our tradition of bobbing for apples today.

With the influence of Christianity Samhain began to change and was eventually called All-Hallows-Eve. In 1000 A.D. the church made Nov. 2 All Saints’ Day that was to honor the dead. This holiday was celebrated similarly to Samhain with the wearing of costumes. People of this time dressed as saints, angels, and devils.

Together these holidays were collectively called Hallowmas.

When the Europeans came to America they brought many different Halloween traditions and began to shape new American traditions that we are so familiar with today. Celebrations were very limited in America at this time because of the Protestant influence that was so prominent

in America. It was more common to celebrate Halloween in Maryland and the southern colonies.

With the bringing together of different traditions of the many different European ethnic groups and the American Indians a new version of Halloween began to emerge.

They began with “play parties” that were events to celebrate the harvest. At these events people would gather to tell stories of the dead, tell stories of ghosts, and mischief was very common at this time.

By the mid 19th century Halloween celebrations were more common, but it was still not a holiday celebrated everywhere, but when the Irish began to come to America they brought their traditions of Halloween and began to increase the popularity of this holiday.

Americans then began to dress up in costumes and go from door to door asking for food and money. This is where our tradition of trick-or-treating comes from today.

Beginning in the late 1800’s

there w e r e movements to make Halloween a more community driven holiday opposed to the Halloween that revolved around ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. Halloween then became less of a superstitious holiday and more of a holiday that consisted of parties for adults and children.

By the 1920’s and 1930’s Halloween was considered a secular and community driven holiday. Parades and town-wide parties were common when celebrating this once superstitious holiday.

I n the 1950’s

town leaders had eliminated

most of the vandalism on Halloween and it had

become a holiday for children to dress up and go trick-or-treating, and these traditions have remained the same since then.

Americans now spend an average of $6.9 billion on Halloween annually making it the second largest commercial holiday in America.

The history of Halloween



Dilworth Coffee: The best local coffee shop aroundKriSTen LiTChFieLd

Editor-in-Chief

Are you looking for a different environment to relax and get a warm cup of coffee with some friends? Typically, when you think of going for a coffee run, Starbucks immediately comes to the minds.

If you are looking for a more comfortable and laid back atmosphere at a local coffee shop, then Dilworth Coffee is for you. Dilworth Coffee has 11 locations, with the closest one to the UNC Charlotte campus on Prosperity Church Road in The Shoppes at Highland Creek.

Personally, I am a huge fan of coffee and of Starbucks, but when I heard my boyfriend talking about Dilworth Coffee, I knew I had to go check it out.

I wondered how a coffee shop could be different from and so much better than Starbucks, and as soon as I opened the door to Dilworth, I knew this was not going to be an ordinary coffee run.

Just by walking into Dilworth Coffee, you can already get a sense that your coffee experience will be different. As you smell the rich aroma of Dilworth’s signature blend, your eyes are immediately drawn to

the comfortable chairs located throughout the shop, and a giant circular booth that is great for meetings.

Yes, Starbucks has a small selection of comfortable chairs, but the primary seating at their locations are the uncomfortable wooden chairs.

Aside from the comfortable seating arrangements, I also noticed the wide variety of desserts. There were several types of muffins, cookies (including the traditional Black & White Cookie), a few types of bagels, and an assortment of cakes. There is no comparison to the desserts offered at Dilworth

Coffee to those offered at Starbucks.

Dilworth also has the upper hand on atmosphere. The atmosphere of Dilworth is very calm and relaxing, and the mood is set quite nicely with the warm low lighting. This is why customers do not just come in to get coffee and leave. From many of my visits to Dilworth Coffee, a majority of the customers stick around for at least an hour. It is almost as though the environment of Starbucks has turned to more of a business meeting location, rather than a relaxing environment.

As you look at the menu,

you will not notice much of a difference in drink choices. Dilworth Coffee offers all of the same drink flavors from hot to cold, as well as the seasonal favorites that any other coffee shop will offer.

A major difference that makes Dilworth stand out among its competition is the personal feel and the quick service. Customers are greeted when they enter the shop, even those who are not “regulars” and the baristas personally walk away from the counter and deliver your drink while you are reading the New York Times not long after you ordered.

For those of you who like to sip on your coffee, you will be happy to know that Dilworth Coffee’s cups are fully insulated keeping your drink hotter for a longer period. Starbucks uses those little sleeves with their logo on it to keep your hand from touching the cups, but they fail to keep your coffee warm.

In regards to prices, both coffee shops average the same prices. You definitely get your money’s worth at Dilworth, sometimes Starbucks drinks can be a little off depending on the barista that day.

The history of Halloweenintersection

10.29 revised

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