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Show AggieDiversions Page 8 Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 The temperature of censorship Paper burns at 451 degrees fahrenehit, and that is where Ray Bradbury got the name for his classic novel, "Fahrenheit 451." In honor of Banned Books Week, why not read the ultimate book about banned books? "Fahrenheit 451," is a book about the consequences of censorship, and it is a book everyone should read before they finish college. "Fahrenheit 451" tells the story of one man, Guy Montag, and his eventual rebellion against the system he once enforced. The story is set in a futuristic world, one in which no one is allowed to read books, and everyone sits around watching wall-sized TVs and listening to "seashell radios" in their ears. Montag is a fireman, only instead of putting them out, firemen in this age ignite the fires. Montag v is part of a team that exterminates litera"Fahrenheit ture, traveling around 451" building bonfires out Grade: A+ of books. Montag begins to question why they are burning the books and does not show up for work one day. Montag's boss comes over to his house and explains it is normal for firemen to go through this stage of questioning. He begins to tell the story of why books were banned in the first place, saying many "special interest groups" and "minorities" protested against things that offended them. Writers lost their creativity, because they were too worried about being politically correct and not offending anyone. Soon, rather than read books that all sounded similar, the authorities decided to ban books altogether. They began to burn all books, even classic literature, completely wiping them off the face of the earth. Or so they thought. After a series of events, Montag runs away and finds a group of rebels who are trying to preserve the literature that is almost extinct. They each have an assignment to memorize, and Montag's is the book of Ecclesiastes. Now, I won't ruin the ending for you, but I will say it's not what you would expect. This book is about questioning what we perceive as normal and having the courage to rebel against it. And it succeeds in the most simple, yet spectacular, way. This book sends a perfect message of the consequences of censorship. Sometimes things need to be written, even if they might offend a few people. Discussion causes progression, and if we are too scared to say anything, how will we ever progress? I recently heard that some people want to go through classic literature like Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" and take out "the N-word," because nowadays it is offensive. Yes, it may be political correctness in favor of growth. It is a book about refining who we are by questioning what we see. It demonstrates how dull our lives can get without books, without discussion. Montag's wife literally believes everything she sees on her wall-sized TV, never once asking where the information is coming from, or if it is true or not. She suffers the consequences of conformity, and even betrays her husband for stepping out and asking questions. More of us should be like Montag, and less of us like his wife. Let us encourage discussion and be less easily offended. Let us realize the true purpose of literature, and do everything in our power to prevent the same fate in our own lives. FAHRENHEIT THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY , 1111111111111011 ■ offensive, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist in real life. Literature is about showing life — about studying it. How can we be realistic if we don't acknowledge that sometimes people offend other people? "Fahrenheit 451" casts aside - Kellyn is The Statesman's features editor and a senior majoring in English. Her column runs every other Friday. She loves reading both her Kindle and paperback novels and can be reached at kellyn.neumann@aggiemaiLusu.edu Sushi-Ya rolls into Cache Valley I've lived in Cache Valley for a little more than two years and — even though I thoroughly enjoy a wide range of Asian cuisine and eat seafood at least twice a week — it wasn't until recently, I finally decided to see what kinds of sushi Logan has to offer. Everyone I've asked suggests either the Black Pearl or Happy Sushi — one or two people actually mentioned Takara. Someday, I'm sure I'll wander into at least two out of three of those places, but as of yet I haven't been to any of them. For my first experience, though, I decided to check out the latest addition to the Cache Valley sushi repertoire, and it goes by the name Sushi-Ya. Before I discuss my experience, I'd like to discuss a couple of topics that frequently come up among the cow-loving, overcooked-meat-and-potatoes crowd that predominantly populates our beautiful valley. First, as a waiter I would get cross looks of bewilderment as I described dinner specials that included items such as King salmon or Alaskan snow crab. Customers would usually ask a predictable joke that went something like, "Did you catch the fish in the Logan River?" After some forced laughter, I would go on to explain that fish can be flash frozen and flown in to any place with an airstrip. Yes, it costs more — which is why seafood is usually a high-ticket item — but the freshness and quality of the fish is not lost in the process. More often than not, my explanation was met with skepticism, at best, and people would proceed to order the chicken. Second, I'd like to dispel any rumors that eating raw seafood will surely leave a person deathly ill. It is true that raw and undercooked seafood that is mishandled or of poor quality can cause sickness, but this is part of the enjoyment of eating sushi — not everyone is brave enough to do so. Besides, have you seen some of the stuff they grill on a stick in some Asian countries? If whole cultures of people are comfortable eating raw fish, I'm confident it's safe to eat; the chances of getting sick are certainly slimmer than, say, with raw chicken or ground beef. I'm pleased to say Sushi-Ya offers wellhandled, high-quality seafood, and for $18.95 I opted for the all-you-can-eat treatment. Since I was alone, I sat at the bar where a waitress brought me a Dr Pepper. Then, I was greeted by my personal chef, a woman who spoke little English — which is perfect, seriously — I always feel more comfortable eating ethnic food when it's prepared by someone who is likely from the country where the recipe originated. Like any good restaurant patron I asked the chef for recommendations. She suggested, for starters, that I have the Godzuki roll. Good choice. This woman knew I hold very little regard for my taste buds — at least when it comes to spicy things. The Godzuki was doused in Sriracha, which is a hot sauce made from sun-ripened Thai chilies. Thai chilies are — no joke — super spicy, plus they enhance the flavor profile when mixed with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger. By the time I was finishing the last two portions of my first roll, the smiling chef was passing another roll to me over the counter. This one, she said, was a standard tempura shrimp roll. At that point, I felt I was off to a great start and moving at a pace that would promote a good level of all-you-can-eat endurance. As that thought vaporized in the lingering heat of Thai chili sauce, I realized I was wrong. Another sushi chef joined in on the attack and handed me a roll called the CK Special — crystal shrimp and spicy crab rolled in rice and seaweed, then topped with avocado and crab, with a spicy teriyaki sauce. The CK Special was one of my two favorite rolls — the other being the upside-down shrimp roll — but it didn't take long to realize these happy, smiling sushi chefs had me in their cross-hairs. Fifteen minutes and eight rolls into my Sushi-Ya experience, I was deliriously drunken with seafood. I was counting the plates in front of me and trying to use math equations to figure out if I would make it out of the restaurant alive. The sushi was fresh, delicious and all up in my face. I don't think the chefs knew I was going to write a review, but they sure acted like they wanted to impress me; and they did. I give Sushi-Ya an A plus. I'm definitely going back. The interior is still that of a Mexican restaurant. There was also a ladder hanging from the wall and an unfinished tank that I was told will be a fish pond. My waitress told me that when the interior is finished Sushi-Ya will have a grand opening. I suggest to all readers who enjoy eating sushi in a landlocked state the way I do — make your way to Sushi-Ya for a full-on sushi assault. Sushi-Ya borders south Logan and north Providence, located in the same shopping center as Walmart and Rumbi Island Grill. Specifically, it's in the building that used to be occupied by Bajio Mexican Grill. For the sake of the owners and employees of SushiYa, I hope business thrives. The restaurant is in its second week of operation and, according to one of the sushi chefs, business is steady. — D. Whitney Smith is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Utah five years ago. After 11 years' experience waiting tables at a total of 23 restaurants, he decided to hang up his server apron and enroll at USU. Have suggestions for a restaurant to review? Email him at dan.whitney.smith@ aggiemaiLusu.edu. 'Moneyball' is worth all the money spent I never thought I'd get emotionally involved in a baseball game until I saw "Moneyball." Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is a small-market general manager for the Oakland A's. They have a low budget of $38 million and are trying to defeat giants who compete with $120 million. Beane is forced to look for replacement players after the team loses three of its stars. While Beane is on his quest, he meets with a friend from the past who runs another team. As Beane tries to negotiate for players, brilliant player-analyst Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) keeps disrupting Beane's game. After the meeting Beane hunts down Brand and begins to change his views on baseball — how the game is played. Brand, a summation of Maryland, Yale and baseball, has a mathematical method on how to have a winning team. Beane buys into Brand's ideas, and they begin to rethink the game of baseball. Using Brand's program and assistance, c Beane assembles a team from the "island of misfit toys" to turn the A's game around. Slowly and surely, the A's start to win games, but no matter how hard they work, relentless opposition surrounds every move they make. "Moneyball" is a humorous movie, but not because the characters told jokes. The situations and the realistic one-liners kept the audience laughing frequently. Flashbacks of Beane's life help the audience develop an understanding of his unique perspective as a former all-star player, turned general manager. The movie shows how Beane used his experience to develop the team because he cut through the fluff of baseball politics and went straight to teaching. As Beane became more involved with his players and developed relationships with them, he became inspired to help others, and he developed into a great leader. His growth brought the team closer together, and it was great to see it all come together. Beane and Brand worked to change the game and make a difference, and it was interesting to see the reactions and perspectives of those in the baseball industry, especially the scouts and recruiters. I don't understand baseball that well, so having that extra dimension helped me understand how the baseball system works. FLU SHOTS! q1 W I I-I R Flu shots available at Health and Wellness, $20, Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.-noon, 2-4 p.m. 11 tf The movie had a documentary feel, at times. In the opening sequences and throughout the film, actual footage is shown of some of the games and sports news reports on the games and the team. This was great to keep reminding the audience that the movie is based on a true story. Although some people said the movie was long, it didn't feel long to me. The length was just about right for the story to be understood and well done. "Moneyball" is a movie with a heart. The audience is given the chance to bond with the characters by learning about some of the players and their lives outside of baseball. Further, Beane's daughter Casey •A• Everyone's aCritic See BRAD PITT, Page 9 What others are saying about "Moneyball," which opened Sept. 23. I TM h‘ BRAD PITT STARS in a new baseball movie titled "Moneyball." The movie is based on a true story, and some scenes have the feel of a documentary. OPP irr" "The movie dragged on but it was good for the plot. I definitely recommend it." — Leilani Volkman, graduate student, psychology "It was slow but I enjoyed "It was good. I liked it. I it. I liked the videography don't know much about although it seemed like a baseball. It was touching low-budget film." and funny." — Trevor Volkman, mechanical assembler, Campbell Scientific — Erin Sundberg, freshman, Logan High School |