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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2004)
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Tue Sp Econ 311 Tue 8p, Wed 5p Fine 309 Joyner Mon 7p, Tue 7p: Sun 7p; Mon 7p Fine 341 Joyner Mon 7p; Tue 7p; Sun 7p; Mon 7p Info 303 Darcey Tue 10p; Mon 11p, Tue 4p Info 305 Buffa Sun lOp; Mon Sp; Tue 7p Info 364 Sun 7p; Mon 8p Math141/166 Mon 3p; Wed 4p; Thu 6p; Sun 9p Math 142 Wed 7p, Mon 8p; Tue 7p Mgmt 309 Tue 9p Mgmt 363 Sun 4p Mktg 309/321 Pkt OnlyllL-sp Rhys 218 Wed lOp; Sun 12a; Wed 7p Tickets Go On Sale Sun. 5pm Bookmark Us Online At: www.4. OandGo. com Thanks CARPOOL for over 50,000 rides!! We appreciate all you do and thanks for keeping us safe. -From all of us in Responsible Aggie Decisions and the Aggie Community h 11 p ://s tu den 11 i fe. ta m u. ed u/adep/ RAD/ www.travelcuts.com Have you received a MIP or Public Intoxication? REBEKAH L. PLACKE* Attorney at Law Aggie Class of ‘99 Law Office of Lane D. Thibodeaux (979) 775-5700 308 N Washington, Bryan ‘Not Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization OVER *30,000 WON WEEKLY 1805 Briarcrest, Bryan 979-776-0999 OPEN TUESDAY THRU SUNDAY Ag Appreciation Nights on Wed & Thurs Nights: 6:00 & 8:00 • New times for 2004 • Open Tuesday thru Sunday, 6:00 & 8:00 • 1/2 price paper • *10.00 1/2 price Bingo Magic Machines • BYOB • *2500 package prize each session LARGE NON-SMOKING ROOM Great Food • Security • Pull Tables and Much More! Catholk Br E a “««9 ey BVCASA . Elks #859 Church St Joseph Catholic School The Battalion IN PRINT • ONLINE • ON RADIO News Sports Opinion Mailcall Aggielife Photo/Graphics Comics A.R News Classifieds www.thebatt.com Do You Want to be an Optometrist? OPTOMETRY BASICS WORKSHOP DATES F F 1 2 Feb.10 Tuesday 10:00 a.m. T O Z * 3 Feb. 16 Monday 10:00 a.m. L F E » ,peer© *4 « 5 April 12 Monday 2:00 p.m. . « » r e * * « 6 April 22 Thursday 2:00 p.m. *• * t o r * » June 7 Monday 3:00 p.m. * »*r *6 - 9 June 15 Tuesday 3:00 p.m. •»! *0 jcjnl Jrj If you are interested in applying to Optometry school for entrance in 2005, then please contact the Office of Professional School Advising at 847-8938 or come by room 205 of the Academic Building to register. The workshop location will be given to you at the time of registration. Monday, April 5, 2004 aggieu the mm Brazilian martial art find new fitness audience By Richard Brand KRT CAMPUS The percussion rhythm slows to a crawling beat, and two men playfully twirl their bodies, reacting to one another’s moves as if dancing. The beat quickens, the percussion becomes more aggressive. And in a flash, a kick cracks the air and knocks one of the men to the ground, gasping. This is Brazilian capoeira, in which beauty explodes into violence. But this scene isn’t being played out on the wharfs of Bahia or the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Rather, it’s happening at South Florida gymnasiums, where to the beat of the berimbau drum, a growing number of men and women are discovering the centuries-old martial art. Fueled by a growing Brazilian population and by members of the fitness set who are finding that sparring to music is a fun way to get buff, capoeira is becoming popular in South Florida and across the country. “There’s a special energy in capoeira that you can’t get in other places,” said Joe Marline, 32, who practices at a gym in Pompano Beach, Fla. “You have the infectious beat of the instruments. It is a release. This is the only sexy martial art.” “I have a lot of energy, and 1 wanted to get it out of my system,” said John Mancuso, 25, a mechanic. Although capoeira has recently become popu lar with non-Brazilians, the martial art has grown in Florida along with the Brazilian population. For many Brazilian immigrants, capoeira is a way to maintain a connection to home. Patty Silva, 40, of Coconut Creek, started capoeira classes two years ago, after returning from a visit to her family in Bahia, capoeira’s cultural home. “I had always been exposed to it in Brazil, and I never tried it,” she said. “When I went to visit Brazil the last time, there was this whole reawakening culture thing. I wanted something that would keep me close to my roots and my culture, speaking my language.” Still. Silva, who works in a medical office, said it’s the tough workout that keeps her com ing back four nights a week to train. “It’s like nothing I've ever done before. I’ve done yoga, aerobics and jujitsu. But this is something I really stuck with.” Silva said. “At my age. with two children, nothing can stimulate me more than this.” Capoeira’s roots in Afro-Brazilian culture are deep and rich. Long practiced in Bahia, one of Brazil's poorest yet culturally important states, capoeira’s specific origins arc elusive. Some his torians say it was transplanted from Angola by slaves, dating back to pre-colonial times. Others say capoeira is a more modern creation, the product of a confluence of cultures in 18th-cen tury Bahia. After James :o Okla :he Nc jtillwal With he b< nning, 3-3 Big instructor & prompt Mark Ji But in Brazil, popular folklore andaij son on the street will tell you thatcapoein developed by African slaves who, bam having weapons, learned to disguise kicks within the seemingly innocuous mu gVOi of dance. “Capoeira is an expression of freedom Bira Almeida, a Brazilian capoeira masie lives in California and is the autli “Capoeira: A Brazilian Art Form.” “I touched both runaway slaves and those win secuted them, from unsophisticated peoflMjall te intellectuals, from vagrants and those oj with a the mainstream society to workers,studems, politicians. It fulfills many people’squesis It’s the romantic version of history, many historians say is partly true, that i so many to embrace the martial art. South Beach capoeira Carneiro, 34. a tall, muscular Brazilian wears his hair in a bun above his head, when he opened his school 10 years ago,It a dozen students. Today, he has 250student two gyms. “It’s growing like crazy,” says Cameir familiar face from fight movies such as Quest,” in which he threw capoeiras* opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kickE moves. Carneiro mixes the experts beginners in his classes. During a typical lesson last week, even started by stretching out before they movedt eardio and strength-building activities likep ups and sit-ups. Then the group practiced si capoeira moves like somersaults, high kicks long sweeps. “Be the best!” Carneiro shouts, coirectini students as they go through the drills, wliici progressively complicated. The movement in the class never slops, neither does the Brazilian folk music, win turned up full blast. An hour into the session most of the capoeiristas were drenchedins« “You come in and have fun and work two hours without even realizing it,” saidko IheUniv Baquedano, 21. one of Cameiro’s studeni; As a beginner, Baquedano’s moves are cumbersome and deliberate, and when dies ring begins, she sits out and watches theetpj go at one another. Indeed, beginners are not supposed When they do spar, they are required todisj the dance-like moves they’ve learned wii hitting one another. Back flips are a more Pennini two out Penni ing stin man c Simon Penning ior righ ground the Cov Penni id sa' also we plate wi The i 4-5) int Baylor 12 star The ; Houstoi Tuesday b< in a macaus, roundhouse kicks are chibatas,era (j n j vers moves are esquivas. Carneiro said he’s happy to welcomethti wave of fitness buffs into his gym, them to train in the same room withthel' belts. “Many of my students never fight, don't have to,” Carneiro said. For all those expecting Ludacris to rock Reed Arena and enliven the College Station hip-hop scene last Thursday, the performance was a sur prising letdown. Rumors ran rampant all week about the possible “special guests” hinted at in the advertisements for the show, but the guest performers concertgoers were treated to were far less than special. That's right: no Chingy, no Li'l John and no other high- profile perfonners. Fans were lucky Ludacris even showed up. But it gets worse. Apparently unable to book any sort of solid opening act, Ludacris was preceded by two Bryan rap groups: Essential Shame and Players By Choice. Of the two opening acts, only Players By Choice was bearable; Essential Shame's per formance was, well, shameful. And as if that wasn't enough. Candy 95.1 DJ “Tic-Tac” was the master of ceremonies for the event, constantly making jokes no one laughed at and at one point humping the stage floor in an apparent attempt at dancing. Needless to say, this did little to get the crowd excited, and audience members were openly mocking him. More than two hours into the three-hour show, Ludacris finally showed up. His 50-minute perform ance wasn't bad, but he had his backup music, com plete with his own lyrics, playing in the background during most of his songs. So at times it was hard to hear or understand Ludacris because his own back ground vocals were playing too loud. Thai bined w ith the constant shrieks that pierced Arena every time a perfomier walked tooclos speaker with his microphone, was enoughtos many concertgoers leave early. And they did But the concert had its high points, too,Fc rapper Shawna, of Ludacris’ Disturbing The ft clique, stole the show, rapping dirty enough to* Li’l Kim blush and fast enough to make te down. 1-20, another member of DTP, alsoh hard-edged rhymes laden with violence a use. He even sported a T-shirt proclaiming THE DEALER.” And Ludacris, though going throusl motions for most of his songs, wasn’t a let disappointment, as he played mostly his radi gles off all three of his albums, going all Ike back to “What’s Your Fantasy,” from “Back for the First Time.” So the concerts complete loss. All in all, this event will likely do little toea age more hip-hop acts at Reed Arena, as was hardly a sellout and many left 30 minuttf Ludacris’ perfonnance. As one disgruntledi said on his way out, “I can’t believe I paid 2d I for this.” - George Dc0 Aggi swe< Stat< The team c conseci Sunday The / 12) did two-garr wa our pit< os a c m h' We str I this your pH game a gives y get cor and see Adrian i less tie inning run. lo allowed twice rr ing / Jessica ron cus °n the i Kapcf win in b end, t linings log out The A Univers Wednes McCom a&m tenn Unbe TheT Us tear the The - ush chool of Government & Public Service Texas A&M University Hie Ni Colorad Fresh W ^iday, c ame o winning ^atche The George Bush School of Government & Public Service is accepting applications for the CERTIFICATE IN ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRA Point. ' B ig 12) ^atche fifth cc jes f^eir la: Senio Select from a menu of graduate seminars each semester to earn a 12 credit-hfl !° r H • ^uren certificate and a permanent addition to your Texas A&M transcript. Enhance yd ‘ knowledge and your career prospects. For more information on this program visit our web site: http://bush.tamu.edii contact Laura Posada at (979) 862-8841 or e-mail lposada@bushschool.tamui The application deadline for summer enrollment is April 16. f'ficki l\ ^ina w ins florae The / f'dult i | r 9vel ivers