There are plenty of misconceptions that plague rugby. The comparison to football for one and with no padding required, how injury prone of a sport it is. With many obstructions clouding the clear picture, the adoption of the sport has to be with arms wide-open to get anywhere. Usually American customs encourage “foreign” newcomers to assimilate but now, the tables have turned. Rugby is but another up and coming sport to not only embrace but to learn.

“Compare it to being a football kickoff for eighty minutes,” says sophomore Elliot Hanson, an Electrical Engineering major. The rugby team stands tall. Photo courtesy of Jacob Mayer.

A rubgy field has its own dimensions—wider and longer than a football field—and is a game of 15 on 15. What makes it different than most customary sports is the fact that the game is fast- paced and non-stop. Substitutions are only allowed when there is an injury or there is blood. With that said, the fifteen people on one team usually play the majority, if not the entire game. see more

Sometimes after too much wear and tear, our favorite pair of shoes can no longer be our favorite. They’re too worn and the color we once loved has faded dramatically, so it seems almost pointless to wear a pair of shoes that aren’t as cool-looking as when they were first purchased. But there is a way to revitalize and reinvent your favorite pair of shoes that you once you loved, creating a pair of shoes that could very well be better than the originals. Your shoes will make a colorful transformation. Photo courtesy of Designrevolutionblog.com

For any kind of canvas shoes like Toms or Vans, I highly recommend buying a box of Rit dye of whatever color you wish and covering your shoes in the colored dye. This dye is about $3 and works great. But for this process, remember that if you have a dark pair shoes it’s going to be hard to dye them any other color, so I recommend using the process on lighter colored shoes.  You can check out the Rit website and view various dying techniques as well as projects already created.

Another dying technique you could try is buying a tie-dye kit, and tie-dying your shoes. Many kits have squirt bottles that you put the liquid dye in, making it easy to dye the entire shoe one specific color or multiple colors, or create different patterns using tie dye. If you have a darker pair of shoes like navy blue or black, a cool technique to try is bleaching your shoes. Using a paintbrush, you can paint your entire shoe in bleach and watch a new color erupt right before your eyes. You can also try to make patterns like stripes with your bleach to create a cool look for your shoes. Besides using dyes, you can try doing other things to reinvent your shoes such as drawing (using sharpies), spray paint, or bedazzling, just to name a few. Get to work and have fun! see more

The keys of a piano are always enticing. The way their chords pierce through the silence and harmonize to form a luscious cloud of noise and reverence. Slowly and steadily the phrases they create form a picture that can engage an audience without words or dialogue. When there are words, the piano can complement the lyrics and make a statement that much more eloquent. When a band utilizes this most precious tool to their advantage it can convey an entirely new message to their sound and lyrics. This week’s Live and Otherwise pick goes to California’s Cold War Kids (CWK).  With a deeper melodic sound and rich vocals, these guys have concocted a smooth dosing of indie rock harmony. Out on the road promoting their most recent record, “Mine is Yours,” CWK makes it to the Valley this week to make their splendid sound heard amongst the desert heat. The many catchy riffs that CWK brings across so well are sure to be as gripping as their recorded material, which spans a number of EP’s and three full length releases. Lead singer Nathan Willett’s voice will undoubtedly be as smooth on stage as off. Cold War Kids will be at the Marquee Theater in Tempe tomorrow night. Tickets are $18. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Here are my picks from them:

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About eight days ago, “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” was announced to have same-sex relationships. “Skyrim” is a massive role-playing game that allows the player to do battle with dragons while existing in a believable world with micro-detail on the smallest of flowers and macro-detail of the mountainous region. The appeal to “Skyrim,” as was with past Elder Scrolls games, is that if you can see it, you can go there. When I first heard about this news I remember saying aloud, “Wow! That’s really cool, they are letting you play a role in the world as you see fit.” But as I thought about it, I started noticing a trend when it came to role-playing games.

I thought it was strange that the only setting same-sex relationships can exist is with swords and sorcery akin to the Lord of the Rings and the days of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. My experiences with franchises such as Dragon Age and Fable, which all take place in the setting of swords and sorcery, have made it blatantly obvious that a same-sex relationship is possible. But why only this setting? Yes, same-sex relationships existed back in the days of swords and armor but they continued throughout history. Why not modern or present day games in which same-sex relationships exist? I’m not proposing that the next Call of Duty game have a character that is homosexual just for the sake of having one but they could at least acknowledge that these kinds of things exist in modern times.

In May, it was announced that “Mass Effect 3” would support same-sex relationships. “Mass Effect 3,” for those who have been sleeping under a rock for the past four years, is the conclusion to the massive space opera in which the player saves the galaxy from utter extinction as one Commander Sheppard in the 2100s. At Theglobeandmail.com, Chad Sapieha reported that according to GayGamer, Casey Hudson revealed through a tweet that he was: “Happy to confirm ME3 supports wider options for love interests incl. same-sex for male & female characters, reactive to how you interact with them in-game.” I give Bioware, the developers of both the Mass Effect and the Dragon Age franchises, credit for breaking the mold of including same-sex relationships in the future. If games are to be represented as an art form, then homosexuality needs to be at least acknowledged in them, not just restricted to swords and sorcery. see more

Same show, same drama as the new season of Project Runway commences. This is not your ordinary Lifetime Channel show—you will see no dramatic script-written conflicts here. The show brings with it the fiercest competitors with the hopes of walking down Bryant Park’s runway with their very own collection. Six episodes have passed since the start of the ninth season. This episode, however, sends the contestants back to the classroom, where they design avant-garde outfits created with the help of a student from the Harlem School of Arts. These judges know fashion. Photo courtesy of MyLifetime.com

As always, standout characters make the show worth watching. For me, this season’s watchable players are Bert Keeter, Joshua McKinley, and Anya Chee. Bert, the show’s oldest contestant, brings a bit of senility to the show. He can be seen mumbling expletives under his breath and mouthing off to his peers. Josh, on the other hand, is this season’s “fierce” competitor (a la Christian Siriano). He is not afraid to tell it like it is, and is less than sensitive if he offends any other contestants. Anya is my favorite designer this season. Her looks are really fresh, and I love how she incorporates her culture into her fashion style. Look at me, going on about trends. Please don’t think I know anything about fashion! Your go-to source for fashion is Amanda from Broke’s the New Black.

Next episode (airing Thursday, September 8) will be a team challenge that goes so awry, Tim Gunn calls an intervention. I guess only one thing really is certain—in fashion, one day you’re in, and the next, you’re out. see more

Last week, an announcement was made in my African Dance class that Nora Chipaumire, a contemporary award-winning dance artist and Zimbabwe native, was teaching a workshop on the Tempe campus that weekend. In my excited decision to attend, I was fortunately unaware of her status before or I would probably have been too intimidated to take the class. In this case, ignorance proved to be bliss.

Arriving at the class Saturday afternoon, I realized I would be the most inexperienced dancer, which I optimistically convinced myself as meaning I had the most learning potential. Lucky (and sometimes embarrassing) me! Nora teaching another dance workshop to refugee teens in Phoenix. Photo courtesy of Pegge Vissicaro.

There was a lot to absorb in the three-hour workshop. The first thing to work on was the posture. Dance from Zimbabwe is known for its bend at the waist and knees to allow for easy flow from one move to the other. There is a very downward, earth-bound orientation with the shuffling foot movements, and to add to the fluidity of the dance, it’s best to move the neck and chest instead of the shoulders. see more

I look into my closet and wonder how it all got there. The countless mall trips and sale bin dives have seriously added up and I thought about how I came to the conclusion of all of my purchases. What was I thinking under those florescent lights in the fitting room? I feel we take a similar approach to almost anything we buy so I’ve broken down that thought process here. That way, maybe you will think twice or approach a new top differently on your future shopping escapades. If you spend money on one trend (like these Frye equestrian boots Amanda is pining for), bargain hunt for other trends. Photo courtesy of Revolveclothing.com.

Dress for Your Body Type I found this blog that describes how to dress for your body type  better than I ever could. Wear clothes that fit you. It seems so simple yet I never fail to witness a girl who can’t straighten her knees while walking because her jeans are too tight.

What colors look best on you? We all have our favorite color to wear and know what we can pull off. Consider this when the new trend palates come in this fall. Hint: It’s a lot of blues, greens, and grays. see more

To give a little background information “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” is a critically acclaimed game that proposes, in the year 2027, what the world would be like with robotic limbs and augmentations and what kinds of moral qualms arise from disrupting human evolution. Sounds like your typical sci-fi set-up? Where “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” breaks from the mold is its approach to mission structure where any option you can come up to solve a problem, the game will support that choice with certain repercussions.

Nine days ago, it was discovered that within copies of “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” for the PC were codes for the OnLive console, in addition to the disc. OnLive is a revolutionary device that allows you to purchase and play digital copies of a game as long as you retain a solid Internet connection. Initially, every gamer was stoked to have another copy of a game they purchased to give to a friend or give it as a gift. Even CEO Steve Perlman of OnLive made a statement saying that, “You can think of this as cloud game meets physical media 1.0,” he said. “This first version doesn’t have cross-pollination between your local PC and the cloud.”

GameStop realized that people were getting the codes and made the rash decision to send to all their employees this statement via hothardware.com, “Please immediately remove and discard the OnLive coupon from all regular PC versions of ‘Deus Ex: Human Revolution.’ Our desire is to not have this coupon go to any customers after this announcement.” As soon as it was revealed that they were opening new sealed copies of “Deus Ex: Human Revolution,” removing the code and then selling the game as new and un-tampered with, the gaming community reacted with sticks and stones. GameStop attracted negative press over the incident and then they simply just pulled all PC versions of the game. see more

When it comes down it, junior Ashley Kunihiro has a day short of typical. A major in kinesiology, Kunihiro goes to class and does homework, which seems pretty routine. But the kicker to it all is when she puts on that mesh helmet and holds her sparring pose. On-guard! Her typical day is out the window.

Kunihiro is the president secretary for ASU’s fencing club. Fencing, an official Olympic sport, is a combat sport that somewhat mimics those crazy sword battles in the old movies. Two swordsmen face off with the objective to land hits on the other opponent. The first person to land the tip of their sabre gets a point. The movement of fencing shows preciseness and ability. Photo courtesy of Ashley Kunihiro.

The club abides by Olympic regulations. In tournaments and matches, the same rules are applied. This past year, the team had shown itself as a dominant force. In the Southern California Conference, eight individuals medaled and the team as a whole medaled a total of four times including two first place awards. From there, they breezed through the windy city of Chicago, where the Collegiate Nationals were held. The highlights of the nationals were the team’s two first place team trophies. see more

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