Continuum 21: Press Conference with Rick Torres

Rick Torres is a Bridgeport native running for the Republican nomination for House Representative in the third district against Democratic incumbent Jim Himes. On March 22, Torres held a press conference in the Horizons newsroom with the paper’s reporters. Here are some highlights from that conference.

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Chronic Surgery

By Jacob Kirton
Staff Writer

Guard your heart for you may never know what’s after it

Society today is a perverse one. So much rebellion is a bound in a once controlled and structured world. Many people would even attest to today as being the fabled, and familiar end of times. Today, we as people strive to succeed our latter day ancestors and become greater than what we were destined to be, our minds are often the strongest weapons we have.

In the year 2010, the world is on the brink of bringing sorcery back into the daily routine of life. As we turn on the radio, watch movies or even go to a neighboring country, we hear the glorification of drugs. These mind altering substances place the body on a plane that allows for outer body experiences and death alike.

Music is a big part of our culture, and has always played a role in shaping human beings. You can turn on the radio, and listen to Lil Wayne rap about sipping syrup, and popping pills without restraint. This behavior once looked upon as strange has become a norm among the youth . People don’t understand that music is a gateway to the soul. What we choose to fill our minds with will dictate our actions. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.Imagine what the world would be like if every morning before people left their driveways they lit up a joint.

One of the most widely used drugs is alcohol, hell it’s even legal. Drinking has become one of Americas past times. President Obama had a couple beers at the white house to settle a racial profiling dispute between a cop and Harvard professor. The image of alcohol in particular is shown as a moment cheers and great times. This may sound great with people being real with one another but the drawback is acting out on guilty pleasures.

Always drunk and never sober I hungered to get a bit of action when the mood was dull. The people I choose to hangout with always seemed to be into something with someone. One night I was out drinking with a friend in New York. We were at this small get together and ended up beating this instigator up. It was night time and we didn’t have anywhere to go so we were sat on the sidewalk. My friend was drunk and falling asleep as I paced back and forth. Out of nowhere these 5 cars roll up packed out with a bunch of guys with bats and pieces of wood. They hop out, push me aside, and grab my friend. I lost my temper and started swinging at any and everything. The leaders told everyone to stop so he could speak to me. We negotiated a little while longer, and they left but that night just led to a string of other dangerous events because of my drunken stupor.

As for pot, people feel that smoking a little is not as dangerous as sniffing a line of cocaine or taking a pull of crack. What people fail to realize is that whether its plants or powder the effect is the same: total loss of self and dignity.. Early sophomore year in high school was when my years of experimentation started. I became rebellious and lawless never caring what my actions may produce as long as I was able to laugh in the end. My kindhearted nature would increase being friendly although deep down I was a walking time bomb. If the wrong person rubbed me wrong I was ready to snap regardless who they might be because of these influences.

These feelings of euphoria that many associate with being “High” are defining what really makes you person. I can think back to a song that had that line “I want to be sedated” For a country bent on creating a sense of freedom for all, drugs have definitely enslaved us.

When I smoked Pot I liked being an intellect. There was once a time when I was smoking with a friend and we were discussing the cure to aids. He said I couldn’t figure it out and I told him give me a day. As I started walking down the block to my house my mind was spinning in all these directions for possible solutions with the cure. I came up with quite a few ranging from UV light exposure to bio-engineering new eosinophils. I never tested any of these theories but many of them felt like they could actually work. Although my mind traveled to these various distances to enlighten and inspire, it was the paranoia of reality that never sat well with me.

When one partakes of the ritual of “Smoking Weed”, they are handing the keys of their life over to an unknown entity. People take on otherworldly characteristics when under the influence. Some people become pranksters like Loki the Norse God from certain mythologies. Others tend to have a nasty approach in life and become lovers of self. It always seemed no matter how bad or good the situation may be life was a joke smoking weed. I could not have a serious conversation with my girlfriend or look my parents in the eye because I was too highto think at the time. It always felt that when I was high I had all these ideas but no motivation to enact them but yet when I wasn’t high I was motivated but had no ideas to enact. Smoking weed life is always question of what’s next rather than here we go. Maybe that’s why people move on to harder things after experimenting and losing luster.

As thoughts become loose and reality a fleeting mist of jumbled thoughts and false emotions, the brain becomes unaware of what is happening around it. If only I could go back in time, and warn everyone to eradicate those thoughts that are so hard to control. Do Not Do Drugs!

Break Free and Save

By Desirae Williams

Staff Writer

My heart starts to beat a little faster, my hands clam up, the line gets longer, and cashier is looking at me with those, "you know your card wont work if I swipe it through a third- time" eyes. Finally the cashier asked if I would like to use another form of payment. Yea right, like I had that option.

Visa used to my friend, my confidant, that someone I could depend on. Obviously, not after that last pesky situation.

I was knee-deep in debt and needed some a way out or I would be buried beneath it pretty soon.

As a debtor, I embodied Kanye West's rap lyrics, "I'm addicted to spending before I get it". It is as if he created that song for me. He perfectly captured the essence of the blessing, and curse of purchasing unnecessary items without having the means to do so, plus, getting away with it, all in the name of interest!

It was at 18 when the credit card company sought to destroy me, by gearing up their best army. They recruited me and others who were unaware of the disadvantages of advanced monies. Amex, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover all suited up their elite soldiers and veterans to the “plastic game.”

They boldly hunted me down to “sign on the dotted line”. As innocent as I was, so was I ignorant, and allowed Visa to conquer over the other choices, and accepted a loan of fifty dollars in exchange for a one-hundred and fifty dollars.

What was I thinking? Other than noticing how small the text size was becoming as I attempted to review my terms and conditions, not much.

As I replaced my cash with plastic, I managed to pile up bills (tabs) at a variety of vendors. So to sustain my “lifestyle” I had to use a card (or two) to cover whatever my money did not. I completely exhausted all of my other funds just to stay afloat.

Realizing that my tumultuous relationship with my old time companion would eventually become abusive, I searched for a way to restructure my spending. Who helped me the most? Suze Orman.

Orman is a motivational speaker, and hosts of CNBC’s , The Suze Orman Show. She provides on-air financial information that ranges from wise investments to how much to save, along with various other programs on the cable network. I even checked out her site www.suzeorman.com and found helpful tips that I eventually adapted into my routine. Most of the available resources were truly inspiring and perfect to adapt to my advantage.

Thanks to the advice I decided to just be straight forward with myself and face all of the “pink” and “green” bills that were in my name, along with filing a credit report from an accredited financial institution, and laying it in front of me so that I was aware of the damage that was caused.

This was like a cleansing process for me because I took the first step to controlling my life and reshaping my future in a positive manner. I was no longer going to pretend as if a bill or a payment was not due for services that I received.

Also, I decided to use my money in the most beneficial way, to break my financial chains loose from around my ankles, and rise to the occasion of better money management.

Actually seeing what I accumulated over time made me a little hesitant to proceed, but the process was necessary. I then created a permanent list of the creditors, services, and products that were due payment, and decided to contact them directly to clarify every condition.

After my grand tally, I decided to pay ten dollars a month on every bill and I had a total of six. I figured out how much time it would take to pay off each bill and then paid extra if necessary to try to close it faster. In addition to paying off older bills, I managed to put money aside in a savings account for emergency purposes.

Now it was hard to deal with the errors of my ways and try to tackle the issues that I created. But instead of continuing down the same path, I embraced a new philosophy in life, now, I make sure to remember that no matter how bleak the situation looks I know that I could resurface from any dilemma if I don’t ignore it. So embrace the challenges, and you’ll come out on top.

The lessons learned from this situation far exceeded the problems faced.

“Making Up Your Mind”

By Vincent Altamirano

Staff Writer

Some families already have their share of expectations for you, others are willing to listen to what you have to say. Make a career choice; the one you want.

Not everyone gets the opportunity to decide their own career path. Family opinions can influence your decision to either follow the career they wish you to follow, or, to do what you enjoy.

Students are caught in the middle, and are faced with these tough choices; either cut your losses and follow your family’s wishes. Or, pursue the career you truly enjoy, and disappoint them for not going through with their expectations.

A few years ago, I was put into this situation. My parents set expectations for the career they wanted me to follow. At that moment, I felt that it was a matter of time before my parents would understand that my career path was to be solely based on what I wanted pursue.

Not long after turning 17, my parents asked, “So, do you know what kind of career you would like to have?” I did not have a firm answer because I hadn’t made up my mind just yet. I told them it was either building computers or being a marine biologist. My dad’s facial expression changed from the curious look to the kind of look that wanted me to consider other options. “You know, you can always go into the medical field, you can be a doctor or pharmacist. These are well paying jobs,” dad said. Not much else was said after I told them again what I wanted to be.

After our little chat, I knew it was a matter of time before my mom or dad found the opportunity to bring it up again. I thought to myself, “If they do ask me again, maybe they expect my answer to be different, it won’t be.” A year went by and the question was asked again by my father.

“Vinny, have you given any thought to maybe following a medical career?” My response was quick and concise, yes and that maybe marine biology or computer science wasn’t for me, I had considered writing as a possible career choice. That answer aggravated him because he brought up my grandparents also wanting me to go into the medical field. The career I was leaning towards is the kind of career that does not pay well when compared to a medical doctor.

It was stressful for me to know that I was expected to pursue the career of my parent’s choice. Sure, I could go into the medical field and get a well paying job and make my family proud. The problem with that was my lack of skill in the chemistry department. The important question at hand was, “Will I enjoy following this career?” The answer was most definitely no; I just couldn’t see myself working as a doctor until retirement. I did however see myself working for a publishing company.

When it was time to enroll at a college, my aunt asked me, “Do you know what major you’d like to follow?” I told her anything that involves writing. She smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter what major you choose, as long as you enjoy doing it.” After hearing this I told her about my parents wanting to push me into the medical field and how I couldn’t see myself working in that field for years. She said not to worry about it, let her do the talking to my parents and hopefully they would understand.

My parents understood alright. When I found out I was accepted at Uconn, they told me, “Congratulations, you’ve made us proud! Follow what ever path you want to follow. You can be anything you want to me, the choice is yours.”

Not everyone gets the opportunity to decide their own career path. While some students struggle to convince their parents to let them follow the career path of their choice, others give in and “go with the flow.”

My thoughts needed to be voiced to my parents, I was determined to follow the path I wanted, they understood. Now, I am working towards the career path of my choice!

Rastafarian Invasion!

Larry DiNota
Staff Writer

Local reggae phenomenon I Anbassa will conduct a free concert at the Performing Arts Center in Lafayette Hall at 7pm on Thursday, March 11th. If you haven’t added this to your schedule yet, you should, cause’ you’re in for a course in modern reggae.

I Anbassa will also hold a reggae culture workshop at 2pm earlier that day.

"I'm going to speak about Rastafarian culture and where the roots reggae is from," says Front Man Ras N'gosi. "I want us to have a small discussion on topics in our world..., environment..., [and] society that mean a lot."

The band will collaborate with the audience to create a song relevant to the attendants. The exercise is designed to invoke the Rastafarian spirit of unity- as N'Gosi says, "Unity is strength."

I Anbassa, an all original roots reggae group, features extremely talented musicians from diverse musical backgrounds: progressive rock, jazz, folk, blues, metal, soul, and bluegrass- to name a few. “It's plain to see we're all from different backgrounds...different genres of music, yet we come together for a purpose. We have like minds. We have like ambitions." says N'Gosi.

* * *

The group came together in July 2009 after a chance encounter between N'Gosi and a local Bob Marley cover band, Green Stripe. Green Stripe had been backing local reggae performer Irei Feelinz, for a two month contract at the Chef's table in Fairfield.

"Irie would feature different reggae artists, and one of the artists that he featured was N'Gosi. He was by far the best. We all really wanted to play with him. A couple of months after the Irie Feelinz gig, he contacted me," said Lead Guitarist Mark Lyons.

"It was instant chemistry. A week later we had a 9-piece band." N'Gosi recollected.

Since then I Anbassa has wasted no time accumulating both a respectable fan base and reputation.

At their most recent performance on February 20th, the crowd was amazed by their incredibly entertaining performance.

Julia Hymans, director of premiums and promotions for WPKN said "They're a great local band...one of the better ones around here, and they're great people. I've been supporting them for a while."

And Julia wasn't the only member of the crowd who was impressed.

Throughout their impressive long sets, the audience is constantly engaged.

The performance began with a thought provoking narrative courtesy of dub poet and Tonic Brewer IsIdu. After priming the room, IsIdu bowed out, and handed the reins to N'Gosi. As soon as the music began, the crowd erupted into celebration. Few who stood remained sedentary. The venue was intoxicated with laughter, dance, and positivity. Two hours later, nothing had changed.

The show ended at 1:30am, but the crowd wanted more.

"The music was great, their presence was phenomenal, the energy was beautiful- the whole thing was beautiful," said spectator Mike as he stood curb side smoking a cigarette.

Mike's friend Jose added "They had the energy level. They killed it." Rahz, a spectator, jokingly added “I have cancer. After viewing that show, it’s cured.”

I Anbassa's performance was not a onetime success. "They've played for us five or six times," co-owner of the Acoustic Cafe, Jessica Apple said, "They usually turn out around one hundred people, which is about capacity for us."

Continuum 20: Veterans at HCC

Host Brandon T. Bisceglia stops by HCC’s Veteran’s Center to speak with Veteran’s Representative Ernest Johnson, Veteran’s Club President Jason Terlecky, and Vice President Uri Kaffe about the challenges that veterans face in adjusting to civilian and student life, as well as the pros and cons of entering the service.

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Living in a Lost Generation

By Susan Smith
News You Can Use Editor

Is the growing comfort of the online world aiding the enhancement of communication for our generation, or is it slowly sacrificing our future?

There is a harsh kind of bitterness that ignites when someone older than us talks down on our generation. We’ve all heard it. This sort of wasted youth talk, where the elder speaker revels at “how different it is today,” and openly (sometimes literally) frowns upon the distasteful attitude and lack of morals our generation represents to them.

Maybe it’s because I too am growing older, but I can’t help but agree with them, with an underlining sadness that is almost shameful.

Don’t get me wrong: I can’t begin to portray myself as the ideal model for today's youth. But I have recently began to feel our generation is becoming very distant from the rest of the world. It seems there is a lack of physical communication between my peers, as if the older we get, the more recluse and antisocial we become with each other and society.

I began to notice this lack of communication last year. I was sitting in class, waiting for my professor to arrive. I was not alone in the room, as 15 or so other students were also sitting idly by, preparing for the next hour of tedious comprehending. The strange thing was, with as much in common as we all had (whether it be age, clothing style, or the class itself), the room remained completely silent for the entire 15 minutes before the professor arrived. Not only were no conversations started, but any intent of communication was avoided at all costs. It almost seemed we were all following some combination of prison rules in that classroom, where eye contact was avoided and staying as far away from the person sitting next to you was necessary to retain that comfort level we worked so hard to achieve.

But what was really noticeable was the constant clacking of every single cell phone in the room. Not only were we uninterested in any interaction with the people around us; we couldn't stand to be bored for even a few minutes. It was like we had some subconscious need to always be communicating with something, as long as that something didn't breathe or speak.

This, of course, is assuming our peers continue in the physical world at all, or if the remainder of our generation will be survived solely through the digital world of social networking sites.

Yes, Facebook.

Again, as a disclaimer, I want to mention that I am no stranger to the beautiful world of statuses and photo comments. Nor do I intend to ever walk away from a world where I can express my favor, concern, or acknowledgment of something with the simplicity of a "like" button.

But if the majority of your ideas and conversations have solely been through type for so long, I would think the margin for error would be slim. But again, I am surprised.

I often click through pages of profiles and come upon one post after the next where the message can hardly be deciphered due to unending grammatical errors and sometimes even a lack of any real words at all. I don't believe perfect spelling or punctuation is always necessary, and yes, in the fast world of the web, we're expected to shorthand here and there. But come on: we were taught in middle school how to conjugate simple verbs. I just can't understand how suddenly "Your going?" or "Their they are" are littering the pages of senior college student profiles.

This frequency of grammatical errors may not seem to be a pressing problem since, after all, it is only Facebook. However, the toll of living in this online world unhindered by basic education is beginning to become drastically noticeable. In fact, in a recent article from the Canadian Press, it was remarked that the frequent use of "social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, are all being blamed for an increasingly unacceptable number of post-secondary students who can't write." The article included the results of a study from the University Of Waterloo, Ontario, where 30% of their freshmen are failing to meet the minimum standard of an exam testing their skills in basic English grammar.

The fact that these results are already becoming present when the popularity of digital communication is still fairly new is troubling to me. If this phenomenon of the encompassing digital world continues, what will the future hold for the education of generations to come? Will simple communication and grammar be unobtainable to them? And possibly more troubling, will the English language be ruined in an attempt to relieve the stress of a society who refuses to learn anything above the bare minimum?

There's no telling whether this estranged quality of communication and ignorance will improve or decay the future of society, or if those in the future will come to terms with living, as I do, in a lost generation.