Spinnaker [Distributed: Wednesday, August 30, 2006]

Online networking Web sites have not only caught on in recent years, but have exploded to become a very powerful tool on the Internet. Two of the most popular sites, Facebook and Myspace, differ from each other in operation and features, but both provide an easy to use template that allows members to network effortlessly.

Facebook is aimed solely at students. All members are high school students, college students or alumni. The Web site requires members to use their school emails to start an account and lets them make their own pages complete with favorite bands, movies, books and quotes. Facebook also allows members to display contact information including phone, e-mail and home addresses.

Once someone has become a member on Facebook, they may browse through a registry of people who graduated from the same high school as them or people who attend the same college as them.

Members then begin adding friends through invitations in order to contact them and have access to their personal pages. Facebook also allows members to show fellow Facebook friends who they are in relationships with and links to their pages if they are also Facebook members.

Each Facebook page also has "The Wall" where Facebook friends can make comments about each other. Personal pages also have a photo album where pictures can be posted.

Facebook has a tool that allows members to form groups and invite other members to join the group. Each group has its own page with information regarding the group and a description of why the group exists.

Myspace operates somewhat similarly in the layout aspects of members' pages, but it has certain features and extras that Facebook does not have. Myspace is a cyber phone book with members ranging from kids to celebrities to up-and-coming musicians and everything in between.

Each member constructs a home page, much like Facebook, but in addition to pictures and a comment section, each member has a blog option allowing him or her to start a blog and a music option allowing each member to put a song on his or her page.

Myspace has become a very powerful marketing tool for celebrities and musicians alike. Artists from every genre of music can make their own pages and put up to four songs that anyone can listen to even if they are not members of Myspace. Many artists use this opportunity to post unreleased songs off new albums or songs they made in the past and never released. Artists can also post show dates for upcoming tours and alert friends when certain artists will be playing near them.

Another important tool within Myspace is the ability to make virtual invitations to events such as concerts or meetings. The who, what, where and when of the event is included along with a picture of the band and then sent to all friends of the band. It's a free and paperless way to network

Of course, both Web sites also have downsides, one of which is time consumption. It is true that once becoming a member of one or both of these Web sites, massive amounts of time can be consumed looking at other members' sites, improving your own site or just wasting time by mindlessly browsing through random lists of friends or groups.

Another major risk that has come about lately is the presence of compromising pictures that may be posted to the Web site by a member or that member's friends. Pictures involving drug paraphernalia and pictures of drinking can cause problems when seeking employment or when affiliated with a school-sponsored sports team. Recently, employers have also become increasingly scrutinizing about employees' personal pages. Employers may feel that a certain employee's page is inappropriate and may jeopardize the integrity of the company. This can lead to scrutiny from an employer, and in extreme cases can and has caused people to be fired.

Increasingly, both Myspace and Facebook, along with other networking Web sites are increasing in popularity. The Web sites certainly offer excellent, user friendly platforms to network and keep in touch with past friends and relatives while providing the ability to make new friends, meet the person of your dreams or tell your fans about the upcoming show in town.

Web-based shorthand invading everyday speech

Not only is the Internet changing how we work and play, it's changing how we talk.

Most def, agrees Archna Eniasivam, 20, of Coral Springs, Fla.

That's "most definitely" for everyone still speaking in whole words.

Now that the Internet has fueled an explosion of written shorthand, verbal shorthand couldn't be far behind.

Some students don't find it ridiculous to abbreviate words when they talk, just as they do now when they type.

And Facebook.com, the bible of the college set, has a special-interest group called "Totes Inappropes" for people who like to "abbreves absolutely everything in our convos."

"Abbreviations have become huge," said Eniasivam, a pre-med student at Washington University in St. Louis. "We shorten everything. Look what the media did with Brangelina."

Alan Hamaoui, 18, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., stops short of talking in shorthand, but well-worn Internet abbreviations still form in his brain.

"I've found myself thinking, LOL (laughing out loud)," said Hamaoui, a psych major at the University of Central Florida. "It just pops into my head."

With Sierra Schnitzer, 17, a Fort Lauderdale High student, verbal shorthand just tumbles out. After all, she's been chatting online since she was 12.

"OMG (oh, my God) started online and now some of us say it," she said. "It's more like a joke, when you're talking with your friends."

Ditto for BRB, as in be right back.

Eniasivam says awk instead of awkward. And most def, of course.

There's naysh short for nation. And totes short for totally.

Facebook's Totes Inappropes describes thirsty people as dehydes. Cute people are adorbes. And if you're hungry, go to the kitch.

There's no limit, save the imagination, for ways to shorten words. But it has to flow naturally in a conversation.

"I've been known to use obvi for obvious," Eniasivam said. "I tried that maybe once and decided against it."

But don't think shorthand is new to the Internet age. Writers have been abbreviating since taking quill to parchment, says Naomi Baron, author of "Alphabet to Email: How Written English Evolved and Where It's Heading."

Medieval manuscripts are studded with abbreviations, thanks to expense and labor-intensive copying. Your Hum Serv, for Your Humble Servant, appeared in formal letters from the 18th century.

"What we do in writing shows up in our speech," Baron said. "It's a natural transition." The Beat Generation, for instance, can claim "later," shorthand for "See you later."

Baron occasionally hears shorthand among students on the American University campus in Washington, D.C., where she's a linguistics professor.

"Some of my colleagues say BTW (by the way) to show they're not over the hill," she said.

She also theorizes that the verbal awk owes its roots to professors. Many use awk to pinpoint awkward sentences in student papers.

Despite the spread of shortened speech among some students, everyone isn't a fan.

"Some of our friends hate it," says Eniasivam. "It is slightly ridiculous to shorten words that don't need to be shortened."

Nor does she try truncated words on an older generation, say, her father.

"He would have no idea what I was talking about," she says.

He might even find it ridic.

Throught the Looking Glass

KNOCK, KNOCK; WHO'S THERE? POLICE ... I MEAN, PIZZA GUY
The girlfriend of a fugitive from justice in La Vista, Neb., called in an order for pizza, but mistakenly dialed 911, the police emergency number, instead of the pizza joint's number which begins with 991. She hung up when she realized her error, but the cops investigate all hang-ups. They converged on their apartment and nabbed the boyfriend.

I JUST CAN'T GET WOMEN TO LIKE ME; I DON'T KNOW WHY
After a woman rejected his sexual advances, a 54-year-old Scottsdale, Ariz., man responded by destroying her mailbox and leaving behind a naked picture of himself. A police investigation revealed that he had done the same thing to 16 other women in the past five years.

WE SENSED THAT A PATTERN WAS EMERGING
A vending machine supplier was robbed at a drop-off location in Huntsville, Ala. A few weeks later, he was robbed there again by the same man. And then again. And yet again. Suspecting that the robber would try a fifth time, police finally staked out the location and waited. Sure enough, he robbed the guy one more time. He was arrested after a high-speed chase.

ME? WHY I MIGHT HAVE BEEN AT THE STATION, WHY?
A man waiting at the police station in Arlington, Va., to retrieve his impounded vehicle, stealthily reached into the purse of a woman standing next to him and stole her keys and some cash. But she caught him, so he gave the stuff back and fled. Police had no trouble locating him since he had already given his name to the desk sergeant.

YOU CALL THAT EVIDENCE?!
After a roadside police camera recorded him speeding through Manchester, England, a motorist, thinking he could beat the rap, returned with explosives and blew the camera to pieces. Unfortunately for him, the device recorded his actions before it was destroyed.

YOU SEE, OFFICER, SOMETIMES IT JUST COMES OVER YOU
Police in Laksevag, Norway, lights flashing and sirens blaring, chased down a car because it was swerving all over the road. When it finally pulled over, they discovered the reason for the erratic driving was that the man and woman inside had been engaging in sexual intercourse. The man explained that they had been "unable to contain their lust."

DO YOU MEAN 'WICH'?
A man in Lancaster, England, enraged that his girlfriend broke up with him, spray-painted obscenities on her very expensive Peugeot, including the word "bich." He was caught because he called her that in a text message and misspelled the word there as well.

BUT OFFISHER, WE'RE ON YOUR SIDE
Police in Anstruther, Scotland, pulled over a car in the wee hours of the morning, and found two heavily intoxicated men inside. The driver was dressed as Batman and the passenger as Superman. They were arrested.

Christian music offers message of hope

We all realize intuitively that expressing ourselves through music affects us in a positive way. But research indicates the positive messages avowed through Christian music have catapulted the genre onto the scene throughout America.

Industry statistics indicate that Christian music is the sixth most popular category of music for consumers across the U.S., according to Christian news media service Agape Press.

Many Americans assume that the most common way of experiencing the Christian faith is by attending a church service, according to a new nationwide survey by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, Calif. A greater number of adults, however, experience the Christian faith through Christian media, such as radio, television or books, than attend Christian churches.

Just more than two out of five adult music listeners said they had listened to a station airing Christian music, the fastest-growing type of Christian broadcasting - 43 percent - during the past month. The expansion in both the number of radio stations adopting a Christian music format and in the size of the listening audience helps to explain why the Christian music genre has been one of the fastest-growing categories in the music industry during the past two years.

With the world in turmoil from the September 11 terrorist attacks, the ongoing war in Iraq and just everyday issues bombarding the average person, many people have begun to reassess their priorities and look at what is really important and what really matters. People are looking for some sort of connection to their spiritual side.

The popularity of Contemporary Christian Music, or CCM, is proof that consumers are looking for music with a message, said Gospel Music Association (GMA) President John Styll.

"Christian music is increasingly connecting with the culture at large, which I think indicates that people really have this God-shaped vacuum in their lives," Styll said in an interview with LifeWay Christian Resources. "And when something comes along that gives them some hope and some inspiration, they really grab onto it."

Christian music comes in all forms, from rock to metal to melodic, to name a few. Barlow Girl, with their dark rock/metal/gothic sound, might be compared to Evanescence, playing great rock music that at times is very heavy but still pleasant. Rock band Switchfoot can be found on Christian and secular stations alike, with hits such as "Meant to Live" and "Gone." Another popular group is Kutless, a melodic, hard rock band that employs heavy guitars, strong drums and catchy melodies.

By early June of this year, more than 21 million units of Christian music had been sold nationwide, according to the GMA. Styll said the listening audience is hungry for the wide variety of positive messages to be found in CCM, speaking truth, communicating hope and pointing people to Christ, according to the LifeWay interview.

The explosion of Christian music on the airwaves and into people's home music collections may be indicative of CCM becoming the next best alternative to the traditional brick-and-mortar church, according to Barna.

"Increasing numbers of people are involved in informal discussion groups regarding faith matters, participate in faith forums and in-home worship activities or use the Internet for faith exploration and communications," the researcher said.

"As our culture continues to embrace new forms of education, interaction and relationships, while maintaining a felt need for connection to God, it is important to recognize that traditional Christian activities such as evangelism, worship and discipleship may happen outside of a church building for many people - including millions of individuals who have no interest or intention of visiting a church."

Like songs of other genres, Christian lyrics tell about the pains of everyday life, said Nicole C. Mullen in an interview with Brio magazine. The difference is that Christian lyricists offer the answer to those dilemmas before the last note is played or sung.

Critics undecided who real winners are at Emmys

Late Night's Conan O'Brien hosted the event for the second time

Sunday night's 58th Annual Primetime Emmy ceremony is bound to have critics undecided as to whether they should be overjoyed or frustrated by the TV Academy's choices.

On one hand, you had the Emmy voters rubber-stamping familiar faces like Megan Mullally and Tony Shalhoub at the expense of edgier nominees. But it was hard to be annoyed by those choices when Emmy recognized fresh faces like "Entourage" and "The Office" and finally gave "24" the top-of-the-ballot recognition it deserved.

Some observations from the Emmys differ from good to bad.

Emmy winners include some of the following:

NBC's Shows: Conan O'Brien began the show with a slew of jokes about the network's fourth place status.

Entertainment President Kevin Reilly and company have to feel pleased with an evening that included wins for comedy series ("The Office"), lead actress in a drama (Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"), supporting actress in a comedy series (Mullally, "Will & Grace") and supporting actor in a drama (Alan Alda of "The West Wing"). "My Name Is Earl," snubbed in several major categories, won for comedy writing and directing.

"The Amazing Race:" Even the most die-hard of fans wouldn't argue with the contention that last season's two installments of CBS' `round-the-world reality entry were sub par at best. And still, the show won yet another Emmy. It's invincible.

"Hill Street Blues:" Alda's win allowed "The West Wing" to tie "Hill Street Blues" for the most decorated drama series in Emmy history with 26. NBC's departing presidential drama was shut out for the rest of the night, though, leaving the two shows forever joined.

HBO's Original Movies: Boy. That's a lot of wins for "The Girl in the Cafe" and "Elizabeth I."

Emmy losers include some of the following:

NBC's Sense of Good Taste: It's just bad luck that O'Brien began the show with a joke about a plane accident and worse luck that it was a taped bit that couldn't be changed in the wake of the deadly plane crash in Kentucky on Sunday morning. However, the whole thing could have been prevented if Conan and crew hadn't decided to begin the show with a "Lost" joke that felt pretty dated already.

HBO's Scripts Series: Wins for supporting actor in a comedy series (Jeremy Piven, "Entourage") and writing for a drama series (Terrence Winter, "The Sopranos") aren't bad, but somehow we've come to expect more.

ABC in General: Last year's Emmys were like a celebration of all things ABC. This year? Well, Louis Horvitz won a trophy for directing the Oscars. That's got to count for something, right? No. Not much, actually.

"Grey's Anatomy" in Specific: Many pundits were expecting Sunday night to be a coronation for the year's most talked about soapy drama, with writing and acting nominations galore. Instead? Zilch.

Stephen Colbert, Craig Ferguson, David Letterman and Hugh Jackman: Tee-hee. You guys lost the Emmy for individual performance in a variety or musical program to Barry Manilow.

Movie-goers get wasted on Beerfest

From the brilliant minds that brought us "Super Troopers" and the not-so-funny minds that brought us "Club Dread" comes a movie about the world's favorite drink. It is a tale of family, honor, nationality and most importantly beer.

"Beerfest" is the story of two brothers joined in the ultimate goal of honoring their grandfather and protecting their family name. While attending Oktoberfest to spread their grandfather's ashes, they find out that his true wish was to make Beerfest his final resting place. After a rough meeting with family they had never heard of and enough embarrassment to fuel a war between Germany and England, the brothers scurry back to the United States vowing to get revenge. Together with three friends, they take on the Germans in a secret drinking competition that has been around longer than Oktoberfest.

The stereotypical characters add to the hilarious situations. The English are rowdy and sport football, also known as soccer, uniforms and the Germans wear traditional lederhosen while poking fun at the quality, or lack of, in American "beer." The movie does not fail to point out the difference, referring to American beer as "corn in a can." The directors portray the Germans in a goofy light similar to the German characters in "Super Troopers" as they are flaky and a bit strange, but this portrayal makes them likable characters.

The cast of heroes also includes a Jewish scientist, a frat boy, a secret weapon and two brothers that seem like they were shot right out of the '90s. Each member of Team USA adds their own skills to the competition, even with all the self-doubt and embarrassment already hovering over them.

Hopefully American audiences will catch all the subtle hints that point towards a greater drinking experience and appreciate the point the directors attempt to make. Not only is drinking fun but beer can also be appreciated for its great taste. As the movie demonstrates, you can brew your own beer, and it can be much better than drinking commercially-brewed beer.

In the end, the movie left me with a burning desire to go home and chug the homebrew sitting in my fridge. I also want to try drinking beer out of a giant glass boot. For those of you who are not fond of beer and would rather partake in other activities to alter you consciousness, get ready for Willie Nelson to introduce us to the much-anticipated sequel entitled "Potfest."

Sublime: 10 years after the death of Bradley Nowell

It has been 10 years since the passing of Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, but his music continues to live.

It was May 25, 1996, shortly before the release of their self-titled album, when Nowell was found dead in his hotel room of a heroin overdose, succumbing to an addiction that he battled for years and prophetically sang about in the song "Pool Shark."

The originality of Sublime has never been recreated. The band made music that was unlike anything before it, and the music reflected the appreciation that Nowell had for acts ranging from The Grateful Dead to Bob Marley.

The band made many solid originals and also covered songs including "Scarlet Begonias," "Smoke Two Joints," "Steppin Razor," "Trenchtown Rock" and "54-46" keeping the songs similar to the original but infusing their own style in each track. The covers also brought interest back into the bands that made the songs such as Toots and the Maytals and Peter Tosh.

Following the untimely death of Nowell, former drummer Bud Gaugh and bassist Eric Wilson eventually went on to continue playing the music that made them famous, staying in the Long Beach scene by playing with such acts as Long Beach Dub Allstars and Long Beach Shortbus, but never gaining the fame or recognition that they obtained while playing in Sublime.

The style and infusion of multiple genres was unique to Sublime, something that truly separated them from the rest of the music scene and something that has certainly influenced others that have come along in the surf rock Long Beach style of music. The band took pieces of reggae, ska, punk rock and hip hop to build an original puzzle that became the signature sound of Sublime.

Few people realize that Sublime was formed in the late 80s and put out several albums including "40 Oz. to Freedom" and "Robin in the Hood" before the major label success of their self-titled release.

Unfortunately, following the passing of Nowell, the band would break up and never again record music together instead releasing previously recorded music on albums such as "Second Hand Smoke" and "Stand by Your Van."

The ghost of Sublime has lived on, however, and bands continue to carry on the tradition of the Long Beach style that Sublime made famous the world over.

Fellow west coasters Slightly Stoopid, a band Nowell discovered and signed to his Skunk record label, have carried on and made a name for themselves in the surf rock genre. The band has also fused reggae, punk and ska to make their own sound reminiscent of their mentors, but with their own style something that was very evident on their earlier work on "The Longest Barrel Ride." The band, like Sublime before it, continues to grow its fanbase and gain appreciation with their constantly changing sound.

Although other bands may come close to the sound that made Sublime so unique, they will never duplicate the originality that was the cornerstone of the band. Sublime was an anomaly, something particularly special that does not come around often. Like artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, Nowell was a superstar whose life ended far too soon.

The international acclaim Sublime received following the release of their self-titled album was shadowed by the fact that Nowell's passing meant Subime would never again release new original music.

The success of their self-titled album was just the beginning for a band that worked so hard to become a household name, and the journey to stardom was cut short far too early.

Zan on the Street

We are back in action for the new semester here at the Spinnaker, and hopefully some acts will get back in action as well since things are looking quite uneventful for the first week of school. Even with a lack of nationally recognized talent, plenty of local music can fill the void.

In case you haven't read the column before, I try to highlight events and live music around Jacksonville that I feel students will enjoy and attend on a weekly basis. Jacksonville is unique in that it has a thriving downtown scene as well as a beach scene that offers something for everyone. As residents of Jacksonville, we get a wide variety of events and live music from the monster truck rally at Alltel Stadium every year to world renown reggae acts at Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach.

Freebird Live in Jax Beach hosts the Codetalkers this Saturday. The show is $10 and doors open at 8 p.m. Also on Saturday, Queensryche plays at the Florida Theatre. Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster and doors open at 8 p.m. Elsewhere around town, Thee Imperial, Jack Rabbits and Fuel will have the normal mélange of music throughout the week so check them out on Myspace, www.jackrabbitsonline.com or www.fuelin5pts.com for more information and scheduled bands. That's about it for worthwhile local shows, unfortunately, so how about a reminder for what's going on around town?

Wednesday night at Fly's Tie is reggae night with sounds from Pili Pili. The little pub is located in Atlantic Beach and features $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon all night. Wednesday night at Twisted Sisters Ladell Mclin plays. There is a $5 cover unless you get there before 8 p.m. Thursday night, De Lions of Jah play Twisted Sisters. As usual the place packs quite a crowd with drink specials like $1 drafts and $3 Xcelerators (energy drink and vodka) so it's worth it to get there a little early.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Pili Pili plays Caribbee Key in Atlantic Beach. Sun Dog and Ragtime also have live music from various bands so those are good options, too. If you check out Ragtime, be sure to try some of the dank homebrew beer on tap.

Sunday, the Conch House in St. Augustine has live reggae. From what I have heard, only a few more Conch House Sunday's are left this summer so hop in the car and take a little road trip to our historic neighboring town to the south.

Also, Sisters of the Sea is putting on its 8th Annual Surf Classic Saturday at Hanna Park at 9 a.m. Entry is $30 for early registration and $50 on the beach. The deadline to apply is Friday and the first 125 applicants will be surfing the contest. The after party will take place at Twisted Sisters.

There you go: a few hangouts around town with plenty of good tunes and drink specials. For the under 21 crowd, you'll get there soon enough so why not just go out and chill at the beach while the weather is still warm and sunny. The first cold front will be here before you know it.

Meanwhile, in another part of town...

For a taste of the bayou without the drive or to grab a quick drink after work, Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille in Jacksonville Beach is sure to please. The restaurant serves both lunch and dinner and features a large array of Cajun-style food and certainly has something to satisfy any taste.

Appetizers at Harry's include fried green tomatoes, wings and calamari with other original dishes such as Cajun popcorn (fried crawfish tales), Croc de Jacque (fried gator tale) and various shellfish setting the bar and grille apart from many others. The starters range from $5.99 for the tomatoes to $8.99 for mussels. Harry's also features soups such as gumbo and clam chowder and has an array of fresh salads with chicken and fish as toppings.

Harry's is a seafood grille and for good reason with different fresh fish and dishes such as grilled rainbow trout, crab cakes and pecan crusted catfish reasonably priced around $9 for lunch and $15 for dinner.

The restaurant also has dinner specials such as crab cake and crawfish cardinale, stuffed shrimp and Alaskan king crab legs starting at $16. No Cajun restaurant would be complete without Po' boys with fillers including shrimp, catfish, oysters and crawfish all around to fill the french break all priced around $8.

If seafood is not your thing, Harry's has a range of food from the grill. For lunch, Harry's serves half-pound Angus beef burgers and other various burgers and sandwiches. If you are looking for something a bit lighter try a marinated seafood wrap or a fish wrap.

For dinner, Harry's offers grilled chicken, steak and pork along with side items such as a lobster tail or grilled shrimp. Entrée's range from $12.49 for chicken dishes to $19.99 for an 8 ounce filet mignon, and the lobster tail adds $10 to the price. Harry's also features a variety of pasta dishes with chicken and seafood and an interesting dish called pasta jambalaya with shrimp, chicken and smoked sausage for $15.

Harry's also has a full bar and serves various beers on tap. In addition, when Mardi Gras nears in New Orleans, Harry's follows suit with its Fat Tuesday party. The parking lot turns into a giant party complete with a tent, plenty of beer and beads.

If you are looking for reasonably priced Creole style food with something for everyone on the menu, look no further than Harry's. The eatery is located on the corner of 3rd Street North and 9th Avenue North and can be reached at 247-8855. Also, the restaurant can be viewed on the web at www.hookedonharrys.com.

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EXPRESSIONS

Expressions: A page for friends

Web-based shorthand invading everyday speech

Throught the Looking Glass

Christian music offers message of hope

Critics undecided who real winners are at Emmys

Late Night's Conan O'Brien hosted the event for the second time

Movie-goers get wasted on Beerfest

Sublime: 10 years after the death of Bradley Nowell

Zan on the Street

Meanwhile, in another part of town...

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