The boom in the technology industry and the drastic reduction of labor-intensive jobs in America have created a society of men who are more Patton Oswalt than George S. Patton.

However, the impending end of cultural masculinity is a recent phenomenon, and one that is not fully realized.

Never is that more clear than the beginning of hunting season in mid-Michigan.

The men go hunting. If you are in grade school, you miss class to go shoot things.

Women have been accepted up in the deer stands, but still raise eyebrows.

For example, let’s say there is a young man growing up in the rural outskirts of Midland, who has never been hunting in his entire life and happened to grow into a 5’8” dynamo of bearded vigor by the name of Bradley.

When the other 10- or 11-year-olds are talking about their plans to skip school to sit out in the cold with their dad and their rifle, saying “I’m not going hunting” causes reactionary looks expected to be reserved for being told “Jesus already came back and he was the hamster you forgot to feed last year.”

By the time most of the boys in my school reached the age where they were legally allowed to hunt, they had already learned a few choice slurs for homosexuals they chose to fling liberally at the few of us who did not hunt.

I believe there were a few phenomenons at work that made this happen:

First, the systemic nature of grade school society to be cruel to those who are different.

Second, in communities where hunting is prominent, not hunting is just something guys do not understand.

Not hunting was never a moral choice or anything like that; Lord knows I revel in my carnivorous tendencies. I had fired guns, and spent time in the woods, but it just was not my thing.

If somebody is asked to go roller skating and they respond, “I just don’t really like to skate,” nobody bats an eye. Say “I just don’t really like to hunt” in the wrong rural community and people will lose their minds.

As a few of those young boys who ostracized me found out a few years later, sexual orientation has nothing to do with a compulsion to shoot deer with a gun.

By all means, keep hunting. Keep being enthusiastic about it. Just be a little nicer to the guy who is not going hunting.

After all, he’s the guy staying at home with all your women.

‘I think a lot of people go to Los Angeles, thinking the big prize is going to be there, without having to put a superhuman effort into it,” said Mandlsohn, who moved to Los Angeles from his hometown of Toronto three years ago. “I honestly believe that work ethic is the new talent.”

Mandlsohn is opening for fellow comedian Craig Robinson at 7 p.m. Saturday in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium.

“Craig and I have never performed together before,” Mandlsoh said. “This will be our first time working together.”

Mandlsohn began doing comedy more than 11 years ago, and has been performing full-time for eight years.

“I’ve been doing comedy since I was 17,” Mandlsohn said. “I was doing comedy while I was at university. I would be on the road, writing ten-page papers on hotel scratch pads.”

He studied to become a teacher, and teaches as a substitute when in Toronto.

Mandlsohn described his comedy as controversial, without being vulgar or unintelligent.

“I do talk about religion, I talk about education. I talk about relationships and sex, without being shocking,” Mandlsohn said. “I like to be smart, and have a point of view. I think when people watch me, they can understand where I’m coming from.”

Mandlsohn performs at a variety of venues, and said he will soon perform at a wedding reception for the first time, and is also booked to perform at a strip club for the first time.

However, he said he most enjoys performing for college audiences.

“I just turned 29 years old, I have two university degrees,” Mandlsohn said. “I know the experience, I know what they’re going through. It’s still somewhat of the same peer group.”

Mandlsohn said he also enjoys performing in Michigan, and considers the state a fertile ground for up-and-coming comedians.

“I think it’s the one state in America with the most amount of comedy opportunities, as far as performing,” Mandlsohn said. “(It has) the most amount of comedy clubs in one state, or at least that was the case a few years ago. It’s mainly a blue-collared state, so these guys have gone through suffering, compared to performing to a bunch of rich people who can’t really identify as much.”

For more information on Mandlsohn and his comedy, visit dylancomic.com.

“A Conversation with the President” will first take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the lounge of Troutman Hall.

Assistant Director of Residence Life Cal Seelye was responsible for choosing the lounge for the event. He said the lounge could hold approximately 100 to 150 people.

“I’ve worked in the Towers for 10 years, so I just said this is the spot in the Towers that would work best for this type of meeting,” Seelye said.

Manistique sophomore Kathy Leonard said planning for so few attendants is probably a realistic choice.

“Even if we can’t all fit in there, we could always go to one of the other locations to see the president, if we really wanted to,” Leonard said.

Subsequent conversations will take place Nov. 3 in the lobby of Larzelere Hall, Nov. 4 in the lobby of Sweeney Hall, and Nov. 17 in classrooms 2 and 3 in Herrig Hall.

Zeeland graduate student Katie Kloet is enthusiastic about Wilbur making herself available to Central Michigan University students.

“This is my sixth year at Central, and I never talked to (former University President) Michael Rao,” Kloet said. “I’m not even sure I’d know what he looked like. So it’s cool that she’s taking the time to talk to students.”

Michael Rao served as CMU president since 2000 before becoming president of Virginia Commonwealth University on July 1. Wilbur stepped up to interim university president from vice president of governmental relations and public affairs.

What would you ask?

Kloet said if she could ask Wilbur a question, she would ask something more personal than related to university policies.

“Honestly, if I talked to her, I’d probably just ask her about her — if it’s stressful being the president, and things like that,” she said.

Rochester Hills sophomore Nick Smith said it is important for a rapport to be built up between the president and students.

“She needs to know who she’s representing, and the students need to know who their president is,” Smith said.

Smith is the Student Government Association representative for Kesseler Hall, and said he would go to the conversation in order to better serve his hall.

“I’d probably go, just to see what she’s all about,” Smith said. “I’m the Student Government representative, so that’s why I would go, to see if there’s anything to tell the people in the hall.”

The optimism the girls shared before beginning their first year of college seems to be well-founded so far for the freshman girls of Wheeler Hall Room 102.

“It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, I have a lot of spare time to do homework,” said Kaylee Boos of Shelby. “My astronomy class is probably the hardest for me, just because science is hard for me to comprehend.”

Carla Raymond of Coldwater said she had to switch into a few more University Program and prerequisite classes, after being overwhelmed by the upper-level business classes she had initially enrolled in.

“I switched to do my basics this year, and my business classes next year,” Raymond said.

Shelby Miller of Union City may have the biggest non-class commitment of the four girls, as a member of the marching band’s color guard, but she said the afternoon practices have not gotten in the way of her studies.

“All my classes are really early in the morning, and then I have three or four hours to start or finish my homework,” Miller said.

She said she has enjoyed her time in the color guard so far, and performing in front of approximately 76,000 people during the football game at Michigan State University has been an early highlight.

“The State game was amazing,” Miller said. “Extra-nerve-racking, but exciting at the same time.”

Amanda Green of Shelby said classes have not been difficult so far, although she has already slept through a class.

Green said she is reconsidering what to do with her free time, after she tried out for the Club Soccer team and was cut.

“I didn’t want to play on an intramural team, so I’m just going to find a job or something, I don’t know,” she said.

The girls all said so far, living together in one bedroom has not caused too many problems, although Boos chided Raymond for being the “slob” of the room.

“I am not!” Raymond quickly yelled back.

Boos said the only real problem the girls have encountered so far is coordinating each other’s recreation to not interrupt one another’s academics.

“Probably the hardest time is when one of us wants people over and someone’s trying to study,” Boos said. “We’re all studying at different times, so it’s hard to pick a time.”

The girls said they are, for the most part, enjoying living away from their families, although they have all been in contact, and have visited. Raymond said her mother and brother visited her Monday for her 19th birthday.
Boos admits that she is probably having the hardest time with the separation.

“I’ve been home every weekend so far. I talk to my dad every day, and I talk to my sisters almost every day, and I talk to my friends (back home) every day,” Boos said.

But, what about people that want to go the extra mile for a graduating family member, friend, or significant other? What if there is something to be said that cash just can’t say?

Consider these basic suggestions, to possibly find just the right thing.

Briefcases, portfolio cases, or laptop bags

Everybody has baggage, and young professionals are no different.

Getting a grad a nice leather briefcase, laptop bag or portfolio case will help them appear professional, prepared and organized.

In this economy, every recent graduate is going to need help with their baggage.

PDAs, Blackberrys, and information organizers

More of a “rich parent” gift than anything else, nothing says ‘I’m ready to kick butt, take names and Twitter from the bus stop’ like a Blackberry.

However, for those that don’t want to bust the bank, there are other ways to organize personal information. Basic electronic organizers are relatively cheap, or gift givers could go for a charming old-school approach and buy their grad a Rolodex.

Dress Clothes

Rather than “rich parent,” dress clothes scream “protective mom.”

However, there are few professional-minded graduating men that would not appreciate a tie, or women that would like a necklace or bracelet.

Coffee mugs

An inexpensive gift that can be both sentimental and functional.

If the goal is to offer the recipient a token of congratulations without breaking the bank or doing anything too personal, this may be the way to go.

Nice booze

Graduates may not need it, but there is no denying that it’s something many of them actually want. A great friend-to-friend gift to solidify the bonds of your companionship.

The beautiful thing is, booze can impress for a relatively little amount of money, compared to what could be spent on other gifts. A recipient of a bottle of booze in the $30-range, such as Grey Goose vodka, 1800 tequila or Maker’s Mark bourbon, will most likely consider the giver an exceedingly great friend, and it will enhance any graduation party. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

lifeline@cm-life.com

These recipes can be used as a starting point, on how to put them together for a delicious and resourceful meal. At your own discretion, use these recipes as a starting point, and alter them to include whatever is vexing your fridge.

-Mini pizza

1 pound ground beef
1 pound sausage
1 pound Velveeta cheese
Dash of oregano
2 tbsp ketchup
4 drops Worcestershire sauce
French bread, sliced.

Brown the meat on stove, then cook in other ingredients. Put a spoonful of topping on each slice of French bread, bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Can be frozen and saved for later use.

-Taco-stuffed baked potatoes

1 cup of Velveeta salsa dip
1/2 cup ground beef
4 baked potatoes

Cook meat on stove, stir salsa dip into meat. Bake each potato, split the potatoes and fill with meat sauce.

-Egg stir-fried rice

1 finely chopped onion
11 tsp miscellaneous vegetables: carrots, beans, peas, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.
10 tsp cooked rice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Heat the oil in a frying pan, cool the onion 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add vegetables, stir until hot, then add leftover rice. Continue stirring until piping hot, add eggs and stir quickly until egg is cooked.

-Chicken nachos

1 can refried beans
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 large jar salsa
1 large bag of nacho chips

Line cookie sheet with foil wrap, spread chips evenly. Spoon refried beans onto chips. Mix salsa and chicken, pour evenly over the chips. Top with cheddar cheese, broil for 8 to 12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

-Rye bread and sausage

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound hot sausage
1 pound Velveeta cheese
2 packages Pepperidge Farm party rye

Fry the meat, drain fat from frying pan. Melt cheese, mix in with meat, and allow it to cool. Spread mix onto rye bread, bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Can be frozen for later use.

-Cheesy baked chicken

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 can of corn
Mushrooms
1 pound Velveeta cheese
Diced garlic

Pour other ingredients on top of chicken, bake for 45 minutes at 425 degrees.

studentlife@cm-life.com

Settle finances

Any debts left on your student account should be paid to avoid any unwanted consequences in the future.

Also, pay any outstanding parking tickets, residence hall fines or outstanding bar tabs.

For students living in apartments, pay any fines or damages and make sure to collect any remaining safety deposit. Pay the utilities and make sure to call the electric company to get the power shut off, if the landlord is not responsible for that.

Clean the abode

Anybody living in residence halls already is well on their way to being clean, in accordance with Residence Life Order Day, but students living in apartments will likely need to get on the ball and clean up.

Included with general cleaning, be sure to put effort into doing any repairs or stain-removal that is required. Spackle for repairing holes in walls can be purchased at Home Depot, 5650 E. Pickard St., starting at $3.48 for an 8-ounce container.

For removing stains, blot the stain with a solution of two teaspoons of dish soap and one cup of warm water, then apply solution of one cup of white vinegar and 2/3 cup of warm water to the stain, allow to sit, then blot again. Repeat until stain is removed, then place paper towels on top of area to dry.

Finally, remove any unwanted furniture. Any unwanted wood or recyclable materials can be disposed of properly at Isabella County Recycling Center, 4208 E. River Road.

Get booked

Be sure to return any library books you have borrowed from the Charles V. Park Library or the Veterans Memorial Public Library, 301 S. University Ave., to avoid any repercussions or fines.

Also, for personal benefit, be sure to sell back textbooks, either online, the CMU Bookstore in the Bovee University Center, or the Student Book Exchange, 209 E. Bellows St.

features@cm-life.com

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is prepped to kick off the summer movie season with a growl, a slash and a bang on May 1, and what follows promises to be no less exciting.

“We do expect ‘Wolverine’ to be as big as ‘Iron Man’ was last year,” said Greg Howell, general manager of Celebration! Cinema, 4935 E. Pickard Road. “Every weekend in May is going to be big.”

Howell said “Wolverine” edged out “Star Trek” and “Bruno” to be the movie he is anticipating the most this summer.

“I’m just a big comic book geek … and it looks really good too,” Howell said. “The trailer probably looks the best out of any of those.”

Oxford sophomore Dan Hayward said he is anticipating the movie, and hopes it will improve upon “X-Men: The Last Stand.”

“I’m just hoping it’s better than the other ‘X-Men’ movies,” Hayward said. “The third one was just getting lame. I hope they can redeem themselves from being lame.”

Broadcast and cinematic arts professor Ken Jurkiewicz said “Wolverine” is likely to have success when it is released, but he expects it to be short-lived.

“With the Marvel Comics audience, there’s a built-in fanbase, it’s going to be pre-sold,” Jurkiewicz said. “What’s interesting about the whole summer … the new movies are released on Friday, and all the marketing muscle and all the publicity are focused on getting the maximum bang for that weekend, because the executives know a whole new blockbuster will be coming out the next weekend.

“What they dread might happen will probably happen: that the ‘Wolverine’ movie will probably be forgotten by the end of the month.”

Trying to overshadow “Wolverine” the next week is director J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” reboot, starring Chris Pine (“Smokin’ Aces”) and Zachary Quinto (“Heroes”).

“Well, everybody thought that ‘Star Trek’ was dead because the last few movies were duds… and they got J.J. Abrams to reboot it, and he very wisely went for the younger audience,” Jurkiewicz said. “They had to do something. Either come up with brand-new characters, or go back to the origins.”

The last three weeks of May are rounded out by a powerhouse trifecta of “Angels and Demons,” “Terminator: Salvation” and “Up.”

Jurkiewicz said the inclusion of a credible actor such as Christian Bale and a no-nonsense tone gives “Terminator” a better shot than it would otherwise have.

“The nudge-nudge, wink-wink sensibility (many genre movies have), I don’t think that will be there for ‘Terminator,’” Jurkiewicz said. “I guess what gives a summer movie the credibility it wouldn’t have in the past is a serious tone, and a cast of A-list actors.”

Howell said “Up,” which is being released in 3-D, is the beginning of a campaign of 3-D movies by Disney and Pixar.

“We do expect (“Up”) to be bigger than some of the past movies by Pixar because it’s going to be in 3-D,” Howell said. “They’re expecting it to be big, and are using it to set up for ‘Toy Story 3D.’”

Howell said following “Up,” Disney will re-release the first two “Toy Story” movies in 3-D as a double feature this Thanksgiving, and “Toy Story 3D” is scheduled for release in summer 2010.

The film that many are expecting to be the big summer blockbuster is “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” releasing June 24. The film is reported by Empire Magazine to have a production budget of $200 million.

“The first one was phenomenal, so I’ll definitely see this one,” Hayward said. “It had so many action scenes and I thought the graphics were amazing. And it had that really hot chick in it.”

Jurkiewicz was less enthusiastic.

“I thought the first film was abominable,” Jurkiewicz said. “I thought it was loud and incoherent, and irritating on many levels. I’m not going to see (“Revenge of the Fallen”) because life is short.”

Jurkiewicz also is skeptical of the astronomical production budget.

“There’s something almost suicidal about this,” he said. “Given the environment of a new movie coming out every weekend, how do they expect to make that money back?”

features@cm-life.com

Three movies – “Iron Man,” “Indiana Jones” and “The Dark Knight” – combined to gross more than $1.1 billion in North America alone.

So, what next?

This summer, which could easily be considered a follow-up, Hollywood seems to be hedging their bets largely on fanboy enthusiasm and genre interest, and dependence on sequels and franchise loyalty is greater than ever.

This strategy may prove to hurt the industry.

Certainly, clumsily titled franchise flicks like “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” will bring butts to seats, but will it be in the overwhelming magnitude of last summer?

Will “Wolverine,” a spin-off capitalizing on the popularity of a single performance, live up to last year’s “Iron Man,” or its “X-Men” predecessors? And can “Transformers” possibly overcome its preposterous budget to attain the ultimate goal of the film industry: turning a profit?

Both these films are following movies that were an initial financial success, but suffered crippling word of mouth.

To be fair to “X-Men: The Last Stand” and its director Brett Ratner, respectively schlock and hack, the harshest things said by critics about that movie were some of the kindest said about Michael Bay’s first “Transformers.”

And if you don’t believe that a franchise’s pedigree counts for something at the box office, go take a look at “Matrix Revolutions.”

Something that most of the mega-budget films have in common this year — and have for the better part of a decade – is reliance on franchise recognition. Be it a title like “Harry Potter” or “Terminator,” a company like Pixar or names like Johnny Depp and Quentin Tarantino, movie companies are banking on familiarity.

It’s a safe bet, but rarely sets the world ablaze.

I’m just saying, it was a relative nobody named Spielberg, with little more than a great script and a rubber shark that created the “summer blockbuster.”

And last summer it was a nearly-three-hour superhero-noir morality play, produced as a sequel to what was a modest hit at best, that grossed a billion dollars worldwide.

Big explosions and pretty actors will get young people in the theater when they have nothing better to do. But to really become a piece of pop culture, to create something significant out of a summer action flick, and to make money, a film needs something more.

Like a good script and a talented filmmaker. And this summer’s lineup is dangerously thin.

Studios need to risk, and risk seriously, to see serious returns.

features@cm-life.com

“It’s become a hip beverage for the 21 and up crowd,” said Tom Fischer, a sales representative for Elite Brands, which sells wine to grocery stores, restaurants and liquor stores around mid-Michigan.

“Ten years ago you saw a huge proliferation of martini bars,” he said. “Five years ago it was Mike’s and the ‘malternative’ beverages and they were directed right at 21-year-olds.”

Wine from many regions has become affordable in recent years for a combination of reasons, including the poor economy and an excess of product. Fischer said the best price range to look into is $7.99 to $15.99, or even lower in some instances.

“All over the world, they make decent wines in that price range,” Fischer said. “The most bang for your buck right now are Spain, Chile and Argentina. The quality of product-per-dollar has greatly increased – the days of Boone’s Farm are over.”

Besides affordability, another reason for the increased population of wine is social influence and popular culture. Fischer said movies and television programs like “Sideways” and “Entourage” have helped lead to a popularity of wine, as has the rise in popularity of the Food Network.

“It has really pushed the level of cooking, so you need a beverage to go with that,” Fischer said.

He also said that wine is growing in popularity because it’s seen as a higher-class drink, with a mystique and intricacy to it.

“That’s all perception to me,” Fischer said. “You didn’t have 21-year-olds drinking wine five years ago. Even the beer-swilling frat boys are drinking it, because that’s what the chicks are drinking.”

Todd Gurzick, owner of T.O. Dbl D’s party store, 104 E. May St., echoed the idea that wine sales in a college environment are largely driven by women, based on the increase of women living in the apartments surrounding his store.

“I’m pretty much surrounded by women, so we’ve seen an increase in wine sales,” Gurzick said.

The diversity of wine selection and the potential for exploration and discovery of new tastes is also a driving factor for young people drinking wine.

“Being young, you’re kind of willing to try different things, like Malbecs from Argentina, or Cabernets,” said Jamie Pyecroft, a bartender at The Brass Cafe & Saloon, 128 S. Main St.

“They (college students) are not necessarily going to pair it with food, they just want to find out what wine’s about,” Pyecroft said. “College students want to be challenged.”

Fischer said if young people want to discover wines they should find their favorite first, then work to new and different things.

“The key to finding the wines you think are a value, is to first discover the kind of wine that you like and what kind of grapes you like,” he said. “Start with what you like, then branch out from there.”

Fischer advises that novice wine drinkers should start by trying sweeter wines and then work their way into the dryer, more challenging varieties.

“If you jump right in to a cabernet, you’ll never drink wine again,” Fischer said.

As a closing reminder, Fischer said that responsibility is a must in drinking, especially with wine.

“Remember, all things in moderation,” he said. “The worst hangover you’ll ever have is a wine hangover.”

features@cm-life.com