Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer - The Auburn Plainsman

News

Downtown Greek cuisine opens March

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | February 24

Calypso's Sports Bar and Grill on North College Street will open its doors at the end of March.The owner, Sherif Elbagdadi, was raised in Auburn and graduated witha bachelor's degree in business administration in December 2009.Calypso's will feature Greek and American cuisine and will offer a familyfriendly restaurant atmosphere during the day and a nightlife atmosphere after dinner."Of course I'm downtown, so I want it to be geared toward students, but I want it to be family friendly," Elbagdadi said.Elbagdadi said his mission was "restaurant first, food first," but he also wanted to focus on the needs of college students.Calypso's will be open at 11 a.m.

Sports

Pawlowski confident in 2010

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | February 24

As he kicks off his second season as head coach of the Auburn baseball program, John Pawlowski said he has a solid team and looks forward to the days ahead.

News

VictoryLand venues close

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | February 18

Attorney General Troy King said in a press release yesterday that the raid on VictoryLand by Gov.

Campus

Nomadic artist shapes life, style with uncommon art

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | February 18

Chia, a red jumpsuit and water are all Jeff Schmuki needs to create art.Schmuki has been a visiting artist and professor at Auburn for the past two semesters and has been traveling the country since Hurricane Katrina.Hurricane Katrina devastated Schmuki's neighborhood in Gulfport, Miss., and since then, he has become a nomadic artist, traveling to different parts of the country and the world."I had a home, and now everything I own is now in a backpack, which is kind of liberating in a way," Schmuki said.After the hurricane, Schmuki said his art changed because of what he had seen and his need for portability in art."I'm not interested in art that is static," Schmuki said.

News

Girl's Guide: Credit cards scam users

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | February 11

With all the hype about credit card debt and the stereotypes created by movies like "Confessions of a Shopaholic," one would wonder why a woman should ever have a credit card.While there are certain risks to having a credit card, it is possible to use it to build good credit.Keven Yost, professor of finance, said having a credit card can be empowering for a female student."If she's out on a date and things aren't going well, she knows she can get a cab ride home, or if her car was broken down, she could get help and not have to worry about having cash on hand to make a payment for that sort of thing," Yost said.Yost said students must be careful when choosing a credit card.When credit card companies offer zero percent financing, free credit transfers and free balance transfers, Yost said to look at the fine print."If it's too good to be true, then it probably is,"Yost said.

Students attended belly dancing, a new physical education class offered by Auburn University. Jillian Clair/ STAFF WRITER

Campus

Belly dancing entices students

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | January 28

While searching for a physical education credit during class registration last semester, students stumbled across a class they did not expect to find.Belly dancing.

Columns

House Reviews Casino Amnesty Bill

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | January 25

The House Tourism and Travel Committee approved a bill Jan. 20 which would provide casinos amnesty from all taxes, criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits. The bill would also allow casinos to be operated anywhere in Alabama.

News

Dual Album Review: John Mayer 'Battle Studies'

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | November 19

John Mayer, once an innocent-looking pop heart throb, has been on a quest for several years to change that image.Striving to disassociate his style from radio hits such as "Your Body is a Wonderland" and "Bigger Than My Body," Mayer emphasized his passion for guitar in his last album, "Continuum," released in 2006."Battle Studies," Mayer's first completely self-produced album, brings him even further from that original image.Throughout the production of the album, Mayer wrote updates, shared song lyrics and posted videos on a companion blog called, "Battle Studies: A Mid-Action Report."Mayer wrote, "to evolve you have to dismantle, and that means accepting the idea that nothing you've created in the past matters anymore, except that it brought you here.To pick up your new marching orders."This album is unlike anything Mayer has recorded before.

News

Contiuously Improving, Gadgets Create Time-Wasting Addictions

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | November 12

There are four new notifications on Facebook. Sixteen more people are now following Twitter. A text message comes, so surfing the Internet is paused for a moment to check that as well.Technology, some argue, is more than simply a way to stay connected and find information.

News

Reel Review: Hocus Pocus

By Jillian Clair/ Staff Writer | October 29

If you grew up watching the Disney Channel, the first movie you probably think of during the Halloween season is the classic, "Hocus Pocus."The Sanderson sisters, three witches who terrorized Salem 300 years earlier, were hanged after they kidnapped a child and brewed a potion that allowed them to suck the life out of her so they can be resurrected in 300 years.They prophesy was a virgin would light the Black Flame Candle on All Hollow's Eve, and then they would have until dawn to brew the potion and find more children to steal the lives of and live forever.Max, the new kid from California, moves to Salem right before Halloween.