November 2013
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BUZZSAW
News & Views
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Buzzsaw  presents...
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
EDITORS’ COMMENT
The Surveillance Issue You’ll want to touch up that make-Âup before you leave the house; Big Brother likes a pretty face. In an era where we surrender our privacy to the govern- ment for “protection,â€? the government’s gaze over us has grown broader. The surveillance-Âstate pervades nearly all we do: no phone call, Facebook “likeâ€? or email is exempt. The government, as well as corporations, have ever-Âex- panding access to our communications, purchases and interests. That white picket fence is no longer enough to hide you from prying eyes. In the frenzy of information coming out surrounding the NSA’s surveillance, many new questions arise about our privacy and the intent of whistleblower Edward Snowden. The media hasn’t made this debate any clearer (Snowden Through the Media Lens, pg. 22), but Buzzsaw hopes to offer some clarity. Some may seek privacy in far-Âaway places, but the sur- veillance apparatus spans the globe (Big Brother Goes Global, pg. 16). People are paranoid about being watched, but feel like they can do little about it (Like Peeping Toms, Seesaw). (YHQ LQWLPDWH SKRWRV DQG YLGHRV VKDUHG ZLWK VLJQLĂ€FDQW others aren’t protected from the World Wide Web’s all- knowing gaze (A New Kind of Revenge, pg. 32). Women especially are watched and “preyedâ€? upon in today’s rape culture, but a movement towards sexual education and consent culture is spreading throughout the US (Safe is Sexy, pg. 20). Higher education has indoctrinated young adults into the surveillance economy, especially robotics and com- puter engineering majors from Worcester Polytechnic In- VWLWXWH 5RERWLF 5DPLĂ€FDWLRQV 6HHVDZ The cameras are always on. The watching will never stop until we realize and start an active discussion about this privacy breach across many platforms. Smile. You’re on candid camera.
BUZZSAW News & Views Upfront Ministry of Cool Prose & Cons Sawdust Design Art Website Seesaw
Production
Adviser Founders
David Andersen Meagan McGinnes Timothy Bidon Karen Muller Robert S. Hummel Rachel Maus Chelsea Hartman Evan Spitzer Kanoa Ichihara Kayla Reopelle Kaley Belval
Jodi Silberstein John Jacobson Adam Linden Kellen Beck Christian Cassidy-Â Amstutz Max Ocean Faith Meckley Jeff Cohen Abby Bertumen Kelly Burdick Bryan Chambala Sam Costello Thom Denick Cole Louison James Sigman
Buzzsaw is published with support from Generation Progress / Center for American Progress (online at GenProgress.org). Buzzsaw is also funded by the Ithaca College Student Government Association and the Park School of Communications. Our Press is our press. (Binghamton, NY) Buzzsaw uses student-generated art and photography and royalty-free images. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editorial staff or of Ithaca College. Feedback and contributions should be sent to buzzsawmag@gmail.com. Front & back cover by Evan Spitzer Table of Contents, Center spread, Ministry of Cool divider, Prose & Cons divider, Sawdust divider by Evan Spitzer Upfront divider by Kayla Reopelle
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Write Us Our magazine exists to inspire thoughtful debate and open up the channels through which information is shared. Your comments and feedback are all a part of this process. Reach the editors by email at: buzzsawmag@gmail.com
Table of Contents Seesaw .........................................................6 Print media is dead, check out multimedia on the web.
News & Views .................................................7 Current events, local news & quasi-Âeducated opinions.
Upfront .......................................................15 Selected dis-Âeducation of the month.
N Bews UZZSAW & Views
Ministry.of.Cool ........................................28 Arts, entertainment and other things cooler than us.
Prose & Cons ............................................37 6KRUW ÀFWLRQ SHUVRQDO HVVD\ DQG RWKHU DVVRUWHG OLHV
Sawdust .......................................................43 Threatening the magazine’s credibility since 1856.
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ONLINE CRIMES YOU MAY GET SCREWED FOR BECAUSE
buzzcuts
Illegal downloads without licenses o Music, movies, images, etc.
o Under federal copyright law, the damages you owe
could be worth $750 to $30,000 per work
Hacking: Including Email & Facebook accounts o Commercial advantage, malicious destruction or to further
GVMQIW ! QE\ ½ZI ]IEVW JSV ½VWX XMQI SJJIRHIVW SXLIV GEWIW EVI max one year jail time.
Electronic harassment
o Anonymously using the Internet to annoy, abuse, threaten or
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
harass the person who receives the communication o Up to two years in jail
HOW THEY CATCH YOU Illegal downloads
o 8LI MWWYI MWR´X HS[RPSEHMRK MX´W YTPSEHMRK *MPI WLEVMRK WSJX[EVI
often has the automatic feature of sharing your computer content. If you don’t disable this feature, you could be found out.
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PROTECT YOURSELF FROM
Take the battery out if you want privacy 1
o Smartphones are tracking devices, even when turned off
Keep it off the Cloud 2
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o If you don’t want info accessible to a government warrant
(or hackers), get it off the Internet and onto your computer’s hard drive or an external USB, preferably an encrypted one.
Encryption
o 8LIVI EVI QER] JVII ½PI IRGV]TXMSR TVSKVEQW XLEX GER FI
found online o ;EVRMRK LEZMRK ½PIW IRGV]TXIH SJXIR VEMWIW WYWTMGMSR EX national borders
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HTTPS
o 'SPPEFSVEXMSR FIX[IIR 8SV TVSNIGX ERH )PIGXVSRMG *VSRXMIV News & Views
*SYRHEXMSR o With the “S” on the end, the websites you visit are visible, but what you’re doing there is hidden (Secure Socket Layer)
Tor 5
o If HTTPS still stores too much info for your liking o Designed by US Navy for government communications o Slows browser but makes all online visits anonymous
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ROBOTIC RAMIFICATIONS
Chris Keane, Robyn Lindsay, and Zach Jasensky, juniors at Worcester Polytechnic Institute discuss building drones, the implications of the technology they create, and the relationship between colleges and the military in this audio documentary.
THE LOVING GAZE OF ROY H. PARK
A collection of Photosynths, exploratory panoramic photographs, that capture the gaze of many surveillance cameras in the Roy H. Park School of Communications.
LIKE PEEPING TOMS BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
A piece of electronic music summarizing the unavoidable – being watched. Written, produced, mixed, and edited by Jack Simons.
THE WEIRDEST LIE
Sam Stahnke asks Ithaca townies to share the most outrageous lies they’ve ever told in this compilation radio documentary.
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www.buzzsawmag.org/seesaw/
In the Meantime...
Breaking down construction on the Commons
By Kellen Beck
T
he current state of the Ithaca Commons brings to question whether the outcome of recon- struction will be worth the cost and time spent with the area in disarray. Work on the $11.4 million recon- struction project began April 15 and will continue through to the week of Thanksgiving according to project manager Michael Kuo. “We set out to avoid high-retail sea- son in respect for the businesses,” Kuo said. Susan Titus and Matthew Peterson,
project was right. Despite opposition, Titus is remain- ing hopeful that the outcome will leave a more beautiful Commons. “We did need a new surface,” she said. The surface is not the only piece be- ing renovated in the project. Boston- EDVHG GHVLJQ ÀUP 6DVDNL $VVRFLDWHV created a 75-page plan for the recon- struction that illustrates many details of the project. The majority of trees have been re- moved from The Commons area in the
A digital illustration of the Commons post-construction. Image by Sasaki from their September 2012 Common Council Presentation
demolition process and most of the surface has been removed. “We received an unexpected number of compliments after the trees were re- moved,” Kuo said. He said that after the canopy was gone, it opened up gorgeous views to the surrounding hills and let in sig- QLÀFDQWO\ PRUH VXQOLJKW 7KH ROG WUHHV DOVR SURYHG WR EH D ÀUH KD]DUG DQG ZHUH DQ REVWDFOH WR ÀUHÀJKWHUV ZKR QHHGHG WR UHDFK KLJKHU ÀUHV RQ 7KH Commons. According to the plans, electrical wiring, water pipes and storm drains will be moved to the middle of the street where there will be removable paving for easier access in the event that reparations or replacements are required. Most of this has been completed,
News & Views
workers at the Titus Gallery on The Commons, have been against the new plan from the start. “I don’t like their plan,” Peterson said. “It looks like something out of ‘The Jetsons.’” Adam Chafee at Sammy’s Pizzeria on The Commons said that since con- struction started fewer people have been coming in. Titus believes that the obstructions are affecting her business as well. ´,W·V EHHQ ÀYH \HDUV VLQFH WKH VWDUW of the recession,” she said. “We are not ready for this.” According to the 2013 budget pre- sentation from Svante Myrick, mayor of Ithaca, the city has had a multi- PLOOLRQ GROODU EXGJHW GHÀFLW IRU ÀYH years in a row. This brings to question whether the timing of reconstruction
with storm sewer work being the only piece left to tackle before construc- tion ends in November. “We’re on schedule,” Kuo said. Construction is set to begin again around March 1, 2014 depending on the weather. Between the start and the project- ed date of completion, July 31, 2014, there are several pieces that need to EH ÀQLVKHG LQFOXGLQJ SODQWLQJ DQG replanting trees, laying the new sur- face, installing new childrens’ play equipment and adding a new foun- tain on Bank Alley. The fountain may be one of the most interesting new features of the reconstruction. It is modeled after the ÁRZ RI JRUJHV DQG DOVR KDV DQ DUHD that has mist jets to cool pedestrians off on hot days. Bank Alley will also have a new stage for public perfor- mances and speakers. Lighting will be replaced with LED light poles and suspended lights crisscrossing over The Commons and new electric outlets will be available to the public. ´, NQRZ ZKHQ LW ÀQLVKHV LW ZLOO EH D lot better,” Chafee said. Plans and weekly construction up- dates are available to anyone online at ithacacommons.info. “We are doing everything we can to keep the public informed,” Kuo said. ___________________________________ Kellen Beck is a sophomore journalism major who secretly hopes Applefest never returns to the Commons. Email him at kbeck1@ithaca.edu.
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Friends or Foes?
Libraries and the ebook revolution
By John Jacobson
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
T
he idea of what a book is has gone through a severe shift in the last few years. When eb- RRNV ZHUH ÀUVW FUHDWHG LQ ZLWK the launch of Project Gutenburg, a system used to offer electronic cop- ies of books found within the public domain, there was little expectation for the shift in format to change the entirety of the publishing industry or public libraries. Because of the soci- etal preferences towards digital media and industry-based consumerism, the connection between the business of publishing and public library sys- tems is often ignored by publishing consumers and library patrons alike. But publishers and libraries are both currently focusing on ebooks as con- sumers express demand for digitally formatted media. Libraries exist to meet these patron demands and provide them with dif- ferent services and media forms. The Tompkins County Public Library has been meeting this purpose by working on the digital media collection more and more frequently as a part of the Finger Lakes Library System (FLLS). The FLLS is a consortium, which is a group of libraries within an area that shares e-resources in order to provide their patrons with a larger collection of goods. The consortium runs on the OverDrive system, which is the larg- est provider of digital content for li- braries. “We are forward-thinking and we watch technology trends,” said Jen- nifer Schlossberg, the E-Services Librarian at the Tompkins County Public Library. “But [we] are also cau- tious about whole-heartedly adopting
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a technology trend until we see how it plays out in larger libraries or other venues.” Technology is expensive, and the library systems feel the brunt of the expense when it comes to incorporat- ing that technology into their systems. On Aug. 11, the Sun Sentinel reported that a physical book costing $25 for the library to purchase could cost $80 RU GROODUV LQ LWV HERRN IRUPDW IRU the library to purchase. Because of the budgetary limitations within the li- brary system as a public service, there is a recent desire within the library V\VWHP WR ÀQG D PRUH ÁH[LEOH ZD\ WR use the allotted funding for e-services. Fifty eight point four percent of public library systems applied for an e-rate GLVFRXQW LQ WKH ÀVFDO \HDU DF- cording to the American Library Asso- ciation (ALA). The question is whether or not li- brary patrons actually use the digital services that libraries are starting to provide. “Patrons have responded en- thusiastically to our service and are using it quite heavily,” said Schloss- berg. Library patrons on the whole have a variety of opinions in regards to e- books. “I prefer ebooks because it’s so convenient to be able to carry around my iPad and do all that I need to do,” said Samantha Weil, a TCPL patron and student at Ithaca College. “I prefer physical books,” said area resident and author J. Meyers, whose latest book Anywhere released si- multaneously in digital and print- on-demand editions. “But I love that you can carry a whole library of books around with you on your tablet, lap-
top, or phone. The convenience factor is huge.” The usage of the services is not just embedded in a liking of the electronic format. Because of the usage of pro- grams such as OverDrive, libraries are unable to use the basic buy-and- download model of most ebook retail- ers such as Amazon. “It’s still hard to rent them from libraries,” said Weil. “Availability is great, but there are long waits. There are so few copies of ebooks from li- braries that you have to wait a long time to actually be able to download the book and read it.” Long waits for single-copy ebooks are due to the usage of Digital Rights Management (DRM) by several larger book publishers. DRM places a li- FHQVH RQ WKH HERRN ÀOH VR WKDW WKH ÀOH can only be used as a single copy. If one patron takes the copy out, it is unavailable until the patron returns LW RU WKH ÀOH H[SLUHV RQ WKH SDWURQ·V tablet or ereader. DRM forces librar- ies to buy several digital copies in or- der to meet patron demands. When the digital copies are at higher rates than the physical copies, that can quickly subtract from the library’s funding. As libraries feel this pressure to put more of their funding towards ebooks, there is also the negative effect on funding for physical books. “The only negative I can think of is that librar- ies will have fewer resources to spend on physical books, limiting what they offer on their shelves if they are also purchasing ebooks,” Meyers said. She went on to state that she did not have a complaint regarding the local
EBOOK FACTS 76 percent of public
ůŝďƌĂƌŝĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ hŶŝƚĞĚ ^ƚĂƚĞƐ ŽīĞƌ free access to ebooks to library patrons, up 20 percent from 2009. -‐ “Ebooks, U.S. Public Libraries 2012” by ƚŚĞ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ >ŝďƌĂƌLJ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ
dŚĞ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ &ŝŌLJ ^ŚĂĚĞƐ ŽĨ 'ƌĞLJ trilogy by E.L. James sold over
15 million copies each and were the best selling eb-‐ ooks of 2012.
-‐ Publisher’s Weekly “Bestselling E-‐books of 2012”
53 percent of Ameri-‐
cans aged 16 and older say librar-‐ ŝĞƐ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ͞ĚĞĮŶŝƚĞůLJ͟ ŽīĞƌ Ă ďƌŽĂĚĞƌ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ ĞŬƐ͘ -‐ “Library Services in the Digital Age” by the Pew Internet and American Life Proj-‐ ect
33 percent
In 2012, of Americans owned either ebook readers or tablet computers. -‐ “Ebook Reading Jumps; Print Book Read-‐ ing Declines” by the Pew Research and American Life Project
75 percent of Ameri-‐
cans ages 16 and older said they ŚĂĚ ƌĞĂĚ Ă ďŽŽŬ ŝŶ ĂŶLJ ƉůĂƞŽƌŵ ŝŶ the previous 12 months. 67 per-‐ cent had read a printed book and 30 percent had read an ebook. -‐ “Ebook Reading Jumps; Print Book Read-‐ ing Declines” by the Pew Research and American Life Project
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News & Views
library’s ebook ser- lins have created vices. “The majority licenses for ebook of what I get from ÀOHV WKDW H[SLUH the library is physi- after a year, ac- cal books.” cording to Nate Publishing in- Hoffelder of the dustry profession- website The Digital als like Meyers still Reader. Because prefer to use physi- of these licenses, cal books, but the libraries will then industry on the have to repurchase whole is going more the ability to use and more towards HERRN ÀOHV IURP the digital trends those particular as the numbers publishers after rise in favor of dig- the initial year ital revenue. This has passed. division of format Regardless preference and the of the various tendency to trend- blockades pro- Image by Evan Spitzer hop shows how li- vided by the book brary patrons, general publishing industry readers, and publishing professionals with ebooks, libraries such as the are moving towards a more integrated Tompkins County Public Library be- way of viewing the formats of books. lieve that the relationship between Integrating these formats suggests libraries, publishersand ebooks will that libraries will have to uphold both resolve. “Yes, we will continue grow- their digital and physical collections ing our digital collection despite some in order to please the variety of pa- restrictions placed on us by some of trons within their area. the publishers. I see digital collec- “The future is ebooks, no matter tions and print collections living quite how many of us will always love paper, harmoniously together for quite some and libraries need to keep up with the time,” Schlossburg said. times,” said Meyers. “The more they Libraries will move forward and offer, the more people will continue continue to provide for as many pa- to make use of and enjoy their librar- trons as possible – but the question ies – something that I think is a very of affordability will remain as long as important part of their communities.” book publishers create restrictions Libraries like the Tompkins County for libraries hoping to purchase them. Public Library may be working on get- As of June 12, 2013, Governer Dan- ting more digital technology, yet not nel Malloy of Connecticut passed leg- all patrons see the changes as large islation regarding a study of ebooks ones. “I think it’s a slow process for and public libraries in the hopes of libraries, but over time, libraries need understanding how to make ebooks to make a more broad transition to more available in the public library having a comparable amount of li- systems. brary ebooks to that of hard copies,” The possibility of government inter- Weil said. vention could give libraries more of an The overall suggestion is that li- opportunity to take advantage of their braries are met with demand on both funding, yet it also suggests a regula- sides from their patrons: demand for tion of business. At this stage, it is ebook technology, demand for avail- unknown if book publishers are going ability, and demand for equality with- WR FRQWLQXH WR PDNH HERRNV D GLIÀ- in the media formats provided by the cult-to-access necessity, or if libraries OLEUDU\ 3XEOLF VHUYLFHV DUH PDGH ÀUVW will be able to have their collections and foremost to respond to these de- living as “harmoniously” as Schloss- mands, yet the combination of high burg suggested. licensing fees and DRM causes the ____________________________________ library systems to become limited in John Jacobson is a freshman IMC ma- what they can do in terms of provid- jor who is in the process of transcrib- ing for their patrons. ing his blog to calligraphy. Email him To make matters more complicated, at jjacobs1@ithaca.edu. other publishers have begun adding licensing to their ebooks other than DRM. Publishers such as HarperCol-
Writing Across Cultures Screenwriting in a bilingual workshop By Amanda Hutchinson
I
’ve never been fully comfortable with my Spanish speaking skills. Sure, I can read my homework chapter on the series of assassina- tions in Mexican politics and write an essay on it. I can be a terrible person and understand most of an eaves- dropped conversation about shampoo
Spanish professor, so I knew about La Poderosa, but beyond my one semes- ter of journalism work with Celtx, I knew nothing about scriptwriting, let DORQH VFULSWZULWLQJ IRU ÀOP OHW DORQH VFULSWZULWLQJ IRU ÀOP LQ Spanish. Zambrano and Garcia Nuùez broke it down into digestible chunks, with
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
Even if I had not developed as a screenwriter, Spanish speaker and ciudadano mundial, just being around the workshop group has been a lot of fun. As a journalist, I enjoy listening to other people’s stories. between a coworker and her Colom- bian mother. But actually speaking it is a whole other can of worms, and as “that personâ€? in class who almost always knows the answer in class, not knowing exactly how to put that answer into words and freezing is re- ally frustrating. That being said, when , VDZ D Ă \HU IRU D 6SDQLVK (QJOLVK screenwriting workshop downtown, I took my chances and showed up. :KLOH ,¡P VWLOO QRW Ă XHQW LW¡V EHHQ D great experience. The workshop, which runs until the weekend before Thanksgiving, is sponsored by La Poderosa Media Proj- ect. La Poderosa holds digital media workshops in the US and eight Lat- in American countries, where many communities don’t have access to the arts. This particular session, run by executive director Alejandra Zambra- no and curriculum director Jorge Gar- cĂa NuĂąez, is made of a group here in Ithaca and a group in Santiago, Chile. At the end of the course, both groups will have at least one full script for a VKRUW Ă€OP UHDG\ WR VZDS WKH ,WKDFD group will travel to Chile in January WR Ă€OP WKH 6DQWLDJR VFULSW DQG WKH Santiago group will come here in the VSULQJ WR Ă€OP RXUV Going into the workshop was a lit- tle intimidating. This is the second semester I’ve had Garcia NuĂąez as a
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each Saturday progressing into the next part of the process. As a writer, I personally enjoyed the beginning stages of story development and the creation of an idea from internal and external sources, like local myths or people watching on the Commons. After each activity, we’d all have to share what we wrote, no matter how silly it sounded (like that wolfman myth from second grade or my Cthul- hu strawberry). Being able to laugh and bounce ideas off each other was a ELJ FRQĂ€GHQFH ERRVWHU Considering the workshop was go- ing to be a mix of both languages, I was also torn between wanting a more immersive experience and want- ing to be able to actually participate. To my luck, our group turned out to be a small but diverse bunch ranging from students to native speakers, so we’ve been able to use a mix of Span- ish, English, and codeswitching when phrases don’t translate well. Even just being around native speakers has helped, both because I feel ob- ligated to speak in Spanish and be- cause eavesdropping in this case is often crucial to understanding what’s going on. The ladies are very nice and will translate regional terms we stu- dents might not know, and we’ll try to explain words like “two-Âtimingâ€? or the noun use of “crazy.â€?
Everyone has been really support- ive, not just in regard to language but in terms of cultural differences as well. One of our assigned scenes was the encounter between two characters on a bus, and while the characters would do little more than ask before sitting down next to a stranger in the States, an Ecuadorian person would likely in- troduce his- or herself. Sometimes the disconnect, though harmless, leads to some mildly embarrassing moments: when the stranger on the bus asked the main character about food, I wrote that the main character took a grano- la bar out of her bag before realizing that granola bars are probably not something an Ecuadorian would have on-Âhand as a snack food. Garcia Nu- ùez had a good laugh over it and gave me suggestions as to what the main character might have actually been carrying. Even if I had not developed as a screenwriter, Spanish speaker and ci- udadano mundial, just being around the workshop group has been a lot of fun. As a journalist, I enjoy listening to other people’s stories. The person- ality and diversity within the group has made for an interesting session every time. I’m also the only IC stu- dent there, so I’ve been able to meet a new peer group in the Cornell stu- dents who attend the workshop. Even with the variety of people, it’s not like the designations set us apart: we scarf down cookies and burritos to- gether, we laugh at ridiculous scenes together, and we work together to pro- duce an awesome screenplay. ___________________________________ Amanda Hutchinson is a junior jour- nalism major and part-Âtime ciudada- no mundial. Email her at ahutchi2@ ithaca.edu.
Advocating Equal Merit Why should we pass the Women’s Equality Act? By Alexa Salvato
T
his past June, Governor An- drew Cuomo strongly advo- cated for the passing of all 10 points of the Women’s Equality Act in New York state. Nine of these 10 bills had approval among both the popula- tion and the lawmakers, but none of the bills were passed in the last elec- tion. This shocked many N.Y. resi- dents; for a socially progressive state, it is incongruous that so many differ- ent provisions for gender equality are not covered legally. The failure of the act is often cred- ited to the “all-Âor-Ânothingâ€? approach WKDW ERWK QRQSURĂ€W DFWLYLVWV DQG SROL- ticians like Cuomo took on the issue — they didn’t want the least popular of the 10 bills, entitled Safeguarding Reproductive Health, to be dropped off the act. Although when the voting Ă€QDOO\ RFFXUUHG DGYRFDWHV GHFLGHG that each bill could be voted on sepa- rately, it was already too late in the political process. But, when it comes around next legislative session, why should you care about this act? Why does it matter? Courtesy of the Women’s Equality Coalition, the bill would entail: 1. Strengthening laws that require Equal Pay for Equal Work 2. Ending Sexual Harassment on the job for Every Employee 3. Allowing for Attorney’s Fees in Em- ployment, Credit, and Housing Sex Discrimination Cases
5.Ending Discrimination in Housing based on Domestic Violence Victim Status & Source of Income 6.Ensuring that Victims of Domestic Vi- olence are not punished for “violating� their own Order of Protection 7. Creating a Pilot Program for Remote Access to Orders of Protection
8. Strengthening laws against Human 7UDIĂ€FNLQJ 9. Ending Pregnancy Discrimination 10. Safeguarding Reproductive Health* Some of these bills are based on the elaboration of existing bills. An ex- ample of this is point no. 2: there is already legislation against workplace sexual harassment in N.Y., but until this bill is passed, it won’t cover em- ployers with fewer than four employ- ees. When it comes to other provisions it might be shocking, but some laws just don’t exist in New York state. For SRLQW QR IRU H[DPSOH WKH RIĂ€FLDO statement of the bill is: “Women with children are less likely to be recom- mended for hire and promoted, and, in most cases, are offered less in salary than similarly situated men. Current- ly, State law protects against familial status discrimination in housing, but not employment.â€? 7KH Ă€QDO SURYLVLRQ XQGHU WKH QDPH of “reproductive health,â€? was the one that led to the most controversy. As the bill’s Senate support statement articulates, “New York became one of WKH Ă€UVW VWDWHV WR SURYLGH ZRPHQ WKH right to choose prior to Roe and there- fore did not include elements now protected under federal law.â€? This bill would not change anything about New York state law, but it would for- mally incorporate Roe v. Wade into state law. To me, at least, it seems pretty in-Â
credible that so many of these rights are not law. Principles becoming legit- imate policy is so important for prog- ress to truly occur in government. Whether you identify as a woman or not, the right to have your job not be based on your perceived gender or pa- rental role is important — equality is important. So, now that you know why this act is important, what can you to get it EDFN RQ WKH à RRU DQG WR JHW \RXU UHS- resentatives to vote for it next time it is? ‡
‡ ‡
Learn more about it! There is great information on Governor Cuomo’s website and at nywom- ensequality.org . For a straight- up description of each bill, you can visit open.nysenate.gov. Sign petitions! Call your repre- sentatives! And tell others! Whether it’s the bill about domestic violence victims or pregnant women, so many people can identify with what the act supports.
Your voice can make a difference so that New York, and therefore the whole United States, can more truly defend equality. ___________________________________ Alexa Salvato is a freshman journal-Â ism major who thought we had our shit together by now. Email her at asalvat1@ithaca.edu.
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News & Views
4. Ending Familial Status Discrimina-Â tion
To me, at least, it seems pretty incredible that so many of these rights are not law. Principles becoming legitimate policy is so important for progress to truly occur in government. Whether you identify as a woman or not, the right to have your job not be based on your perceived gender or parental role is important — equality is important.
The Hype Behind Cortaca Previewing one of D3’s biggest football games By Jodi Silberstein
Y
ou go to bed the night before with that anxious, exciting feeling in your stomach. You’ve ZDLWHG DOO \HDU IRU WKLV DQG LW¡V ÀQDO- ly here. You wake up early the next morning, feeling like a child again. You put on all the blue and gold attire you own, go into the kitchen, greet your friends’ beautiful shining faces and commence in an all day drinking fest. It’s Cortaca.
been as big. This year’s graduating class has yet to experience a win over Cort- ODQG ,WKDFD¡V ODVW ZLQ FDPH LQ with a close score of 23-Â20. This year, however, could bring a change to this losing streak. The Bombers have put seven wins under their belt this sea- son, which makes fans more than hopeful for an Ithaca victory against Cortland’s four consecutive wins.
striped socks, gloves, ear warmers, and sometimes even faces, students also indulge in the wildly inappropri- ate Cortaca t-Âshirts. This year’s selec- tion of shirts include “Cortland Girls Poop,“ “Dragon Our Nuts on Cort- land’s Face Since 1868“ and “Cham- pions Wear Gold.“ Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view), these shirts are discouraged from be- ing worn at the stadium. Of course, students will do so anyway, but IC prefers than fans show their pride in ways other than dissing the other team with inappropriate shirts. However, it is all part of the Cortaca culture. Half of one’s college experi- ence is what goes on outside of the classroom. Taking part in these tra- ditions keeps that experience well- rounded. 7KH WUDGLWLRQ EHJDQ LQ %H- - Camden Baker, football player ing only about 20 miles apart, these schools are inevitable rivals. The schools’ football teams have played DJDLQVW HDFK RWKHU VLQFH EXW The Bombers are scheduled to play LW ZDV WKH JDPH WKDW EHJDQ WKH 6DOLVEXU\ RQ 1RY D ZHHN EHIRUH Cortaca Jug. The jug itself was bought Cortaca. They currently have a better by then-Âcaptain of the Cortland team record than Salisbury and beat them Tom Decker, who then brought it to LQ ODVW \HDU¡V JDPH ZLWK D Ă€QDO VFRUH his friend, Ithaca captain Dick Car- of 21-Â14. This game will hopefully mean. The two men painted the jug bring the Bombers another win and in their schools’ colors and used it as JLYH WKHP PRUH FRQĂ€GHQFH DQG HQ- D WURSK\ DQG PDUNHU RI WKH Ă€QDO VFRUH couragement to keep this win streak for the annual Cortaca game. The going and beat Cortland. schools are now on to their second jug When asked about predictions for WURSK\ EHFDXVH WKH Ă€UVW RQH Ă€OOHG XS the upcoming games, Baker said, ZLWK VFRUHV LQ WKH V “We’re taking it game by game right The game is home this year at But- now, but when we get to Cortaca we’ll WHUĂ€HOG 6WDGLXP DW QRRQ RQ 1RY need to have a great week of practice, 16. So even if waking up, brushing and it should be an exciting game.â€? your teeth and then drinking alcohol For the 21 seniors on the team, isn’t your thing, or you don’t want to ZLQQLQJ WKH &RUWDFD -XJ IRU WKH Ă€UVW spend money on an inappropriate, time in their four years here would be discouraged shirt, at least show up a memorable takeaway to an already to the game. Show your support and tremendous season. be a part of the tradition. The team For many IC students, this is one could always use more Bomber pride. of the few times a year they can show If there was ever a great day to be a just how much pride they have for Bomber, that day is Cortaca. their school. Division I students have ____________________________________ the privelege of displaying their pride Jodi Silberstein is a junior journalism almost every weekend, but many Itha- major who thinks everyone should cans wait around all year, letting their check out Cortaca at least once. Email pride bubble up inside until this one her at jsilber1@ithaca.edu. day. This is just one explanation for the excessive partying that goes on during this day. Pride is mostly displayed through attire. Besides all the blue-Âand-Âgold-Â
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
“We’re taking it game by game right now, but when we get to Cortaca we’ll need to have a great week of practice, and it should be an exciting game.â€? 2010 Ithaca alumni Alyssa Cowit recalls her and her friends saying, “this feels like Christmas morning.“ Perhaps the level of excitement is the same, and maybe even the weather too some years, but in no other ways is Cortaca at all like Christmas. It’s more like the closest thing any Ithaca College student will get to a Division I experience. For starters, more people show up to this game than any other game dur- ing the season. Freshman Kimberly Carnero heard rumors that, “there’s over 10,000 people that go.“ That would be close to double the school’s student population, and would mean that the majority of students bring at least one person who doesn’t go to IC. Junior football player Camden Bak- HU VDLG ´RQFH \RX¡UH RQ WKH Ă€HOG LW¡V just another football game.“ If that’s so, what is with all the hype? Sports Illustrated is said to have referred to Cortaca (a portmanteau of SUNY Cortland and IC) as “the biggest little game in the nation.“ Research conducted last year by The Ithacan suggests that this motto may be mis- leading, since it’s derived from just one article by a writer named John :DOWHUV LQ 6WLOO WKH VFKRROV have latched onto this name even when subsequent games have not
12
21st Century Chivalry A Response to John Picciuto By Rachel Maus
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says if a man doesn’t wine and dine D JLUO XSRQ Ă€UVW PHHWLQJ WKHP WKH\ must be “some douche looking to just get in her pants.â€? What he also does is inadvertently make it seem as though LW KDV WR EH WKH PDQ WR PDNH WKH Ă€UVW move, because women are the weaker sex and are their playthings. The frustrating thing about this ar- ticle is that on the face of it, it seems to be a triumph for the girl who hopes Prince Charming will come and sweep her off her feet. But the subtext is so much more demeaning. Picciuto said
have the same things to lose. The fear of rejection always looms, but once we get over this fear, we can combat the bigger issues, such as equality in chivalry. I’m not just a woman. I’m a per- son. I work and I buy things with the money I earn, just like men do. When I’m with someone, I don’t expect him to take care of me because it’s what’s expected. I expect us to take care of each other, because that’s what being in a relationship is about. So people say that chivalry is dead.
Chivalry has always been considered a masculine sentiment. Women do not need to “wise up,â€? but maybe both sexes need to step up. The culture of chivalry can change, just as the times have, FYX ½VWX [I RIIH XS GLERKI WSQI WXERHEVHW that women “own the cards,â€? as if they are keeping their lady parts under lock and key until they’re fully satis- ÀHG E\ D PDQ¡V HIIRUWV DV RSSRVHG WR two people making decisions like that together. Picciuto even asserts that all men ultimately want is sex, which is presumptuous to say the least, and implies that if the ultimate goal is in fact sex, you might as well treat her WR VRPH Ă RZHUV DQG FKRFRODWH EHIRUH- hand. This sounds awfully contra- dictory from a man who insists his values are “old fashioned.â€? The “old fashionedâ€? way was to wait until mar- riage, was it not? Chivalry has always been consid- ered a masculine sentiment. Women do not need to “wise up,â€? but maybe both sexes need to step up. The cul- ture of chivalry can change, just as WKH WLPHV KDYH EXW Ă€UVW ZH QHHG WR change some standards. For example, WKH QRWLRQ WKDW LI D JLUO PDNHV WKH Ă€UVW move she is desperate or weird needs to be eliminated. Women need to real- ize that it is just as nerve wracking for men to approach women, and they
I say, good riddance — at least to the kind of chivalry that relies on the man to make every move and the woman to be submissive to him. We can now make way for a new kind of chivalry, a 21st century kind, where women and men are equal partners in a relation- ship and work together to keep it that way. A woman today doesn’t need to be treated like eye candy. She doesn’t need to be treated to every date just because she is born with two of the same chromosomes. Sure, take her out if she got a promotion, or if it’s her birthday, or just to surprise her for a night out. Just don’t be offended or emasculated when she does the same for you. ____________________________________ Rachel Maus is a junior cinema photog- raphy major who thinks froyo should be free anyway. Email her at rmaus1@ ithaca.edu.
13
News & Views
KH Ă€UVW WLPH , ZHQW RXW ZLWK my now-Âboyfriend was a super casual trip to get fro-Âyo. As we approached the register, I took out my wallet to pay for my soft-Âserved deli- ciousness and he shot me a confused look, almost as if to say, “Wait, aren’t I paying for you?â€? I laughed and politely refused. I didn’t refuse because I was allow- ing him to get away with putting in minimal effort, but because I don’t understand why he felt obligated to assume he needed to pay for me just because it was the “normal thing.â€? We were just hanging out. It took the pressure off knowing we didn’t owe each other anything. :KHQ , Ă€UVW UHDG WKH QRZ YLUDO DU- ticle, “Why Chivalry is Dead, From a Man’s Perspective,â€? I wasn’t sure what to think — I was confused and con- à LFWHG , XQGHUVWRRG DXWKRU -RKQ 3LF- ciuto’s point in saying that men need to step up, but his language seemed to negate every point he tried to make. He used blame by saying that wom- en have lowered their standards and allowed men to act like jerks. He in- sisted that “dating is doneâ€? and ev- eryone’s priority is to hook up and get laid. But I still don’t think that the cul- ture of dating and wooing and court- ing is necessarily dead. It changes with the times, like anything else throughout history. Sure, it used to be the norm for a man to take a woman out on a date and pay for her and pamper her. In turn, the woman was supposed to smile, look pretty, agree with everything he said and hope that he would call her the next day. This was the norm when wom- en couldn’t get a comparable job and had to rely on her assets (both physi- cal and otherwise) to have a success- ful relationship. Society has come so far from that; men are no longer the sole breadwinners and women are no longer the sole caretakers. When the roles have changed so much to be that of an equal partnership, shouldn’t the conventions? Picciuto makes a lot of assumptions about dating and dating culture that generalize both men and women. He
Restore the Fourth
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By Faith Meckley
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n July 4 of this year, I exer- cised my First Amendment right to peaceably assemble as a part of the “Restore the Fourth� movement. I gathered with about 200 others in Rochester, N.Y., along with about 10,000 people nationwide, to
can citizens and foreign countries. Edward Snowden, an American com-Â puter specialist and former CIA and NSA employee, provided the informa-Â tion in the form of a cache contain-Â ing between 15,000 and 20,000 docu-Â ments. He proved that the NSA has
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
We need journalists and brave whistleblowers like Snowden to keep the government honest and to ensure that its core value is the citizen, not money or power. demand that my Fourth Amendment rights be protected. “What do we want?â€? “Privacy!â€? “Why do we want it?â€? “None of your business!â€? We were a strange mix of Demo- crats, Republicans, third parties, lib- erals, conservatives, hippies and even Anonymous hacktivists. Alex White, Rochester’s Green Party mayoral can- didate, came out to speak to us. On that day, however, we were all united under a common interest: to protect our privacy. Privacy means that I can feel safe in my home. If I am a law-Âabiding citizen, I can have control over who knows what about me. It means that when I send a text or an email, or when I make a phone call, the only one who reads my message or hears my voice is the person I originally intended to hear or see it. We needed to stand up for our pri- vacy on July 4 because earlier on June 6, The Guardian and The Wash- ington Post published a series of ar- ticles exposing the National Security Agency’s surveillance of both Ameri-Â
14
collected trillions of phone calls and emails, including those from average, unsuspicious American citizens. The news of the extent of NSA’s spy- ing not only shocked Americans, but also angered foreign leaders. Snowden was forced to leave the country and some have hailed him as a hero, some as a traitor. As an aspiring journalist, Snowden’s story bothered me from the moment I found out about it. The media holds an ethical responsibility to uncover the truth and to disseminate it to the public in a way that is accessible and understandable. Journalism is con- sidered to be the Fourth Estate be- cause it is the only institution that can effectively check the government DQG PDNH WKH SOD\LQJ Ă€HOG IDLU IRU FLWL- zens. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution states: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, VXSSRUWHG E\ 2DWK RU DIĂ€UPDWLRQ DQG particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the persons or things to be seized.â€? There is debate about whether elec- tronic communications can be pro- tected under this amendment. Just because our methods of communica- tions are changing doesn’t mean that our right to privacy should. Snowden saw that this right was being violated and in his words, he wanted “to in- form the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.â€? I think it makes him a defender of the Constitution, which is heroic and patriotic. I understand the need to increase our national security in light of the HYHQWV RI +RZHYHU QR FLWL]HQ VKRXOG EH VXEMHFWHG WR XQMXVWLĂ€HG search and seizure of private informa- tion; a probable cause needs to be es- tablished and a warrant needs to be obtained before an invasion of privacy can be carried out. We need journalists and brave whis- tleblowers like Snowden to keep the government honest and to ensure that its core value is the citizen, not money or power. Think about Snowden the next time you send a text or an email; somewhere, a complete stranger has the ability to follow your every elec- tronic movement. An American is more likely to die from a lightning strike than a terror- ist attack, and while terrorism is a serious thing, the potential threat of LW LV QRW HQRXJK MXVWLĂ€FDWLRQ IRU WKH United States government to start blatantly ignoring the Constitution. This is the reason why I took to the streets on July 4; it’s why I spent half of my day sweating under the summer heat, made my feet sore from march- ing, and made my voice hoarse from shouting, demanding attention. As a citizen, I will not give up my es- sential liberties, and as a journalist, I will not be silenced. And I think that it is clear, given the national partici- pation and the diverse mix of people who marched with me that day: I am not alone. ____________________________________ Faith Meckley is a freshman journal- ism major whose emails are too awe- some for the public to handle. Email her at fmeckle1@ithaca.edu.
Upfront
UPFRONT. UPFRONT. UPFRON
15
Big Brother Goes Global
A look at how the surveillance-state manifests itself abroad By Elena DeLuccia
G
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
eorge Orwell’s prophecy of a “Big Brother” surveillance state was exposed during May this year when Edward Snowden re- vealed the scope of NSA surveillance. Thanks to these leaks, we know the government is watching. Americans are now confronting new questions surrounding their privacy. We, howev- er, are not the only one’s that should be watching our backs. According to the Canadian International Council (CIC), the Canadian government uses similar tactics to spy on their citizens. The Guardian reports that there is one surveillance camera for every 32 people in the UK. And China’s govern- ment breaks nearly all of its own laws on surveillance, according to Privacy Internation- al. As we question our privacy here at home, it’s
i m p o r - tant that we look at how Image by Lizzie Cox surveillance is manifesting around the world. The European Union installed a program called the Intelligent Infor- mation System Supporting Obser- vation, Searching and Detection for Security of Citizens in Urban Environ- ment (INDECT), in which the primary objective is to formulate algorithms to eventually develop tools for automatic threat detection. Does this mean that algorithms can predict humans? The video system is programmed to auto- matically detect “dangerous events” in
16
order to alert a human operator. This is through any camera present in Eu- rope, and these cameras continue to take pictures of each face that passes by about 10,000 pictures of each face per day! Big Brother on the prowl? I’d say so. The INDECT system also includes threat detection through the Internet, as well as the somewhat controversial idea of data and privacy protection. This “protection” involves sensitive information, such as faces, license plates, or other essential security items. This information is collected and displayed for authorized system users only. Europe better hope that the INDECT employees are trust- w o r t h y , o t h - erwise more Europeans
might have their identities sto- len. I came in con- tact with No CCTV, an organization that campaigns against c a m - era surveillance in t h e UK. Stuart Felin is one of the group’s coordi- nators. Felin insisted that p h r a s e s such as “’if you are do- ing nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about’ are clearly ignorant of the nature of such systems,” and continued to reference whether or not the suspicion was really worth the investigation. Felin then questioned our comfort and lack of investigation in the idea of surveillance, “In main- stream discourse there is no mean- ingful discussion of freedoms – what they are, or why they are important.” In Canada, security issues are simi- lar to those in the United States. The Canadian surveillance agency, Com- munications Security Establishment
Canada (CSEC), focuses on collect- ing metadata, which includes mass searches for information on different electronic media. Like the U.S., CSEC operates these programs while partic- ipating in national security data-shar- ing partnerships spreading across the world. By doing this, the surveillance workers have the ability to identify the media user 95 percent of the time be- cause of certain metadata points. China has a different approach than other countries. Dating back to the fourth century B.C., the Chi- nese are known for wanting to keep a close eye on their citizens. China’s law continues to state, “freedom and privacy of correspondence of citizens are protected by law,” yet Chinese au- WKRULWLHV KDYH EHHQ LGHQWLÀHG HQJDJ- ing in monitoring domestic and inter- national mail, calls, text, emails and other forms of Internet services. The government continues to act like they want to give their nation’s citizens privacy, however, they persistently go against their own law. With the continuing issue of sur- veillance, I believe we all must ask ourselves: Is our government doing it for our safety? In the absence of meaningful investigation, we believe WKH RIÀFLDO JRYHUQPHQW FODLPV WKDW only criminals “would care about be- ing monitored by police.” But is it re- ally just criminals? Would this sur- veillance still occur if crime rates and threats decreased? Without trans- parency on the part of these govern- ments, it’s virtually impossible to know who is being watched and why, we only know that no one can hide from Big Brother’s gaze. ____________________________________ Elena R. DeLuccia is a freshman sound recording tech major who can’t wait to be watched on all her travels. Email her at edelucc1@ithaca.edu
Patrolling the Planet
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By Sabrina Dorronsoro
A
tervention. But the question of what criteria motivate the US to in- tervene still remains a largely unanswered question. According to Lisa San- soucy, Ithaca College politics professor, US interventions are largely dependent on one criterion. “I think it depends RQ KRZ WKH 8 6 GHĂ€QHV LWV QD- tional interest,â€? said Sansoucy “whether in material (military, economic) or ideational (democracy promotion, human rights) terms.â€? Sansoucy pointed out examples of materially driven interventions such as Panama in 1989 and Guatemala in 1954, as well as more normative-Âdriv- en instances such as Vietnam (1960- 1975) and Somalia (1994). However, Sansoucy was just as per- plexed by the logic behind non-Âinter- ventions as many other critics are of the US’s global policeman role. “It’s also important to consider non- interventionsâ€? said Sansoucy. “For example, why did the U.S. choose not to intervene in China in 1949, Chile in 1971, and Rwanda in 1994?â€? Perhaps there will never be solid an- swers to these questions, but a pat- tern seems to be emerging between US interests and their interventions. Peyi Soyinka- Airewele, IC professor and president of The Association of Third World Studies (ATWS) proposed perhaps a more important question about the interventionist role of the US. “Should the US be involved in any kind of unilateral intervention at all- irrespective of whether it is in Libya, Egypt or the Congo,â€? questioned Soy- inka, “or do we need to be having wider conversations about creating a more ethical and legal framework of multilateral interventions?â€? Since the discussion of intervention in Syria, numerous editorial writers in new outlets such as Reuters, The Cou- rier Journal, New America and Foreign Policy have suggested that perhaps the US should back off its unilateral interventionist tendency and address domestic issues before attempting to hand out band-Âaids to the rest of the world.
Image by Jessica Bruehert
Perhaps it is merely a matter of opinion. Barbara Conry, a former for- eign policy analyst at the Cato Insti- tute, examined in her policy analysis US Global Leadership: A Euphemism for Global Policemen the idea that the US’s illusion of being so-Âcalled global policeman could be a slippery slope. “Global political and military lead- ership is inadequate, even dangerous, as a basis for policy,â€? Conry wrote. “The vagueness of “leadershipâ€? allows policymakers to rationalize dramati- cally different initiatives and makes GHĂ€QLQJ SROLF\ GLIĂ€FXOW 7DNHQ WR DQ extreme, global leadership implies U.S. interest in and responsibility for virtually anything, anywhere.â€? Perhaps America should take a look in the mirror before they con- tinue their global crusade for democ- racy and equality. A country that is VWLOO Ă€JKWLQJ IRU HTXDOLW\ IRU DOO DQG maintains a preposterous inequality of wealth trying to police the world seems to be a little ironic. Maybe the US should switch its focus, move its line of vision from encompassing the whole word and hone in on its issues at home. ____________________________________ Sabrina Dorronsoro is a junior journal- ism major who will be dressing up as a global superpower next year for Hal- loween. Email her at sdorron1@ithaca. edu.
Upfront
t 2:45 p.m. on August 21, reports of the use of chemi- FDO ZHDSRQV FDPH Ă RRGLQJ LQ from towns near Syria’s capital city of Damascus. Within hours, videos and JUDSKLF LPDJHV ZHUH Ă RRGLQJ WKH LQ- ternet. Piles of bodies including dead woman, children and babies lined the streets with no signs of external damage. All evidence led to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian dic- tator Bashar Al-ÂAssad. 7KH 86 KDV \HW WR WDNH DQ\ GHĂ€QL- tive action in response to this clear violation of human rights which once again brings up the question of the US’s role in the international sphere. Should America be acting as global SROLFHPHQ" $QG ZKDW HYHQ TXDOLĂ€HV the US for the job? Though the US is considered to be the leading world power (Obama is still top 5 on Forbes’ List of the Worlds Most Powerful People 2013), the US could be falling fast if it continues on this intervention path. America stands strong (and argu- ably alone) in this position. Leaving the international community with the question: How can America condemn other countries when they have left a trail of reprehensible activities (unjus- WLĂ€HG LQYDVLRQV EDFNLQJ RI RSSUHVVLYH regimes, being a supplier of WMDs) all across the globe? In order to fully examine the origin of this title, it is critical to analyze US history. Post-ÂWorld War II the lead- ing powers on the global stage began to shift. Great Britain, Germany and France were all economically devas- tated, which then allowed America and the Soviet Union to step to the front of the stage. In 1989 when the Soviet Union collapsed, America be- came the de-Âfacto global superpower and has retained the title ever since. Ranking No.1 on the Business In- sider’s “Ten Most Powerful Militaries in the World,â€? it is not surprising that other countries look to America in times of crisis. Intervention involves a solid and heavy military backing. According to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation the US’s military budget equals out to more than the other top 10 military budgets combined, allow- ing for a larger budget for military in-Â
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An Erosion of Democracy? Societal reinforcement of the surveillance-state By Timothy Bidon
R
obert McChesney is a nationally and critically acclaimed media scholar and a professor at the University of Illinois. He has authored a number of books including: “The Problem of the Media� and “Digital Dis- connect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy�
TB:
With the recent revela-Â tions about the scope of NSA sur-Â veillance, how do you think corpo-Â rate media has been handling this issue versus independent media?
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
RM:
Well, I think that there’s almost no comparison. I’ll put it to you this way, I just wrote a book called Digital Disconnect and it came RXW DERXW VL[ PRQWKV DJR DQG , Ă€Q- ished the book at the end of 2012, and in the book I write about surveil- lance, both by the big companies and by the NSA and I talk about their re- lations. I basically anticipate much of what came out with Snowden and the reason I say that isn’t to pat myself on the back, but on the contrary, I got all that looking at government reports, business reports, stuff that anyone FRXOG Ă€QG ,W ZDVQ¡W OLNH , KDG LQVLGH information, and it was probably the lowest hanging fruit in America, all the surveillance, and yet there was no coverage in the mainstream media, or if there was coverage it was totally out of context and they never con- nected the dots and ask ‘what does this mean exactly?’ It was completely ignored and the people who were in- terested in it all along were people like Glenn Greenwald, who’s been cover- ing this story, really, the whole time. He’s been banging a lonely drum out there, which is why someone like Ed- ward Snowden would be interested in working with him because they know he’s someone who is seriously inter- ested in the story. So I would say, on this issue, it’s corporate media at its all-Âtime worst. It’s exactly this kind of story that they blow routinely. The way professional journalism stan-Â
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dards have devolved in the United States over the years is that they view their job as basically, with political stories like this, accurately reporting what people in power are saying. If people in power aren’t discussing an issue or think it’s something that the public shouldn’t know about, then journalists can’t really mention it without being accused of being parti- san, ideological and unethical.
work together and it wouldn’t be there for the shakedown and also you would control what you saw and what saw you. But now, basically, to jump ahead, these companies know every- thing you do online, everywhere you go, they know everything imaginable about you. The government’s getting in on the game too, the NSA treats the Internet as a theatre of battle. It has a command for Europe, it was one for
I think the less democratic a society is, the more the government is going to have a desire for surveillance. East Asia, it has one for Africa, it has a command for the Internet so obvi- ously to do their job right (knowing And in what ways has the everything that’s going on) the Inter- ,QWHUQHW DJH VLPSOLĂ€HG JRYHUQPHQW net is crucial, and if they can do it surveillance? they’re going to want to. That’s what national security agencies do; they want every possible bit of information. Their job isn’t to police themselves; It was 180 degrees differ- our job is to police them. So it’s not ent than what your generation knows like blaming the NSA, anymore than of the Internet. It was a place where blaming General Motors for polluting people could be anonymous if they the environment when their job is to wanted to, everyone saw the exact PDNH SURĂ€WV 7RGD\ WKH LQWHUQHW LV same thing, you couldn’t send distinct one where, thanks to these compa- messages to distinct people and as nies knowing so much about us, the the founder of Netscape put it when way to make money is selecting which KH EHJDQ LW ZDV YHU\ GLIĂ€FXOW EHFDXVH ads we get, aimed right at us, creating the internet he worked on was “mili- even whole websites. As the creator of tarily egalitarianâ€? and “ferociously an- Google put it: we’re rapidly approach- ti-Âcommercial.â€? So that was the whole ing a time where no two people see culture, the internet was going to be the same website when they go to it. this safe haven for people to go, the They will know exactly what story we one place in our society that wouldn’t think they want based on what adver- be marinated in advertising and com- tising preferences and their previous mercial values, you get those every- preferences, but they’ll put us all in where else. [If] you want ads there’s little bubbles. But, at the same time no shortage of places to look for ads. ZKDW ZH¡UH Ă€QGLQJ QRZ LV WKDW WKHUH¡V This is where people would come as been huge debate over the issue of net equals, citizens and share ideas and neutrality, which is the idea that ATT,
TB:
RM:
RM: Photo courtesy of Ithaca College
Verizon and Comcast should not be allowed to censor who goes on their network and who doesn’t, and if they had that right, which they’re probably about to get, then it will be a test of this theory.
TB:
And do you think there’s something inherent to capitalism, as we now know it, which calls for government surveillance?
RM:
TB:
But do you see a better media model emerging in the fu-Â ture? How do you think that would take hold?
Upfront
That’s a good question. I think the less democratic a society is, the more the government is going to have a desire for surveillance. Un- derstood that way, I think the United States is a much less democratic soci- ety today than it was 40 years ago, by the traditional public political science criteria. We have more inequality, much more poverty, our journalism is dilapidated and our voter turnout rates are the lowest in the world. A number of independent studies have shown that the government is mini- PDOO\ LQà XHQFHG E\ WKH ZLOO RI WKH SXE- OLF DQG PRUH VR LQà XHQFHG E\ PRQH\ That’s not a democracy. That’s a so- ciety where it’s much more unequal and much less democratic. I think our freedoms, which we take for granted, are now on much softer ground. You still have the right, maybe, to put a tattoo on your butt, but our freedoms that threaten those in power are be- coming much more fragile.
The solution’s obvious; it’s in our own history. We were the pioneers of having government subsi- dies to spawn a well-Âpaid newspaper industry. We subsidized our news- papers for years through postal and printing subsidies. We look at the countries that are ranked the most democratic in the world today and all of them have huge public spending on journalism. They create independent, investigative and oftentimes very dis- sident journalism across the political spectrum. This is in Norway, Sweden, Germany, Japan and Britain. These countries all do that and they all have much higher voter turn out rates, they’re much more democratic, they’re much more equal, they’re more func- tional societies than we are. So, we know the solution, it’s about whether or not we have the political willpow- HU WR JHW WKHUH ,¡P FRQĂ€GHQW WKDW ZH do. I’m old enough now having lived through many generations of this country, that I can tell you that this country is changing. Much of what’s happening beneath the surface, that hasn’t been picked up by our news media and our cable networks, most of the 47 percent of Americans who don’t watch that stuff, there’s a rum- bling there. I see it among young peo- ple‌When there’s not much of a fu- ture, the rational thing is that people want to live. They want to have good lives and they’re going to start asking why we have a system that seems so intent on making sure no one has a good life. They’ll want to change this system. I see this everywhere I go. The difference in reaction from my audi- ence when I used to travel and speak and present my ideas 20 years ago and today is striking. And that’s the foundation of everything good that’s going to happen, so I’m very optimis- tic. But that doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen, that means that the people who read this, and the people who care about the future of this country have to look in a mirror and say, “okay, what do I do?â€? ____________________________________ Timothy Bidon is just another disillu- sioned senior journalism major. Email him at tbidon1@ithaca.edu.
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Safe is Sexy
A movement towards consent culture
By Kaley Belval
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
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ast month, an email was re- leased that openly advocated for “luring rapebaitâ€? at parties by the brothers of Georgia Tech’s Phi Kappa Tau. It was supposedly sent from the fraternity’s social chair, Matthew Peterson, to the members in order to encourage the men to get college women drunk, hook up with them, and make them leave. “IF ANY- THING EVER FAILS, GO GET MORE ALCOHOL.â€? Georgia Tech’s chapter of Phi Kappa Tau has since been suspended, and the email received a lot of media at- tention. Peterson publicly apologized for the email, calling it “a joke for a small audience that understood the context.â€? Whether this was actually created as a joke is uncertain, but it is extremely telling of the rape culture that we live in. Jamie Utt is a sexual violence pre- vention educator in Minneapolis, Min- nesota who posted a video on CNN’s iReport in response to the Georgia Tech “rapebaitâ€? letter. According to Utt, a shift in our culture would al- low for the prevalence of consent. Comprehensive sexual education can make a large difference in how our generation thinks about safe and con- sensual sex. “Other things that we can do like normalizing consent and teaching the ways that consent can be really sexy and fun and really encourage people to think creatively about how they encourage consent in their relation- ships,â€? said Utt. “We can teach young men how to stand up to this kind of mentality and engage other men in building positive masculinity and building positive sexuality.â€? Combating the dominant media narratives surrounding rape is dif- ÀFXOW ZKHQ WKHVH QDUUDWLYHV DUH VR prominent in everyday life. In spite of this, multiple organizations are work- ing to combat the ideology that sexu- al assault is normal and has no real consequences. In rape culture, victims are blamed for their assaults, which are both nor- malized and excused within society. In a consent culture, the opposite happens. People have the opportunity
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to learn about consent in their sexual education courses, as well as what is considered to be sexual assault or KDUDVVPHQW ,W DOORZV IRU FODULĂ€FD- tion and the right of women to choose what happens to their bodies. Similarly, there has recently been a push for more sex education pro- grams. The Chicago Public School District announced that they will be implementing a comprehensive sex education program in their K-Â12 cur- riculums. The hope is that these pro- grams will provide more knowledge for the members of this district about sex and consent so that they can make safe and informed decisions. Ann Pollender, a Health teacher at Mt. Abraham Union High School in Bristol, VT said sexual education is a very important aspect of health edu- cation for students. Throughout each semester, she teaches 10th graders about topics such as the function of reproductive systems, STI transmit- tance and prevention, birth control, consent, safe sex, and communica- tion between partners. “When I start the [sexual education] unit with each class, I always say that the information students will learn may be needed by some students in Ă€YH \HDUV RU IRU VRPH VWXGHQWV LQ WZR years, or in two weeks, and some stu- dents may have needed it two weeks ago,â€? Pollender said. “It is important to use humor and work hard to make students feel comfortable talking, asking questions and working with the material.â€? Pollender addresses consent in the unit about relationships in her cur- riculum. It encourages the discussion of boundaries between partners and what they are each comfortable with. ´, DOVR KDYH D SROLFH RIĂ€FHU FRPH LQ to talk about consent and sexual as- sault, acquaintance rape, sexual of- fender registry, etc,â€? Pollender said. “A guy from the State Dept of Health comes in to talk about STI’s and a panel of teen moms from the local Parent Child Center come in to talk about their lives.â€? Showing students the potential consequences of their actions, as well as ways to be safe and comfortable
in their own sexualities, can prevent sexual assault and discomfort. Knowl- edge, whether it be from students’ parents, teachers or older peers, can be instrumental in decisions when it comes to sex. However, with the waves of media attention recently dedicated to highly publicized cases of sexual assault, it seems as though female bodies are constantly being either controlled, taken advantage of, or blamed. As fe- male bodies are seen more frequently as objects of sexual desire and sub- mission, sexual assault becomes painted as a punishment for women who do not adequately cover or pro- tect their bodies. Cyber feminists such as FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture, an activist collaboration that seeks to upset the culture of rape and promote consent culture, have been hacking popular brands such as PINK and Playboy to get the message across that consent is sexy — and it has been developing a large following. Rape culture, according to FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture is a cultural occurrence where “everyday phe- nomena that validate and perpetuate rape� is pervasive. “Rather than view- ing the culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about the persistence of rape as “‘just the way things are,’� according to the FORCE website. With the increasing popularity of consent culture, including more ad- vocacy for comprehensive sex educa- tion programs, there is hope that the prevalence of sexual assault and rape culture will be diminished. If they are successful, emails like the one sent out by Peterson may no longer exist. _____________________________________ Kaley Belval is a documentary stud- ies and production major who puts the sensual in consensual. Email her at kbelval1@ithaca.edu.
The Inception of Informants
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By Rachel Konkler
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These protected secrets have revealed wrongdoings within our government and military. Leaking sensitive infor- mation about government operations to the public does pose a risk for the US by making us vulnerable to terror- ists and national enemies, but telling the truth about the unethical prac- tices behind these operations should not be known as a crime; it should be known as “freedom of information.” Julian Assange, (founder of Wikile- aks) said the criminal charges against whistleblowers are a serious threat to journalism. “They’re trying to interpret the Espionage Act to say that any two- way communication with a source is a collaboration with a source, and is therefore a conspiracy to commit es- pionage where clas- VLÀHG LQIRUPDWLRQ LV involved,” he said to Rolling Stone maga- zine. Assange him- self has been called a terrorist for exposing secret government documents to the public. Luckily for jour- nalists and seekers of information ev- erywhere, there is a small glimmer of hope for our right to know about what goes in on in the clandestine work- ings of the govern- ment and military. This year Manning was awarded the Sean McBride Peace Award for what have been recognized as peace efforts. Last month, Daniel Ellsberg, responsible for leaking the Pentagon Papers, produced a pub- lic service announcement to stand up against the NSA’s “suspicionless” mass surveillance practices. The video is refreshing; it shows whistleblowers who were once punished now taking a stand against the wrongdoings they pointed out long before Snowden and the NSA scandal. In solidarity, NSA protesters are working to dismantle the secretive premises that surveil- lance operations are working under
and empower citizens to do what we have always been told is right: tell the truth. PSAs like this one are vital to bringing these breaches of privacy to public awareness and understanding. Shining a spotlight on such serious issues of ethics and privacy is coura- geous and risky. Unfortunately, the current era we live in still shames, ar- rests, and stigmatizes those who take a stand to expose the wrongdoings of the institutions that are now watching all of us under a microscope. When whistleblowers are turned into crimi- nals and forced to undergo such ex- tremes as being exiled to another na- tion, our government sets an example of secrecy and teaches us that it has the unquestioned, legitimate author-
Image by Lizzie Cox
ity to do whatever it wants, when it wants and that no one shall get in its way. ____________________________________ Rachel Konkler is a senior sociology major who thought NSA was an ex- clusive elementary school club that meant “No Snowden’s Allowed.” Email her at rkonkle1@ithaca.edu.
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Upfront
ince the start of the Obama ad- ministration, seven individu- als working for the government have been charged — six prosecuted — with leaking what the United States JRYHUQPHQW FODVVLÀHV DV FRQÀGHQWLDO information to the public. This is the highest number of government whis- tleblowers prosecuted ever under a single administration. To the govern- ment agenda, these super-leakers ap- pear to be traitors. To the American public, they are people who expose unethical practices, war crimes, and information about mass government surveillance. Edward Snowden blew the lid off the National Security Agen- cy (NSA), exposing its mass surveil- lance programs, which have stirred unrest that caused many citizens to demand transparency about what goes on behind the government’s se- cretive walls. The seven whistleblowers- Ste- phen Kim, Thomas Andrews Drake, Shamai Leibowitz, Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning, Jeffrey Sterling, Edward Snowden and John Kiriakou have been charged under the Obama administration for sharing informa- tion about practices that they be- lieved were a threat to the well-being of the American people. They have been accused of espionage and dis- FORVLQJ FODVVLÀHG LQIRUPDWLRQ Speak- ing up against government practices has led to serious consequences for such whistleblowers; Leibowitz has a 20-month sentence, while Manning is serving 35 years for revealing informa- tion about US war crimes. Manning released in one leak “Collateral Mur- der.” The video disclosed to Wikileaks showed unarmed civilians, which in- cluded two Reuters reporters, being shot by American soldiers in Bagh- dad. Manning also released 700,000 secret government documents. Snowden and Manning have both been labeled by the government for ac- cusations of espionage (made possible by the Espionage Act of 1917) as spies and threats to national security. The government may have good intentions of national security and protecting ci- vilians from external harm, but they come at a cost to civilians’ privacy.
Snowden Through the Media Lens
Who Edward Snowden is, what he leaked, and how the media covers it By Katelyn Harrop
S
nowden: Who is he? What we know:
The details of Edward Snowden’s personal life have remained a rela- tive mystery. Snowden has served as a security guard for the National Security Agency (NSA) and worked in information-Âtechnology for the CIA, which stationed him in Geneva, Switzerland. After leaving the CIA in 2009, Snowden worked for private contractors and was assigned to NSA RIĂ€FHV LQ -DSDQ DQG +DZDLL WKURXJK WHFKQRORJ\ FRQVXOWLQJ Ă€UP %RR] $O- OHQ +DPLOWRQ ,W ZDV IURP WKLV SRVL- WLRQ LQ +DZDLL WKDW 6QRZGHQ FROOHFWHG 16$ GRFXPHQWV EHIRUH Ă HHLQJ WR +RQJ Kong to leak the documents to Glenn Greenwald and The Guardian.
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
Photo provided by Wikimedia
What exactly did he leak? Snowden collected documents UHJDUGLQJ WKH 16$¡V DQG %ULWDLQ¡V *RYHUQPHQW &RPPXQLFDWLRQ +HDG- TXDUWHUV *&+4 PDVV VXUYHLOODQFH programs, which have since been published by the U.K’s Guardian newspaper and domestic paper, the Washington Post, along with others. Some of the most notable leaked pro- grams are as follows: - PRISM. This program, funded by the NSA, allows the government ac- cess to private data from major U.S. technology companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. - Tempora. 2SHUDWHG E\ *&+4 WKH 7HPSRUD Ă€EHU RSWLF FDEOH WDSSLQJ network is said to create an Internet EXIIHU WR FROOHFW RQOLQH GDWD Ă RZLQJ in and out of the U.K. Tempora has the ability to collect data for three days, while storing basic name and location, information, date and timing metadata for up to thirty. - Upstream. Similar to Tempora, the NSA’s Upstream is an alleged mass-Âinterception network comprised of four programs by the code names of Fairview, Stormbrew, Oakstar and %ODUQH\ 8SVWUHDP FROOHFWV VKRUW WHUP data and longer term metadata from 8 6 Ă€EHU RSWLF FDEOHV - Bullrun and Edgehill. The NSA’s %XOOUXQ DQG *&+4¡V (GJHKLOO DUH
22
highly sophisticated decryption pro-Â grams, allegedly being exercised to decode privacy and security protec-Â tion surrounding services such as online banking, medical records and
knowledge of the tapping of allied leaders such as German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Why is this such a big deal?
... This is the most serious leak, the most serious compromise of GPEWWM½IH MRJSVQEXMSR MR the history of the U.S. intelligence community. email. -ÂCollection of phone metadata and international phone tapping. 7KH Ă€UVW OHDNHG GRFXPHQW SXEOLVKHG by The Guardian stated that the NSA is collecting phone records from ma- jor phone carrier, Verizon, on a daily basis. “The document shows for the Ă€UVW WLPH WKDW XQGHU WKH 2EDPD DG- ministration the communication re- cords of millions of US citizens are be- ing collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing,â€? reads the article, which was published on -XQH Leaked documents also contained information regarding phone tapping and metadata collection on an inter- national level, particularly regarding U.S. monitoring of the phone activ- LW\ RI WKLUW\ Ă€YH ZRUOG OHDGHUV 3UHVL- dent Obama has recently denied any
As former CIA Deputy Director Mi- chael Morell stated in a 60 Minutes LQWHUYLHZ ZLWK -RKQ 0LOOHU ´WKLV LV the most serious leak, the most seri- RXV FRPSURPLVH RI FODVVLÀHG LQIRUPD- tion in the history of the U.S. intelli- gence community,�
Snowden as “villain.â€? The ultimate Snowden critique boils down to accusing the former con- tractor of putting his own narcissis- tic views of what is right and wrong above the protection and credibility of the very government he was sup- posedly working to protect. Others criticize the former NSA contractor for Ă HHLQJ WKH FRXQWU\ LQVWHDG RI IDFLQJ the consequences of his actions.
Snowden Through the Media Lens
Who Edward Snowden is, what he leaked, and how the media covers it By Katelyn Harrop
S
nowden: Who is he? What we know:
The details of Edward Snowden’s personal life have remained a rela- tive mystery. Snowden has served as a security guard for the National Security Agency (NSA) and worked in information-Âtechnology for the CIA, which stationed him in Geneva, Switzerland. After leaving the CIA in 2009, Snowden worked for private contractors and was assigned to NSA RIĂ€FHV LQ -DSDQ DQG +DZDLL WKURXJK WHFKQRORJ\ FRQVXOWLQJ Ă€UP %RR] $O- OHQ +DPLOWRQ ,W ZDV IURP WKLV SRVL- WLRQ LQ +DZDLL WKDW 6QRZGHQ FROOHFWHG 16$ GRFXPHQWV EHIRUH Ă HHLQJ WR +RQJ Kong to leak the documents to Glenn Greenwald and The Guardian.
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
Photo provided by Wikimedia
What exactly did he leak? Snowden collected documents UHJDUGLQJ WKH 16$¡V DQG %ULWDLQ¡V *RYHUQPHQW &RPPXQLFDWLRQ +HDG- TXDUWHUV *&+4 PDVV VXUYHLOODQFH programs, which have since been published by the U.K’s Guardian newspaper and domestic paper, the Washington Post, along with others. Some of the most notable leaked pro- grams are as follows: - PRISM. This program, funded by the NSA, allows the government ac- cess to private data from major U.S. technology companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. - Tempora. 2SHUDWHG E\ *&+4 WKH 7HPSRUD Ă€EHU RSWLF FDEOH WDSSLQJ network is said to create an Internet EXIIHU WR FROOHFW RQOLQH GDWD Ă RZLQJ in and out of the U.K. Tempora has the ability to collect data for three days, while storing basic name and location, information, date and timing metadata for up to thirty. - Upstream. Similar to Tempora, the NSA’s Upstream is an alleged mass-Âinterception network comprised of four programs by the code names of Fairview, Stormbrew, Oakstar and %ODUQH\ 8SVWUHDP FROOHFWV VKRUW WHUP data and longer term metadata from 8 6 Ă€EHU RSWLF FDEOHV - Bullrun and Edgehill. The NSA’s %XOOUXQ DQG *&+4¡V (GJHKLOO DUH
22
highly sophisticated decryption pro-Â grams, allegedly being exercised to decode privacy and security protec-Â tion surrounding services such as online banking, medical records and
knowledge of the tapping of allied leaders such as German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Why is this such a big deal?
... This is the most serious leak, the most serious compromise of GPEWWM½IH MRJSVQEXMSR MR the history of the U.S. intelligence community. email. -ÂCollection of phone metadata and international phone tapping. 7KH Ă€UVW OHDNHG GRFXPHQW SXEOLVKHG by The Guardian stated that the NSA is collecting phone records from ma- jor phone carrier, Verizon, on a daily basis. “The document shows for the Ă€UVW WLPH WKDW XQGHU WKH 2EDPD DG- ministration the communication re- cords of millions of US citizens are be- ing collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing,â€? reads the article, which was published on -XQH Leaked documents also contained information regarding phone tapping and metadata collection on an inter- national level, particularly regarding U.S. monitoring of the phone activ- LW\ RI WKLUW\ Ă€YH ZRUOG OHDGHUV 3UHVL- dent Obama has recently denied any
As former CIA Deputy Director Mi- chael Morell stated in a 60 Minutes LQWHUYLHZ ZLWK -RKQ 0LOOHU ´WKLV LV the most serious leak, the most seri- RXV FRPSURPLVH RI FODVVLÀHG LQIRUPD- tion in the history of the U.S. intelli- gence community,�
Snowden as “villain.â€? The ultimate Snowden critique boils down to accusing the former con- tractor of putting his own narcissis- tic views of what is right and wrong above the protection and credibility of the very government he was sup- posedly working to protect. Others criticize the former NSA contractor for Ă HHLQJ WKH FRXQWU\ LQVWHDG RI IDFLQJ the consequences of his actions.
Anti-Snowden sentiments in the media: Fox News Fox News has emerged as a leader of the anti-ÂSnowden movement. On -XQH )R[ 1HZV VWUDWHJLF DQDO\VW 5DOSK 3HWHUV VSRNH ZLWK ´)R[ DQG )ULHQGVÂľ KRVW %ULDQ .LOPHDGH VWDW- ing that the NSA programs Snowden released had harmed no law-Âabiding FLWL]HQV 3HWHUV JRHV RQ ´:H QHHG to get very, very serious about trea- VRQ Âľ VDLG 3HWHUV ´$QG RK E\ WKH ZD\ IRU WUHDVRQ DV LQ WKH FDVH RI %UDGOH\ Manning or Edward Snowden, you bring back the death penalty.â€? “Fox and Friendsâ€? continued their anti- Snowden remarks in an interview ZLWK )R[ 1HZV OHJDO DQDO\VW 3HWHU -RKQVRQ -U XVLQJ D FDSWLRQ UHDGLQJ ´œ+HUR¡ WXUQHG YLOODLQ 6QRZGHQ OHDNV give terrorists the upper hand.â€? ´:H VHH KLP DV D IHORQ D IXJLWLYH a person who has given up American VHFUHWV Âľ VDLG -RKQVRQ ,Q DQRWKHU interview conducted on October 10, -RKQVRQ PHQWLRQV 6QRZGHQ DV D ODZ breaker and violator of the Espionage Act and suggests that it is “appropri- ate to make an example out of himâ€? to discourage future whistleblowers. -RKQVRQ JRHV RQ WR UHIHU WR *OHQQ *UHHQZDOG DV ´DOPRVW D Ă DFN DQG the alter ego for the media, for Mr. Snowden who’s incommunicado.â€? Snowden as “hero.â€?
CNN and NBC, taking the middle ground? CNN has emerged in the middle ground regarding the Snowden NSA leaks, but has dedicated substantial time to interviews with The Guard- ian’s Glenn Greenwald. Anderson Cooper conducted an interview with
Tremors from the establishment. The leaking of these previously se- cret documents call the credibility and transparency of the Obama ad- ministration and NSA into grave pub- lic question. On the governmental OHYHO IHGHUDO RIĂ€FLDOV KDYH H[SUHVVHG concern that removing the veil which has protected NSA monitoring pro- grams will prompt terrorist groups to change their security plans in order to combat U.S. intelligence abilities. Most concerning for the administra- tion is the tension the leak has caused within foreign relations. Mr.Snowden, where are you? 2Q -XO\ 6QRZGHQ UHFHLYHG D one-Âyear asylum agreement from Russia, which has allowed him to leave the Moscow airport where he had been hiding for over a month. In an interview with the New York Times, Snowden stated that he has turned over all of his collected docu- ments to the journalists he met with LQ +RQJ .RQJ DQG KDV QRW EURXJKW any additional copies into Russia, al- though this statement has not been FRQĂ€UPHG 6QRZGHQ¡V VSHFLĂ€F ZKHUH- abouts are currently unknown, we can only wait and see what comes next in this saga. ____________________________________ Katelyn Harrop is sophomore jour- nalism major who thinks Edward Snowden is totally dreamy. Email her at kharrop1@ithaca.edu.
Upfront
Snowden supporters champion the 29-Âyear-Âold for his bravery and will-Â ingness to give up a seemingly com-Â fortable life to shed light on govern-Â ment corruption. Snowden is praised by many for answering to a moral call-Â ing that supersedes the values thrust upon society by governmental bodies.
Greenwald on October 29, in which few biases were portrayed (on the part of Cooper) and ample time was given to Greenwald to defend his sup- port for Snowden’s acts. CNN has also published and broadcasted multiple stories and interviews investigating the personal wellbeing of Snowden as he settles into his life in Russia. In an October 11 interview with former U.S. LQWHOOLJHQFH RIĂ€FLDOV D ´QHZ GHYHORS- mentsâ€? banner reading; “An American Leaker in Russia: Snowden said to be learning the language, datingâ€? was in- cluded. ,Q FRQWUDVW RQ -XQH &11 OHJDO DQDO\VW -HIIUH\ 7RRELQ RSHQO\ GLVDS- proved of Snowden’s decisions. “There are channels for whistleblowers inside agencies, through Congress, through the courts, not through Glenn Green- wald of the Guardian. That’s not what you’re supposed to do.â€? 061%& 1%& KDV DSSHDUHG RQ ERWK sides of the Snowden support spec- WUXP DV ZHOO 2Q -XQH 1%& 1HZV MXVWLFH FRUUHVSRQGHQW 3HWH :LOOLDPV SXEOLVKHG D PHGLD DQDO\VLV ´:K\ (G- ward Snowden isn’t a whistle-Âblower, legally speaking.â€? The piece covers a variety of legal documents that do not support Snowden’s actions: “Those who believe he has shed light on im- proper government actions say he GHVHUYHV WR EH FDOOHG RQH %XW WKHUH seems little doubt that he cannot claim legal whistle-Âblower protection.â€? GD\V ODWHU 061%& KRVW 0H- OLVVD +DUULV 3HUU\ RSHQO\ YRLFHG KHU disapproval over Snowden’s current IRUHLJQ VWDWXV ´+HUH¡V P\ EHHI ZLWK Ed Snowden – once you’ve decided to be a defender of those ideals, you have to be prepared to face the conse- TXHQFHV Âľ VDLG +DUULV 3HUU\ ´7KDW LV the whole point of civil disobedience, to show that you are willing to risk your own freedom, your own body, in order to bring attention to something that needs to be known.â€? ,Q FRQWUDVW DQ 2FWREHU 061%& article “Former NSA supporters join critics in calling for reformâ€? chronicles the shift in Congressional support for NSA crackdowns in light of informa- tion reveeled through Snowden’s leaked documents.
23
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
I
n April 2012, Cornell University found itself in the midst of a bit of controversy. A series of documents released by the Electronic Frontier Foundation showed that Cornell was one of a handful of educational institutions and a larger number SJ TSPMGI WXEXMSRW [MXL E 'IVXM½GEXI SJ %YXLSVM^EXMSR JVSQ XLI *%% XS ¾] E HVSRI ;LMPI E 'IVXM½GEXI SJ %YXLSVM^EXMSR VIferred to simply as a COA by those enmeshed in the world of unmanned aviation systems) hasn’t been held by the university for a few years, they’re still quite involved in the development of drone technology.
24
Drones, Defense & Diplomas
Upfront
The rise of drones and the militaryacademic-industrial complex.
By Max Ocean
25
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
The extracurricular group Cornell University Unmanned Air Systems (CUAir) “aims to provide students from all majors at Cornell with an op- portunity to learn about unmanned air systems in a hands-Âon setting,â€? according to their website. CUAir WRRN KRPH Ă€UVW SODFH DW WKH 6WXGHQW Unmanned Air Systems Competition KHOG DW WKH 1DYDO $LU 6WDWLRQ 3DWX[- HQW 5LYHU LQ 0DU\ODQG -XQH The website for the group lists, after the University as its only Diamond sponsor, the top category, Lockheed- 0DUWLQ DQG (OHFWURQLF :DUIDUH $VVR- ciates as its platinum sponsors. Unmanned aircraft systems have received a growing amount of media coverage in the context of their mili- WDUL]HG XVHV LQ 3DNLVWDQ DQG $IJKDQL- stan (although the bulk of that cov- erage has still been relegated to the alternative media sphere), yet general knowledge of the fact that unmanned systems for domestic uses have been growing is weak and they are poised to become integrated into general air- VSDFH DV VRRQ DV 6HSWHPEHU Two pieces of Federal legislation SDVVHG LQ -DQXDU\ RI ODVW \HDU 7KH Federal Aviation Administration Mod- ernization and Reform Act of 2012 and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 require the FAA to choose six national test sites for research centers for remotely pi- loted aircraft, and begin their integra- WLRQ LQWR QDWLRQDO DLUVSDFH LQ Since the announcement, there has EHHQ D Ă XUU\ RI DFWLYLW\ E\ WKH GURQH industry and research sectors to es- tablish themselves as frontrunners in the contest to be approved for both the use and development of these sys- tems. A New York Times editorial ex- plained what the legislative aim of developing these technologies is: “The GURQH JR DKHDG HQYLVLRQV D ELO- lion-Âplus industry of camera drones being used for all sorts of purposes from real estate advertising to crop dusting to environmental monitoring and police work.â€? A variety of organizations have submitted applications to be chosen as one of the six test sites. Ac- cording to Senator Chuck Schumer (a big proponent of New York being cho- VHQ DV RQH RI WKHP RXW RI LQLWLDO applications the list of applicants has EHHQ QDUURZHG WR 7KH ZLQQHUV ZLOO UHFHLYH D Ă€YH \HDU FRQWUDFW ZLWK WKH FAA to conduct research. In New York State, that applicant is the Northeast
26
UAS Airspace Integration Research Al-Â liance (NUAIR). Made up of 40 public, private and academic organizations, their research would potentially hap-Â pen in many parts of New York and Massachusetts (probably mostly in ex-Â istent military airspace,) but would be focused in central New York. Alliance members include Lockheed-ÂMartin, many of the existent upstate New York airports or military testing areas, as well as about a dozen academic insti-Â WXWLRQV DFFRUGLQJ WR $QGUHD %LDQFKL program director of NUAIR, among WKHP ERWK 681< %LQJKDPWRQ DQG Cornell University. %LDQFKL VD\V WKDW 0DUN &DPSEHOO Director of the Sibley School of Me-Â chanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell, was one of NUAIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary
PHQW LQWHOOLJHQFH RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV KRZHYHU The site proudly proclaims the De-Â fense Science Study Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose of bringing together â&#x20AC;&#x153;young professors from many of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top universi-Â tiesâ&#x20AC;? who are â&#x20AC;&#x153;invited to participate fo-Â cus on defense policy, related research and development, and the systems, missions and operations of the armed forces.â&#x20AC;? According to the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website â&#x20AC;&#x153;members interact with top-Â OHYHO RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV IURP WKH 'HIHQVH 'HSDUW-Â ment,â&#x20AC;? as well as visiting military bas-Â es, defense labs and interacting with Congress. In short, it seems to be a total over-Â view of the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense op-Â erations. Campbellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest in UAVs would seem to extend beyond being a purely research-Âfocused interest.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to come from the grassroots because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much opposition... and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a broad spectrum of odd political bedfellows... contacts at the University. Campbell DOVR VDLG KH EHOLHYHV KH ZDV WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW person at Cornell that NUAIR reached out to, but expressed that his involve- ment in NUAIR had been limited thus IDU +H ´KDG GRQH VRPH 8QPDQQHG Aerial Vehichle (UAV) work in the past,â&#x20AC;? and after NUAIR contacted him he con- tacted other Cornell faculty with UAV experience so that they could â&#x20AC;&#x153;bring any input they might have to the [FAA] proposal process.â&#x20AC;? As for the privacy concerns? â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the most part, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going be away from that fray,â&#x20AC;? said &DPSEHOO ´:H¡UH VR IRFXVHG RQ WKH UHVHDUFKÂŤZH VHH WKH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV EXW ZH understand the concerns.â&#x20AC;? Campbell was chosen as a member of the Institute for Defense Analysesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (IDA) Defense Science Study Group in 2011.â&#x20AC;? IDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website describes the JURXS DV ´D QRQ SURĂ&#x20AC;W FRUSRUDWLRQ that operates three federally funded research and development centers to assist the United States Government in addressing important national se- FXULW\ LVVXHV Âľ :KLOH D QRQ SURĂ&#x20AC;W ,'$ said that it â&#x20AC;&#x153;only works for the govern- ment,â&#x20AC;? and they claim â&#x20AC;&#x153;to ensure free- dom from commercial or other poten- WLDO FRQĂ LFWV RI LQWHUHVW ,'$ GRHV QRW work for private industry.â&#x20AC;? Apparently the IDA does not see a SRWHQWLDO FRQĂ LFW RI LQWHUHVW LQ ZRUNLQJ with academic leaders and top govern-Â
Incidentally, the Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CEO and 3UHVLGHQW 'DYLG 6 & &KX VHUYHG DV 8QGHU 6HFUHWDU\ RI 'HIHQVH IRU 3HUVRQ- nel and Readiness for the entirety of WKH *HRUJH : %XVK DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ VR any argument for IDA being anything other than an extension of the govern- ment with more autonomy in how it RSHUDWHV LV GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ GXELRXV :KLOH WKH UHVHDUFK 18$,5 KRSHV WR conduct would be for civil and com- mercial purposes, the existent military assets in New York and Massachusetts still set NUAIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application apart in WKH DOOLDQFH¡V YLHZ DFFRUGLQJ WR %L- anchi. She said this is because drone technology is already used for military purposes. The large amount of existent military airspace in the state would also allow NUAIR to begin testing very quickly once their application is ap- proved. The 174th Air National Guard Attack :LQJ LV RQH RI WKH NH\ PLOLWDU\ DVVHWV in NUAIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal, and is located DW WKH +DQFRFN $LUĂ&#x20AC;HOG MXVW RXWVLGH Syracuse. It is from here that one of WKH QRZ LQIDPRXV 04 UHDSHU GURQHV deployed in Afghanistan is controlled from. The group Upstate Coalition to *URXQG WKH 'URQHV DQG (QG WKH :DUV as well as other activist groups, have protested there multiple times, and many people have been arrested, al- WKRXJK Ă&#x20AC;YH DUUHVWHHV MXVW UHFHLYHG D
show all these cute uses of dronesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;to bring you your pizza, and your tacoâ&#x20AC;? she said,â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very in- trigued by drones... and that will spur EDFNODVK ,PDJLQH ZKHQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW GURQH JHWV VKRW GRZQ E\ VRPHERG\ Âľ %HQ- jamin said. Ann Tiffany notes that a few states have already passed bills restricting drone use, and that there are a few bills in Congress aimed at ensuring privacy concerns are properly heeded in the integration into national air- space. Rep. Edward Markey (D-ÂMassa- chusetts) sponsored a bill in Congress WLWOHG WKH ´'URQH $LUFUDIW 3ULYDF\ DQG Transparency Act of 2012.â&#x20AC;? Among other things this would require the Secretary of Transportation to estab- lish certain procedures to allow for civil operation in the national airspace sys- tem of small drone systems and would ensure that the integration of drone systems into the national airspace sys- tem is done in compliance with certain SULYDF\ SULQFLSOHV +RZHYHU WKH ELOO LV still only in committee, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likely to be kept on the back burner for quite some time The economic potential is huge for central New York if NUAIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s applica- tion is one of the winners, and would be for any region chosen as one of the six. Civil and commercial use of un- manned aircraft systems in the U.S. FRXOG VXSSRVHGO\ KDYH DQ ELOOLRQ SOXV HFRQRPLF LPSDFW LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW \HDUV 3HUKDSV WKHVH SURPLVHV RI DQ economic boom are causing politicians to waive security and privacy issues aside? So far the nature of how these sys- tems will be integrated into our air- space is almost entirely undetermined. :H RQO\ NQRZ WKDW WKH\ will be a part of future skies. The frightening part is that the integration will be so soon and has been pushed for relentlessly by in- GXVWU\ ZLWKRXW WKHUH EHLQJ VXIĂ&#x20AC;FLHQW public dialogue beforehand. Mark Campbell said that when he â&#x20AC;&#x153;saw that UAVs were coming out, be- IRUH WKHUH ZDV D ELJ SXVK IRU FRPPHUFLDO 8$9V Âľ DQG SRVW with ongoing national security inter- ests, that meant research and uses shifted to the military sector. Now he thinks that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over the past few years it has gone down,â&#x20AC;? and that thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attrib- utable to both moving away from the wars, as well as the budget battles and sequestration that â&#x20AC;&#x153;has had an effect on defense funding at universities and [I think it] will continue to do that.â&#x20AC;? %HQMDPLQ SXWV LW LQ VWDUNHU WHUPV
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural that the industry would go for anything that it can,â&#x20AC;? she says, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;when it saw particularly that the wars were winding down it was really anxious to look for other venuesâ&#x20AC;? to develop a market for its technology. %HQMDPLQ WKLQNV WKH UHVHDUFK VHF- tors of many universities and military contractors have â&#x20AC;&#x153;certainly merged be- cause so many of the grants have come from the Defense Advanced Research 3URMHFWV $JHQF\ '$53$ Âľ ,Q UHVSRQVH she offers the idea that college activism efforts should take a page out of other movements that exposed underlying FRQĂ LFWV RI LQWHUHVW EHWZHHQ DFDGHPLF LQVWLWXWLRQV DQG XQHWKLFDOO\ SURĂ&#x20AC;WDEOH companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be good to have a divestment movement that focuses on divesting from military companies,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;not just for drones. In gen- eral I think our military contractors are out of control.â&#x20AC;? All of the mainstream coverage of the FAA plan has acknowledged security and privacy concerns, but ultimately echoed the view of government and LQGXVWU\ RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV ZKR FODLP WKDW WKRVH issues will be addressed to the fullest extent possible during the testing pro- cess. :KLOH JURXS UHSUHVHQWDWLYHV DUH quick to offer lists of the many uses drones can be used for that will be EHQHĂ&#x20AC;FLDO RQ D PDVV VFDOH WKH RQO\ address of privacy concerns at the na- tional level seems to be an assurance that they will be addressed. ,Q MXVW RYHU \HDUV ZH¡YH JRQH IURP being warned of a burgeoning military- industrial complex, to the normaliza- tion of privatized national security ser- vices with academic institutions being outwardly involved in the development of technology used to keep the military- industrial gears churning. It almost seems the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;military-Âindustrialâ&#x20AC;? doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t properly account for the nu- DQFHG \HW VXEVWDQWLDO DQG SURĂ&#x20AC;WDEOH role of academic institutions as liai- sons between the military and indus- trial factions of the American economy. Academia gives these government-Âin- dustry relationships credence by vali- dating their ethical purpose through acceptance of military research money, and speaking on the technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mer- its as veritable government spokes- people. ___________________________________ Max Ocean is a junior journalism ma- jor whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keeping his eyes on the sky. Email him at mocean1@ithaca.edu.
Upfront
groundbreaking acquittal. There was a resolution supported by the Syra- FXVH 3HDFH &RXQFLO DQG VRPH &RP- mon Council members that was set to be voted on to make Syracuse a â&#x20AC;&#x153;war- rantless surveillance drone-Âfree zoneâ&#x20AC;? until Congress accepts legislation that protects people from spying from the unmanned aircraft, but as of October 2 the Syracuse City Council put the decision on hold because they needed more information about the mesh of local rule and federal law. NUAIR nat- urally lobbied against such proposed legislation. 7KH 6\UDFXVH 3HDFH &RXQFLO LV ´ ZRUULHG DERXW Ă&#x20AC;UVW DQG IRXUWK DPHQG- ments being violated,â&#x20AC;? according to Ann Tiffany, an anti-Âdrone activist and council member who has been working on the anti-Âdrone resolution. Tiffany thinks thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the potential for good uses of drones, but given the fact that ´WKH )$$ KDV JLYHQ SHUPLWV WR SR- lice departmentsâ&#x20AC;? already, the council is worried about where uses are head- ing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think every time a community drafts a resolution like this, it helps to strengthen the national picture,â&#x20AC;? said Tiffany. 0HGHD %HQMDPLQ FR IRXQGHU RI &2'(3,1. DQG WKH *OREDO ([FKDQJH echoed these sentiments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to come from the grassroots because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much opposition ... and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a broad spectrum of odd political EHGIHOORZV DV ZHOO Âľ VKH VDLG %HQMD- min is also the author of Drone War- fare: Killing by Remote Control. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OHG FRDOLWLRQV WR 3DNLVWDQ DQG <HPHQ against drone killings, and last May drew a lot of media attention when she LQWHUUXSWHG 3UHVLGHQW 2EDPD GXULQJ D foreign policy address to question his DFWLRQV UHJDUGLQJ *XDQWDQDPR %D\ DQG GURQH ZDUIDUH %HQMDPLQ EHOLHYHV there is already growing awareness that drones are entering our airspace, and are poised to be everywhere, but she does think a national conversation about how to safely integrate them is somewhat missing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be op- posed to drones that are used for posi- WLYH WKLQJV Âľ VDLG %HQMDPLQ KRZHYHU thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a need to â&#x20AC;&#x153;sort out the good and the bad and the industry isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t helping ZLWK WKDW %\ LJQRULQJ WKH WUHPHQGRXV problems with drone warfare they have put themselves in the category.â&#x20AC;? Despite the lack of national political GLVFXVVLRQ %HQMDPLQ GRHV WKLQN WKH media has a certain fascination with GURQHV WKDW WKH DOOXUH RI Ă \LQJ URERW servants is too large for it to not grow in scope as an issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The media does
27 Image by Francesca Toscano
Anti-Snowden sentiments in the media: Fox News Fox News has emerged as a leader of the anti-ÂSnowden movement. On -XQH )R[ 1HZV VWUDWHJLF DQDO\VW 5DOSK 3HWHUV VSRNH ZLWK ´)R[ DQG )ULHQGVÂľ KRVW %ULDQ .LOPHDGH VWDW- ing that the NSA programs Snowden released had harmed no law-Âabiding FLWL]HQV 3HWHUV JRHV RQ ´:H QHHG to get very, very serious about trea- VRQ Âľ VDLG 3HWHUV ´$QG RK E\ WKH ZD\ IRU WUHDVRQ DV LQ WKH FDVH RI %UDGOH\ Manning or Edward Snowden, you bring back the death penalty.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fox and Friendsâ&#x20AC;? continued their anti- Snowden remarks in an interview ZLWK )R[ 1HZV OHJDO DQDO\VW 3HWHU -RKQVRQ -U XVLQJ D FDSWLRQ UHDGLQJ ´œ+HUR¡ WXUQHG YLOODLQ 6QRZGHQ OHDNV give terrorists the upper hand.â&#x20AC;? ´:H VHH KLP DV D IHORQ D IXJLWLYH a person who has given up American VHFUHWV Âľ VDLG -RKQVRQ ,Q DQRWKHU interview conducted on October 10, -RKQVRQ PHQWLRQV 6QRZGHQ DV D ODZ breaker and violator of the Espionage Act and suggests that it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;appropri- ate to make an example out of himâ&#x20AC;? to discourage future whistleblowers. -RKQVRQ JRHV RQ WR UHIHU WR *OHQQ *UHHQZDOG DV ´DOPRVW D Ă DFN DQG the alter ego for the media, for Mr. Snowden whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incommunicado.â&#x20AC;? Snowden as â&#x20AC;&#x153;hero.â&#x20AC;?
CNN and NBC, taking the middle ground? CNN has emerged in the middle ground regarding the Snowden NSA leaks, but has dedicated substantial time to interviews with The Guard-Â ianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Glenn Greenwald. Anderson Cooper conducted an interview with
Tremors from the establishment. The leaking of these previously se- cret documents call the credibility and transparency of the Obama ad- ministration and NSA into grave pub- lic question. On the governmental OHYHO IHGHUDO RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV KDYH H[SUHVVHG concern that removing the veil which has protected NSA monitoring pro- grams will prompt terrorist groups to change their security plans in order to combat U.S. intelligence abilities. Most concerning for the administra- tion is the tension the leak has caused within foreign relations. Mr.Snowden, where are you? 2Q -XO\ 6QRZGHQ UHFHLYHG D one-Âyear asylum agreement from Russia, which has allowed him to leave the Moscow airport where he had been hiding for over a month. In an interview with the New York Times, Snowden stated that he has turned over all of his collected docu- ments to the journalists he met with LQ +RQJ .RQJ DQG KDV QRW EURXJKW any additional copies into Russia, al- though this statement has not been FRQĂ&#x20AC;UPHG 6QRZGHQ¡V VSHFLĂ&#x20AC;F ZKHUH- abouts are currently unknown, we can only wait and see what comes next in this saga. ____________________________________ Katelyn Harrop is sophomore jour- nalism major who thinks Edward Snowden is totally dreamy. Email her at kharrop1@ithaca.edu.
Upfront
Snowden supporters champion the 29-Âyear-Âold for his bravery and will-Â ingness to give up a seemingly com-Â fortable life to shed light on govern-Â ment corruption. Snowden is praised by many for answering to a moral call-Â ing that supersedes the values thrust upon society by governmental bodies.
Greenwald on October 29, in which few biases were portrayed (on the part of Cooper) and ample time was given to Greenwald to defend his sup- port for Snowdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acts. CNN has also published and broadcasted multiple stories and interviews investigating the personal wellbeing of Snowden as he settles into his life in Russia. In an October 11 interview with former U.S. LQWHOOLJHQFH RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV D ´QHZ GHYHORS- mentsâ&#x20AC;? banner reading; â&#x20AC;&#x153;An American Leaker in Russia: Snowden said to be learning the language, datingâ&#x20AC;? was in- cluded. ,Q FRQWUDVW RQ -XQH &11 OHJDO DQDO\VW -HIIUH\ 7RRELQ RSHQO\ GLVDS- proved of Snowdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decisions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are channels for whistleblowers inside agencies, through Congress, through the courts, not through Glenn Green- wald of the Guardian. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re supposed to do.â&#x20AC;? 061%& 1%& KDV DSSHDUHG RQ ERWK sides of the Snowden support spec- WUXP DV ZHOO 2Q -XQH 1%& 1HZV MXVWLFH FRUUHVSRQGHQW 3HWH :LOOLDPV SXEOLVKHG D PHGLD DQDO\VLV ´:K\ (G- ward Snowden isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a whistle-Âblower, legally speaking.â&#x20AC;? The piece covers a variety of legal documents that do not support Snowdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actions: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those who believe he has shed light on im- proper government actions say he GHVHUYHV WR EH FDOOHG RQH %XW WKHUH seems little doubt that he cannot claim legal whistle-Âblower protection.â&#x20AC;? GD\V ODWHU 061%& KRVW 0H- OLVVD +DUULV 3HUU\ RSHQO\ YRLFHG KHU disapproval over Snowdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current IRUHLJQ VWDWXV ´+HUH¡V P\ EHHI ZLWK Ed Snowden â&#x20AC;&#x201C; once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided to be a defender of those ideals, you have to be prepared to face the conse- TXHQFHV Âľ VDLG +DUULV 3HUU\ ´7KDW LV the whole point of civil disobedience, to show that you are willing to risk your own freedom, your own body, in order to bring attention to something that needs to be known.â&#x20AC;? ,Q FRQWUDVW DQ 2FWREHU 061%& article â&#x20AC;&#x153;Former NSA supporters join critics in calling for reformâ&#x20AC;? chronicles the shift in Congressional support for NSA crackdowns in light of informa- tion reveeled through Snowdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaked documents.
23
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
I
n April 2012, Cornell University found itself in the midst of a bit of controversy. A series of documents released by the Electronic Frontier Foundation showed that Cornell was one of a handful of educational institutions and a larger number SJ TSPMGI WXEXMSRW [MXL E 'IVXM½GEXI SJ %YXLSVM^EXMSR JVSQ XLI *%% XS ¾] E HVSRI ;LMPI E 'IVXM½GEXI SJ %YXLSVM^EXMSR VIferred to simply as a COA by those enmeshed in the world of unmanned aviation systems) hasn’t been held by the university for a few years, they’re still quite involved in the development of drone technology.
24
Drones, Defense & Diplomas
Upfront
The rise of drones and the militaryacademic-industrial complex.
By Max Ocean
25
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
The extracurricular group Cornell University Unmanned Air Systems (CUAir) â&#x20AC;&#x153;aims to provide students from all majors at Cornell with an op-Â portunity to learn about unmanned air systems in a hands-Âon setting,â&#x20AC;? according to their website. CUAir WRRN KRPH Ă&#x20AC;UVW SODFH DW WKH 6WXGHQW Unmanned Air Systems Competition KHOG DW WKH 1DYDO $LU 6WDWLRQ 3DWX[-Â HQW 5LYHU LQ 0DU\ODQG -XQH The website for the group lists, after the University as its only Diamond sponsor, the top category, Lockheed-Â 0DUWLQ DQG (OHFWURQLF :DUIDUH $VVR-Â ciates as its platinum sponsors. Unmanned aircraft systems have received a growing amount of media coverage in the context of their mili-Â WDUL]HG XVHV LQ 3DNLVWDQ DQG $IJKDQL-Â stan (although the bulk of that cov-Â erage has still been relegated to the alternative media sphere), yet general knowledge of the fact that unmanned systems for domestic uses have been growing is weak and they are poised to become integrated into general air-Â VSDFH DV VRRQ DV 6HSWHPEHU Two pieces of Federal legislation SDVVHG LQ -DQXDU\ RI ODVW \HDU 7KH Federal Aviation Administration Mod-Â ernization and Reform Act of 2012 and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 require the FAA to choose six national test sites for research centers for remotely pi-Â loted aircraft, and begin their integra-Â WLRQ LQWR QDWLRQDO DLUVSDFH LQ Since the announcement, there has EHHQ D Ă XUU\ RI DFWLYLW\ E\ WKH GURQH industry and research sectors to es-Â tablish themselves as frontrunners in the contest to be approved for both the use and development of these sys-Â tems. A New York Times editorial ex-Â plained what the legislative aim of developing these technologies is: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The GURQH JR DKHDG HQYLVLRQV D ELO-Â lion-Âplus industry of camera drones being used for all sorts of purposes from real estate advertising to crop dusting to environmental monitoring and police work.â&#x20AC;? A variety of organizations have submitted applications to be chosen as one of the six test sites. Ac-Â cording to Senator Chuck Schumer (a big proponent of New York being cho-Â VHQ DV RQH RI WKHP RXW RI LQLWLDO applications the list of applicants has EHHQ QDUURZHG WR 7KH ZLQQHUV ZLOO UHFHLYH D Ă&#x20AC;YH \HDU FRQWUDFW ZLWK WKH FAA to conduct research. In New York State, that applicant is the Northeast
26
UAS Airspace Integration Research Al-Â liance (NUAIR). Made up of 40 public, private and academic organizations, their research would potentially hap-Â pen in many parts of New York and Massachusetts (probably mostly in ex-Â istent military airspace,) but would be focused in central New York. Alliance members include Lockheed-ÂMartin, many of the existent upstate New York airports or military testing areas, as well as about a dozen academic insti-Â WXWLRQV DFFRUGLQJ WR $QGUHD %LDQFKL program director of NUAIR, among WKHP ERWK 681< %LQJKDPWRQ DQG Cornell University. %LDQFKL VD\V WKDW 0DUN &DPSEHOO Director of the Sibley School of Me-Â chanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell, was one of NUAIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary
PHQW LQWHOOLJHQFH RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV KRZHYHU The site proudly proclaims the De-Â fense Science Study Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose of bringing together â&#x20AC;&#x153;young professors from many of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top universi-Â tiesâ&#x20AC;? who are â&#x20AC;&#x153;invited to participate fo-Â cus on defense policy, related research and development, and the systems, missions and operations of the armed forces.â&#x20AC;? According to the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website â&#x20AC;&#x153;members interact with top-Â OHYHO RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV IURP WKH 'HIHQVH 'HSDUW-Â ment,â&#x20AC;? as well as visiting military bas-Â es, defense labs and interacting with Congress. In short, it seems to be a total over-Â view of the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense op-Â erations. Campbellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest in UAVs would seem to extend beyond being a purely research-Âfocused interest.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to come from the grassroots because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much opposition... and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a broad spectrum of odd political bedfellows... contacts at the University. Campbell DOVR VDLG KH EHOLHYHV KH ZDV WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW person at Cornell that NUAIR reached out to, but expressed that his involve- ment in NUAIR had been limited thus IDU +H ´KDG GRQH VRPH 8QPDQQHG Aerial Vehichle (UAV) work in the past,â&#x20AC;? and after NUAIR contacted him he con- tacted other Cornell faculty with UAV experience so that they could â&#x20AC;&#x153;bring any input they might have to the [FAA] proposal process.â&#x20AC;? As for the privacy concerns? â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the most part, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going be away from that fray,â&#x20AC;? said &DPSEHOO ´:H¡UH VR IRFXVHG RQ WKH UHVHDUFKÂŤZH VHH WKH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV EXW ZH understand the concerns.â&#x20AC;? Campbell was chosen as a member of the Institute for Defense Analysesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (IDA) Defense Science Study Group in 2011.â&#x20AC;? IDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website describes the JURXS DV ´D QRQ SURĂ&#x20AC;W FRUSRUDWLRQ that operates three federally funded research and development centers to assist the United States Government in addressing important national se- FXULW\ LVVXHV Âľ :KLOH D QRQ SURĂ&#x20AC;W ,'$ said that it â&#x20AC;&#x153;only works for the govern- ment,â&#x20AC;? and they claim â&#x20AC;&#x153;to ensure free- dom from commercial or other poten- WLDO FRQĂ LFWV RI LQWHUHVW ,'$ GRHV QRW work for private industry.â&#x20AC;? Apparently the IDA does not see a SRWHQWLDO FRQĂ LFW RI LQWHUHVW LQ ZRUNLQJ with academic leaders and top govern-Â
Incidentally, the Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CEO and 3UHVLGHQW 'DYLG 6 & &KX VHUYHG DV 8QGHU 6HFUHWDU\ RI 'HIHQVH IRU 3HUVRQ- nel and Readiness for the entirety of WKH *HRUJH : %XVK DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ VR any argument for IDA being anything other than an extension of the govern- ment with more autonomy in how it RSHUDWHV LV GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ GXELRXV :KLOH WKH UHVHDUFK 18$,5 KRSHV WR conduct would be for civil and com- mercial purposes, the existent military assets in New York and Massachusetts still set NUAIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application apart in WKH DOOLDQFH¡V YLHZ DFFRUGLQJ WR %L- anchi. She said this is because drone technology is already used for military purposes. The large amount of existent military airspace in the state would also allow NUAIR to begin testing very quickly once their application is ap- proved. The 174th Air National Guard Attack :LQJ LV RQH RI WKH NH\ PLOLWDU\ DVVHWV in NUAIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal, and is located DW WKH +DQFRFN $LUĂ&#x20AC;HOG MXVW RXWVLGH Syracuse. It is from here that one of WKH QRZ LQIDPRXV 04 UHDSHU GURQHV deployed in Afghanistan is controlled from. The group Upstate Coalition to *URXQG WKH 'URQHV DQG (QG WKH :DUV as well as other activist groups, have protested there multiple times, and many people have been arrested, al- WKRXJK Ă&#x20AC;YH DUUHVWHHV MXVW UHFHLYHG D
show all these cute uses of dronesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;to bring you your pizza, and your tacoâ&#x20AC;? she said,â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very in- trigued by drones... and that will spur EDFNODVK ,PDJLQH ZKHQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW GURQH JHWV VKRW GRZQ E\ VRPHERG\ Âľ %HQ- jamin said. Ann Tiffany notes that a few states have already passed bills restricting drone use, and that there are a few bills in Congress aimed at ensuring privacy concerns are properly heeded in the integration into national air- space. Rep. Edward Markey (D-ÂMassa- chusetts) sponsored a bill in Congress WLWOHG WKH ´'URQH $LUFUDIW 3ULYDF\ DQG Transparency Act of 2012.â&#x20AC;? Among other things this would require the Secretary of Transportation to estab- lish certain procedures to allow for civil operation in the national airspace sys- tem of small drone systems and would ensure that the integration of drone systems into the national airspace sys- tem is done in compliance with certain SULYDF\ SULQFLSOHV +RZHYHU WKH ELOO LV still only in committee, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likely to be kept on the back burner for quite some time The economic potential is huge for central New York if NUAIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s applica- tion is one of the winners, and would be for any region chosen as one of the six. Civil and commercial use of un- manned aircraft systems in the U.S. FRXOG VXSSRVHGO\ KDYH DQ ELOOLRQ SOXV HFRQRPLF LPSDFW LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW \HDUV 3HUKDSV WKHVH SURPLVHV RI DQ economic boom are causing politicians to waive security and privacy issues aside? So far the nature of how these sys- tems will be integrated into our air- space is almost entirely undetermined. :H RQO\ NQRZ WKDW WKH\ will be a part of future skies. The frightening part is that the integration will be so soon and has been pushed for relentlessly by in- GXVWU\ ZLWKRXW WKHUH EHLQJ VXIĂ&#x20AC;FLHQW public dialogue beforehand. Mark Campbell said that when he â&#x20AC;&#x153;saw that UAVs were coming out, be- IRUH WKHUH ZDV D ELJ SXVK IRU FRPPHUFLDO 8$9V Âľ DQG SRVW with ongoing national security inter- ests, that meant research and uses shifted to the military sector. Now he thinks that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over the past few years it has gone down,â&#x20AC;? and that thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attrib- utable to both moving away from the wars, as well as the budget battles and sequestration that â&#x20AC;&#x153;has had an effect on defense funding at universities and [I think it] will continue to do that.â&#x20AC;? %HQMDPLQ SXWV LW LQ VWDUNHU WHUPV
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural that the industry would go for anything that it can,â&#x20AC;? she says, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;when it saw particularly that the wars were winding down it was really anxious to look for other venuesâ&#x20AC;? to develop a market for its technology. %HQMDPLQ WKLQNV WKH UHVHDUFK VHF- tors of many universities and military contractors have â&#x20AC;&#x153;certainly merged be- cause so many of the grants have come from the Defense Advanced Research 3URMHFWV $JHQF\ '$53$ Âľ ,Q UHVSRQVH she offers the idea that college activism efforts should take a page out of other movements that exposed underlying FRQĂ LFWV RI LQWHUHVW EHWZHHQ DFDGHPLF LQVWLWXWLRQV DQG XQHWKLFDOO\ SURĂ&#x20AC;WDEOH companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be good to have a divestment movement that focuses on divesting from military companies,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;not just for drones. In gen- eral I think our military contractors are out of control.â&#x20AC;? All of the mainstream coverage of the FAA plan has acknowledged security and privacy concerns, but ultimately echoed the view of government and LQGXVWU\ RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV ZKR FODLP WKDW WKRVH issues will be addressed to the fullest extent possible during the testing pro- cess. :KLOH JURXS UHSUHVHQWDWLYHV DUH quick to offer lists of the many uses drones can be used for that will be EHQHĂ&#x20AC;FLDO RQ D PDVV VFDOH WKH RQO\ address of privacy concerns at the na- tional level seems to be an assurance that they will be addressed. ,Q MXVW RYHU \HDUV ZH¡YH JRQH IURP being warned of a burgeoning military- industrial complex, to the normaliza- tion of privatized national security ser- vices with academic institutions being outwardly involved in the development of technology used to keep the military- industrial gears churning. It almost seems the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;military-Âindustrialâ&#x20AC;? doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t properly account for the nu- DQFHG \HW VXEVWDQWLDO DQG SURĂ&#x20AC;WDEOH role of academic institutions as liai- sons between the military and indus- trial factions of the American economy. Academia gives these government-Âin- dustry relationships credence by vali- dating their ethical purpose through acceptance of military research money, and speaking on the technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mer- its as veritable government spokes- people. ___________________________________ Max Ocean is a junior journalism ma- jor whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keeping his eyes on the sky. Email him at mocean1@ithaca.edu.
Upfront
groundbreaking acquittal. There was a resolution supported by the Syra- FXVH 3HDFH &RXQFLO DQG VRPH &RP- mon Council members that was set to be voted on to make Syracuse a â&#x20AC;&#x153;war- rantless surveillance drone-Âfree zoneâ&#x20AC;? until Congress accepts legislation that protects people from spying from the unmanned aircraft, but as of October 2 the Syracuse City Council put the decision on hold because they needed more information about the mesh of local rule and federal law. NUAIR nat- urally lobbied against such proposed legislation. 7KH 6\UDFXVH 3HDFH &RXQFLO LV ´ ZRUULHG DERXW Ă&#x20AC;UVW DQG IRXUWK DPHQG- ments being violated,â&#x20AC;? according to Ann Tiffany, an anti-Âdrone activist and council member who has been working on the anti-Âdrone resolution. Tiffany thinks thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the potential for good uses of drones, but given the fact that ´WKH )$$ KDV JLYHQ SHUPLWV WR SR- lice departmentsâ&#x20AC;? already, the council is worried about where uses are head- ing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think every time a community drafts a resolution like this, it helps to strengthen the national picture,â&#x20AC;? said Tiffany. 0HGHD %HQMDPLQ FR IRXQGHU RI &2'(3,1. DQG WKH *OREDO ([FKDQJH echoed these sentiments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to come from the grassroots because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much opposition ... and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a broad spectrum of odd political EHGIHOORZV DV ZHOO Âľ VKH VDLG %HQMD- min is also the author of Drone War- fare: Killing by Remote Control. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OHG FRDOLWLRQV WR 3DNLVWDQ DQG <HPHQ against drone killings, and last May drew a lot of media attention when she LQWHUUXSWHG 3UHVLGHQW 2EDPD GXULQJ D foreign policy address to question his DFWLRQV UHJDUGLQJ *XDQWDQDPR %D\ DQG GURQH ZDUIDUH %HQMDPLQ EHOLHYHV there is already growing awareness that drones are entering our airspace, and are poised to be everywhere, but she does think a national conversation about how to safely integrate them is somewhat missing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be op- posed to drones that are used for posi- WLYH WKLQJV Âľ VDLG %HQMDPLQ KRZHYHU thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a need to â&#x20AC;&#x153;sort out the good and the bad and the industry isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t helping ZLWK WKDW %\ LJQRULQJ WKH WUHPHQGRXV problems with drone warfare they have put themselves in the category.â&#x20AC;? Despite the lack of national political GLVFXVVLRQ %HQMDPLQ GRHV WKLQN WKH media has a certain fascination with GURQHV WKDW WKH DOOXUH RI Ă \LQJ URERW servants is too large for it to not grow in scope as an issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The media does
27 Image by Francesca Toscano
28
OL. MINISTRYofCOOL. MI
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
Taking Security Into Your Own Hands
Practical apps for keeping yourself (and your stuff) safe By Taylor Barker
A
t times it seems as though our entire lives are stored on our smartphones, but with that comes the possibility that the information on our phones is not as secure as it should be. There are a wide variety of smartphone apps, for
both Apple and Android devices, that increase the security of your smart-Â phone, your information and your life. Below, check out four practical, free apps that college students can use to simplify information security and personal safety.
____________________________________ Taylor Barker is a sophomore journal-Â ism major whose myHome password is Password! Email her at tbarker1@ ithaca.edu
Keeper
Lookout is by far the best free app for keeping your smartphone secure. Its features include location ser-Â vices if your phone is lost, contact back-Âups and mal-Â ware protection. If your phone is lost you can log into your Lookout account from another device to locate your phone. A great part of this feature is you can trigger an alarm to go off on your phone even if it is in silent mode. Being able to back up your contacts ensures you will never have to send out the mass Facebook message asking for everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s phone num-Â bers again. Malware protection is also important, especially for Android phones, because apps can be downloaded from anywhere, not just Google Play. This makes it more likely that downloaded apps may contain malware or viruses, and Lookout will catch this while the apps are running. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also easy to navi-Â gate, which makes it even better.
It can be cumbersome to manage all your online passwords, especially when they all have differ-Â ent requirements of numbers, letters and symbols. The Keeper app is an easy way to keep all this in-Â formation organized, by acting as a central location for storing all of your passwords. The app requires a single password to access, which makes it more secure than documenting passwords in a note on your phone. Your accounts and passwords are also organized by folder, to make navigation more conve-Â nient. Another helpful feature is that the app gener-Â ates highly secure passwords; they may not be ideal to remember off the top of your head, but you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to worry about it because they can always be accessed from your smartphone.
Circle of 6
Webroot SecureWeb
Circle of 6 is an especially useful app for college stu-Â dents. It allows the user to pick up to six friends to be in his or her â&#x20AC;&#x153;circle.â&#x20AC;? You can then send a text message to those friends asking to pick you up with your location given in a Google Map if you feel un-Â safe, ask them to call you if you feel uncomfortable and want the situation to be interrupted or seek their advice. All of these situations could easily happen while in college, and this app provides an easy option to increase your security in a variety of scenarios. Another feature included on the app is a button to press that directs you to a Rape and Sexual Assault Hotline or a Relationship Abuse Hotline. The app also includes a feature that allows users to send out a text message to everyone in a pre-Âselected circle telling to inform them that the problem has been resolved. The ideal situation would be to never need to use this app, but if a situation arises, it is an excellent tool to have access to.
Secure web browsing is useful because it helps pre-Â vent malware and viruses from harming your phone. This app is available for both Apple and Android de-Â vices, but the Android app has a few features the Ap-Â ple app does not. The main feature on the app is se-Â cure web browsing. The browser is tabbed, so many windows can be open at once, and includes a safe VHDUFK DVSHFW ZKLFK LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;HV YLUXVHV RU PDOZDUH RQ the sites you are viewing that can harm your smart-Â phone. The Android app also has anti-Âtheft features, which deal with location services, an alarm and SMS messaging and call blocking.
29
Ministry of Cool
Lookout
Dealing Behind Club Doors Examining the EDM drug economy By Marissa Framarini
A
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
s the popular American music producer and disk jockey DJ Shadow stated back in 2012, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are living in a musical renaissance.â&#x20AC;? Electronic dance music, popularly known as EDM, is the natural soundtrack of a generation born into a plugged-Âin culture â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and according to the International Music Summer Consumer Report, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the fastest growing mainstream genre in the United States. A quick look at the salaries of EDMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pioneers is all thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s need to prove this, with the 10 highest paid DJs amassing a combined $ 1 1 5 million last year
a l o n e , according to a report from Image by Gillian Wenzel Forbes. However, while EDM is growing in demand, the sceneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popularity has been undercut by an inability to shake off the illicit reputation that comes with the genre as an underground, drug-Âfueled phenomenon. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;outlawâ&#x20AC;? nature of EDM has only been further propagated by the recent media attention to string of drug-Â related deaths at electronic-Âdance events, which has dragged the issue into the spotlight. Two Molly overdoses at the Electric Zoo Festival hosted on Labor Day weekend in New York City resulted in the eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immediate shutdown, and a total of seven drug-Â related death at dance events in the United States since March. The relationship between electronic
30
dance culture and drug use is sometimes attributed to the music industry itself, which is commonly accused of glamorizing drug use. Lyrics from artists from Kanye West to Miley Cyrus have all mentioned â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mollyâ&#x20AC;? the slang term for MDMAâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; an illegal drug that can be sold either in pill or powder form. The effects of MDMA resemble those of both stimulants and psychedelics, although the drugâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main appeal is the condition of euphoria it produces, which can cause a user to feel more â&#x20AC;&#x153;openâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;connectedâ&#x20AC;? to their surroundings â&#x20AC;&#x201D;something discos, WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW ZDYH RI ('0 PXVLF DWWHPSWHG to create in underground warehouses. These tragedies and the growing media buzz surrounding the relationship between EDM and a possibly related drug culture raise questions about the effectiveness of the security of the scene. Former EDM venue promoter Shane Morris explains that in his experience, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only easier for venues to turn a blind eye to drug use, but that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also very lucrative to do so. He said that the electronic dance scene is arranged in a manner that allows individuals and businesses to exploit the genreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s \RXQJ DQG RIWHQ DIĂ XHQW IDQ EDVH IRU D KDQGVRPH SURĂ&#x20AC;W +H GHVFULEHG KDYLQJ taken advantage of the system himself in the past. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would get prepaid credit cards from gas stations and would process fraudulent tickets, putting cash on the credit cards from the money I was making selling drugs at a prior event,â&#x20AC;? Morris said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The money I was making would sit at my apartment in a shoe box and I would wait until the next event would come up in two weeks, and then I would â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sub-Âpromoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; events for other promoters. It was good for [concert promoters] because they had higher ticket sales and were guaranteed to get a percentage of the money. I was basically paying them for access to their events, and they couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t block me because they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to lose 200-Â300 ticket sales a night.â&#x20AC;? He explains that in a system where everyone is already getting what they want, no one feels motivated to take more safety precautions.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;To the promoter and agent, that show sold out and everybody is happy. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to work in such a way that they are asking who are these 250 people that are supposed to show up. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not looking for it. If the tickets get sold then theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happy. The system isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mechanized enough or sophisticated enough to track whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coming in and whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not. They knew if the drugs disappeared, people would be less likely to go.â&#x20AC;? Noting the increasing use and popularity of the drug, Morris said that club promoters, venue owners and other music industry personnel have, consciously or not, arranged a system WR SURĂ&#x20AC;W IURP WKH IUHH XVH DQG VDOH RI drugs. Based on his experiences, he believes that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the entirety of the EDM economy was built upon the complex relationship between drug dealers and promotersâ&#x20AC;?, and that venue owners supply event-Âgoersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; demands in order to ensure their presence at events. While Morris says that not all venue owners are willing or involved in such a system, they are â&#x20AC;&#x153;tacitly acknowledgingâ&#x20AC;? that WKH\ ZLOO KDYH ORZHU SURĂ&#x20AC;W PDUJLQV WKDQ their competition. ´7KH Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO PHFKDQLVPV LQ place for the electronic dance music economy are designed to attract people who intend to consume illicit drugs,â&#x20AC;? said Morris. He said that while he no longer â&#x20AC;&#x153;sub-Âpromotesâ&#x20AC;? he knows other managers who are still engaged in a similar business model. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What you see are promoters, managers and other people who get paid 2,000 to 4,000 a gig, that also sell drugs because they are already there and have access to the event and can get past security. When you work in electronic dance music you understand that drugs are part of the model. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk about it but you know that they are there. The only reason I started doing it is because I got tired of drug dealers making more money than me. I look at it as very practical, as an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;oh these people need to go because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re WDNLQJ P\ SURĂ&#x20AC;W PDUJLQV ¡ 7KHUH¡V D certain amount of dollars being spent by this venue and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to make VXUH , PD[LPL]H P\ SURĂ&#x20AC;WV Âł LW¡V VLPSOH logistics.â&#x20AC;?
However, not all venue owners share Morrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s point of view. Dan Mastronardi, co-Âowner of Syracuseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Westcott Theatre, a music venue that holds a capacity of 700 people, said that he takes many precautions to ensure that events run safely and smoothly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very strict with security at our events,â&#x20AC;? said Mastronardi on the
organization that provides non-Â biased educational resources and services at a variety of events, believes that this approach is too idealistic. These guidelines, she argued, fail to provide an outlet necessary to the realities of the current drug culture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We can see through drug trends throughout time that drug use
When you work in electronic dance music you understand that drugs are part of the model... The only reason I started doing it is because I got tired of drug dealers making more money than me.â&#x20AC;? - Shane Morris, Former EDM Event Promoter
security measures at shows at the Westcott Theatre. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a lot on the line and our job is to make sure that we create a safe and fun environment for all fans.â&#x20AC;? The Westcott Theatre currently maintains a zero-Âtolerance drug policy and, and does a full search of patrons before they enter. Likewise, major festivals have stepped up their measures, even employing the use of GUXJ VQLIĂ&#x20AC;QJ GRJV RU VHWWLQJ VWULFW DJH restrictions of 21 and above, such as those seen at the most recent festival, TomorrowLand. Some festivals have HYHQ WDNHQ D ELJ Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO LQYHVWPHQW LQ security. Smartassets.com reported that the popular Canadian electronic-Âdance music festival, The Monster Center of Gravity Festival, spent roughly $70,000 in contracting local law enforcement to maintain order throughout the event. While these guidelines and practices set in place are intended to limit the presence of drugs in the EDM community, Missi Wooldridge, the current president of the board of GLUHFWRUV DW 'DQFH6DIH D QRQSURĂ&#x20AC;W
is a constant,â&#x20AC;? Wooldridge said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can see the war on drugs is a failure and we absolutely have not decreased the number of people taking substances, and all they have is increased incarceration to show for it.â&#x20AC;? While not advocating for the use of drugs, DanceSafe has come under criticism for its harm-Âreduction approach, which offer suggestions (educational pamphlets) and tools (free water and drug testing kits) to help reduce the dangers associated with drug use. However, this approach concerns some venue owners and event managers, who view harm reduction as an acknowledgment that FHUWDLQ VXEVWDQFHV DUH D VLJQLĂ&#x20AC;FDQW enough part of the scene to result in this sort of recognition. This stands in stark contrast to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;just say noâ&#x20AC;? philosophy that has dominated the rhetoric of the security policies and guidelines of major festivals. As a result, venue owners and concert organizers face extreme pressure to avoid negative publicity to their events, and often opt out of
the services offered by DanceSafe, out of fear that associating with such a program acknowledges the presence of drug use at their events. This fear was even further perpetuated by the creation of anti-Ârave ordinances, such as the RAVE Act introduced in the early 2000sâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which was not passed but would have made venue owners, event organizers and promoters, and even DJs responsible for the drug use of their patrons. DanceSafe was often denied access to these venues out of fear of implicitly acknowledging the reality of drug use, and therefore taking responsibility for it. This misperception of DanceSafe, Wooldridge said, has denied concertgoers the proper resources they need about drug use. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Never once do we go in and tell someone to take a drug or that a drug is safe or any of that,â&#x20AC;? Wooldridge said. We recognize the fact that drug use is occurring, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medically and morally negligent to not provide [participants] with health resources that can save lives.â&#x20AC;? The zero-Âtolerance policy adopted by most festivals and venues, while strict in nature, has been outgrown by the booming size of the EDM scene. As festivals continue to grow in size and popularity, more blind spots are created, resulting in a faulty system of surveillance that can sometimes leave room for manipulation and corruption. 7KH ULVNV DQG SRWHQWLDO SURĂ&#x20AC;WV DUH both at an all-Âtime high for venue owners and event promoters, who are forced to choose between maximizing revenue and keeping audiences safe. ____________________________________ Marissa Framarini is a junior journalism major who just really likes to dance. Email her at mframar1@ ithaca.edu.
Ministry of Cool
31
A New Kind of Revenge
0IKMWPEXMSR ½KLXW FEGO EKEMRWX ±VIZIRKI TSVR² By Kathryn Paquet
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
I
magine waking up one morning to hundreds of messages from strangers on your Facebook, or Googling your name one day and ÀQGLQJ OLQNV WR QDNHG SLFWXUHV of yourself. For many people this sounds like a nightmare—but for some, it’s reality. This phenomenon is called revenge porn. It occurs when revealing or pornographic photos of an individual are posted on the Internet without their permission, often (but not always) by an ex. Although men are sometimes victims of revenge porn, women are most commonly the targets. It all started with the launch of the website Is Anyone Up in 2010. Founded by Hunter Moore, often nicknamed the “most hated man on the Internet,” the site accepted anonymous submissions of pornographic photos and videos, depicting people, mainly women, who had not intended for the revealing materials to be made public. It wasn’t long before controversy erupted, and the site was shut down, allegedly by Moore himself, on April 9, 2012. Is Anyone Up paved the way for many similar sites, one of which found Hollie Toups, of Nederland, Texas, a victim. In the summer of 2012, Toups received a phone call from her friend while at work. The friend told Toups she’d heard that nude photographs of her were posted on a website called Texxxan. com. While it was up and running, the site accepted submissions of nude photographs of women, none of whom had given permission for their photos to be posted. The pictures were often accompanied by personal information, including the victims’ full names, email addresses, and even their home addresses. “I said, ‘That is impossible. I’ve never
32
sent my pictures anywhere like that’,” Toups said. However, when she left work and headed home to check it out for herself, she found that her intimate pictures were indeed on the site. Toups, like many other revenge porn victims, ZDV KRUULÀHG DQG GHYDVWDWHG DIWHU WKH discovery. “Initially, I just wanted to crawl in my bed and never leave my house,” she said. “I was humiliated, I was depressed, I felt like every single thing I had worked for in my entire life had been torn to pieces. I know it sounds dramatic, but I really felt like my life was over.” The repercussions of being victimized by a revenge post are severe. “With situations like this, these girls are seen in public, and there are no boundaries for people who have seen their photos,” Toups said. Mary Ann Franks, a law professor at the University of Miami, has aided the drafting of multiple anti-revenge porn bills. “What we’ve heard from women so far is that sometimes they are physically stalked, they’re threatened, they’re approached by people in the street, at the store, at their job,
Image by Evan Spitzer
propositioning them, threatening them, engaging with them in all sorts RI ZD\V WKDW WKHVH ZRPHQ ÀQG KRVWLOH or threatening,” Franks said. For many victims, these consequences are long-term and never seem to truly go away. “There may be times when the images have been out for so long that it isn’t a constant stream of abuse anymore, but the long-standing effects of that sense of being watched all the time and that everyone around you knows the most intimate things about you and your life is something that they never get rid of,” she said. Oftentimes, photos are submitted to these websites by jaded ex-lovers. 6RPH VLWHV HYHQ VSHFLÀFDOO\ HQFRXUDJH this, like the current front-runner of revenge porn, MyEx.com. In some cases, it’s not so cut-and-dried. Toups originally suspected her ex-boyfriend of posting the photos, but soon realized that some of the pictures posted had never been sent to him – that they had never been sent to anybody. At this point, she realized it could have been anyone. “You become instantly paranoid. It’s almost like every single person that’s
ever walked through your life becomes a suspect. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know where to start,â&#x20AC;? Toups said. After her ordeal, Toups decided
announced plans to push legislation that would criminalize revenge porn. Along with Senator Phil Boyle and Senator Joseph Griffo, Democratic
â&#x20AC;&#x153;What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard from women so far is that sometimes they are physically stalked, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re threatened, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re approached by people in the street, at the store, at their job... engaging with them in all sorts of ways that these women ½RH LSWXMPI SV XLVIEXIRMRK ² - Mary Ann Franks, University of Miami Law Professor Assemblyman Edward Braunstein is JHWWLQJ LQYROYHG LQ WKH HIIRUW +LV RIĂ&#x20AC;FH enlisted the help of Franks in drafting the statute. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been reading news reports about how particularly young women are having a hard time, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with their employment or having future dating opportunities, when WKHUH¡V D SLFWXUH RI WKHP Ă RDWLQJ around on the Internet,â&#x20AC;? Braunstein VDLG +LV RIĂ&#x20AC;FH GHFLGHG WR ORRN LQWR the issue after California passed a bill over the summer to criminalize revenge porn. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look to other states at times for ways that we can protect New Yorkers,â&#x20AC;? Braunstein said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We knew that this was a problem that was not just unique to California, and we decided to take it up in New York.â&#x20AC;? Braunsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bill criminalizes the â&#x20AC;&#x153;non-Âconsensual disclosure of sexually explicit images that were shared with an expectation of privacy.â&#x20AC;? However, unlike the California bill, which has been criticized for being too lenient,
Ministry of Cool
something needed to be done. She connected with other Texas women who had also been victimized by Texxxan, and together, they formed the organization Army of She. The ZRPHQ Ă&#x20AC;OHG D FODVV DFWLRQ ODZVXLW against the site and its host, GoDaddy, leading to its eventual shutdown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted them to not have to think. We wanted to be able to do the thinking for them,â&#x20AC;? Toups said of the organization. The Army of Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website not only gives victims resources, like contact information for lawyers and advocates, but it also gives them a place where they can share their experiences and make their voices heard. Army of She is not alone in the Ă&#x20AC;JKW ,Q 1HZ -HUVH\ SDVVHG an invasion of privacy law that offers some protection for revenge porn victims. On October 1st, California signed an anti-Ârevenge porn bill into law. And throughout the month of October, three New York legislators
this bill will make the posting of these images a Class A misdemeanor. Violators could serve up to a year in SULVRQ DQG IDFH D SRVVLEOH Ă&#x20AC;QH RI XS to $30,000. While this legislation was inspired by the bill in California, Braunstein feels that this bill covers the areas that WKH\ PLVVHG ² PRVW QRWDEO\ ´VHOĂ&#x20AC;HV Âľ â&#x20AC;&#x153;We feel our bill is a little bit stronger, because it includes self- taken photographs,â&#x20AC;? he said. The VWDWXWH DOVR FOHDUO\ LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;HV WKH W\SH RI PDWHULDO WKDW LV LOOHJDO ´,W GHĂ&#x20AC;QHV sexually explicit conduct, making sure that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not talking about pictures of people in bikinis or something like that. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear that these are pictures or videos, not cartoons or drawings,â&#x20AC;? Franks said. Of course, attempting to bring forward a bill of this nature is no easy feat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anytime youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to legislate in this area you have to be very careful QRW WR YLRODWH WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW DPHQGPHQW rights. We feel that the language that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve used has achieved that goal,â&#x20AC;? Braunstein said. New York is not the only state taking action. Just last month, both Wisconsin and Maryland announced plans to push similar legislation. While the hyperconnected realities of the GLJLWDO DJH PDNH LW GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW WR HQVXUH that personal communication truly remains private, these potential new laws are a step in the right direction. Before long, victims of revenge porn PD\ Ă&#x20AC;QDOO\ EHJLQ WR VHH MXVWLFH ____________________________________ Kathryn Paquet is junior TV-ÂR major. Email her at kpaquet1@ithaca.edu.
33
RAW SAW
Album Review
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
Bitter Rivals
FROM THE
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Three years ago, Sleigh Bells entered the music world with a bang. Their heavy guitar riffs and pop vocals introduced a fresh sound, and their third full-Âlength album holds true to that individuality. Bitter Rivals calls attention to the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experimentation with their FUDIW ERWK DGGLQJ QHZ HOHPHQWV DQG UHĂ&#x20AC;QLQJ what hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worked in the past. While itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bold approach, overall the effort only works halfway. The albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening track, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bitter Rivals,â&#x20AC;? begins with subdued guitar but quickly transforms into the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more recognizable sound. The grungy melody, mixed with singer Alexis Kraussâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energetic half-Âspeaking, half-Â shouting vocals and playful background noises pay tribute to Treats. Sleigh Bells experiments a great deal within this album, as indicated by songs like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sing Like a Wireâ&#x20AC;?. The duo shows growth by taking failed components of Reign of Terror and reworking them. The album once again incorporates Kraussâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s softer, sweeter singing style, more reminiscent of the duoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sophomore album, but rather than becoming the central focus of every song, here those vocals are used to compliment the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more playful side. 7KLV SRS LQĂ XHQFH WDNHV WKH VSRWOLJKW as the song starts off with whispery lyrics, backed only by a simple beat. Connected with a typical Sleigh Bells chorusâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;impactful and loud-Â-Â this fresh take on an established sound bridges the gap from the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more experimental aspects to the familiar raucous EHDWV DQG EORZQ RXW JXLWDU WUDFNV Ă&#x20AC;UVW KHDUG on Treats. Continuing to branch out, guitarist and producer Derek Miller holds back in
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Young Legendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and contributes a softer V\QWK LQĂ XHQFH 7KH WUDFN LVQ¡W RQH RI WKHLU head-Âbanging showstoppers, but still stands out with a catchy beat that blends seamlessly with rhythm-Âfocused instrumentals. The vocal rhythm of the verse â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shut me down / got to let go / underground weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll last forever,â&#x20AC;? is somehow oddly reminiscent of Donna Lewisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Love You Always Foreverâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;near and far, closer together...â&#x20AC;?). The albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy continues to taper into a mellower sound with â&#x20AC;&#x153;To Hell With You.â&#x20AC;? The trackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s varied instrumentation is more melodic than grungey, and the overall effect is attention-Âgrabbing. However, unlike tracks such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Young Legendsâ&#x20AC;?, the song strays from the signature Sleigh Bells sound with more melodic choruses, while still keeping the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;loudnessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and full bass that make their sound distinct. Overall, Bitter Rivals takes on a more Ă LUWDWLRXV TXDOLW\ WKDQ WKH GXR¡V SUHYLRXV releases. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an improvement upon Reign of Terror, which brought out the more delicate aspects of their sound but left room for improvement. Together, Millerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hardcore guitar background and Kraussâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pop sensibilities resulted in an improvement this time around. Overall, the album brings in enough of what sets Sleigh Bells apart from other groups. While still giving a taste of something fresh, this new sound still holds room for development into a more cohesive combination of the duoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old and new styles. - Rachel Doane
Days Are Gone Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Be Still
Album Review
Album Review
Haimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut studio album, Days Are Gone KDG D ORW WR OLYH XS WR IRU D Ă&#x20AC;UVW UHOHDVH Spotify promoted it unendingly, and a popu- lar iTunes EP was released a few months in advance. The California-Âbased family band gained exposure over the past year while SOD\LQJ DW 'HODZDUH¡V )LUHĂ \ )HVWLYDO DQG opening for Mumford & Sons on their East Coast tour this past winter. Even following all that buildup, the album does not disappoint. One of its strengths lies LQ LWV JHQUH PL[LQJ VRPH VRQJV DUH SXQNLVK and some are simple California indie-Âpop, creating a chill vibe that permeates the en- tire album. Overall, Haimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound is compa- rable to Fleetwood Mac cleverly mixed with the much harder sound of Depeche Mode. Most of the songs resemble â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s synth-Âpop, burning with killer guitars and badass girl power. Despite the fact that most songs are about the fairly unremarkable topics of rela- tionships and breakups, the sheer talent in complex guitar breaks and unique vocal har- monies keeps it interesting. This creative approach is epitomized by â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wire,â&#x20AC;? one of the catchiest tracks on the album. The song isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a traditional breakup anthem by any means; each verse ends with an indifferent â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, I know, I know, I know, I know that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be okay anyway.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Falling,â&#x20AC;? the infectious single that put the
to mix and match the vocal styles of Josiah Johnson, Jonathan Russell and the only female in the group, Charity Rose Thielen. Thielen takes the reins herself on the tracks â&#x20AC;&#x153;Springtimeâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Summertime.â&#x20AC;? While the songs demonstrate the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diverse vocal abilities, strange-Âsounding synth makes these two the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weakest tracks. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promising to see the band experimenting with different sounds, but in this case, the V\QWK MXVW GRHVQ¡W Ă&#x20AC;W ZHOO ZLWK WKH UHVW RI WKH album. The perfect situation for listening to this album would be after a long day of school or work, sitting in an old wooden rocking chair GULQNLQJ KRW FKRFRODWH LQ IURQW RI D Ă&#x20AC;UHSODFH with the scent of smoke perfuming the room. The album creates an overall atmosphere of good feelings and inner peace. Just listening to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shake,â&#x20AC;? the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s single off Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Be Still, the entire song is very upbeat for this band, and yet it is still a soothing sound due to the low key elements. The Head and the Heart have delivered a WHUULĂ&#x20AC;F DGGLWLRQ WR WKHLU VPDOO EXW TXLFNO\ developing discography, and a sound that suggests that the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talent will only grow as time goes on. - Christopher Thomas
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Ministry of Cool
The Head and the Heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly-Âanticipated second album, Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Be Still, comes at the perfect time of year. Whether the backdrop is a foliage-Âstrewn mountain, or a rain- drenched window, the season of autumn is perfect for the sounds of strumming guitars and harmonic voices. Two years after the Seattle sextupletâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-Âtitled debut album, Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Be Still features many recognizable elements of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past sound, showing WKDW WKH\¡YH KHOG RQWR WKHLU ULFK IXOĂ&#x20AC;OOLQJ sound while experimenting a bit to help it mature. The large variety of instruments featured throughout the album includes violins, banjos, and even a synthesizer. However, the NH\ LQVWUXPHQW LV GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ .HQQ\ +HQVOH\¡V piano. Hensley moves the beat along on every song, serving basically as the heart of the band. This can be heard especially in the opening track â&#x20AC;&#x153;Homecoming Heroesâ&#x20AC;? where the track starts off right away with the beating of the keys. Unlike other groups where the drums and bass are the beat of the band, here these sounds feel more like the details that take the role of decorating the songs rather than serving as the engine, FDXVLQJ WKH DOEXP WR VRXQG YHU\ IXOĂ&#x20AC;OOLQJ This instrumentation gives Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Be Still a very rich sound full of variety. Another cause for the richness is the harmonies that have successfully carried over from WKHLU Ă&#x20AC;UVW DOEXP +DYLQJ WKUHH GLIIHUHQW singers gives the band a lot of opportunity
band on the map, portrays a similar attitude. It has an eerie sound, riddled with echoes and vocal harmonies. The chorus discusses the failure of the same tough exterior that WKH EDQG SRUWUD\HG LQ ´7KH :LUHÂľ ´7KH\ NHHS VD\LQJ 'RQ¡W VWRS QR RQH¡V HYHU HQRXJK ,¡OO never look back, never give up/ And if it gets rough, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to get rough/ But now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m fall- ing.â&#x20AC;? Lines like this humanize the band; they admit that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re â&#x20AC;&#x153;fallingâ&#x20AC;? despite their best efforts, something that every listener can re- late to. The best track on the album, however, is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Save Me.â&#x20AC;? The lyrics express the idea of losing oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity in a relationship where it has become about â&#x20AC;&#x153;being savedâ&#x20AC;? by the other SHUVRQ 7KH VRQJ ZLWK KHDY\ Âś V SRS LQĂ X- ences, is both infectious and empowering, and stands out as the most memorable track on the album. Days Are Gone is marked with catchy pop tunes and undeniable musical talent and col- laboration, setting up great expectations for the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future releases. Their musical tal- ent and vocals are unique, and their worn-Âout lyrical themes are the only aspect thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hold- ing them back. As the band matures, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope that the stories they tell will grow to match the unique and powerful way that they tell them. - Alexa Salvato
On Candid Camera By Anonymous
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
W
hen I was younger, I always imagined myself being whisked away in an epic summer romance. Every summer, I would take all the necessary steps to attract Mr. July tanning my skin to a sun-Âkissed shade of caramel, picking out the perfect sundress and creating the perfect beach waves in my hair. Yet it seemed that the harder I tried, the further away I got. All hope seemed lostâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;until one day I managed to snag WKH KRO\ JUDLO RI VXPPHU URPDQFHV the lifeguard at my community pool. It happened the summer before my freshman year of college. He was tall, cute, and muscular in all the right places. We had been friends for a while (in fact, he lived down the street from me) and I had developed a bit of a crush on him ever since I spotted him at the pool in those tight red swim trunks. I had developed HQRXJK FRXUDJH WR VWDUW WR Ă LUW ZLWK him, seeing as we were both going off to college pretty soon in different states and, you know, YOLO. I was surprised when he reciprocated (I KDG QHYHU UHDOO\ PDVWHUHG WKH Ă LUWLQJ game, much less the boy game in general), but hey, I sure as hell wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t complaining. Things escalated after a few weeks, and pretty soon my crush and I began to see each other almost every day, but it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until a hot and humid day in early August that our relationship took a turn for the physical. I came over to his apartment complex, feeling
36
FRQĂ&#x20AC;GHQW LQ D VWULSHG VXQGUHVV WKDW showed off my curves. I patted myself on the back as he approvingly looked me up and down, giving me one of those hugs that last a little longer than usual. He smelled of chlorine and Abercrombie cologne, which as I look back on it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t such a great mix, but whatever, he was cute. We both knew what was about to happen, and we both couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to get started. As a heavy make-Âout session progressed, I decided that it would be sexy to lead him out onto the balcony, which faced a semi-Âsecluded alleyway on the side of the building. It was the perfect mix of hidden and not-Âso-Â hidden, but the possibility of someone looking up and noticing our little tryst made the whole thing feel even hotter. Sooner than I expected, thanks to those exciting teenage hormones, I was on my knees giving the best performance of my life. Everything was going swimmingly, until I looked up mid-Âblow and saw that the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surveillance camera was pointed straight at my face. Immediately I stopped, and told Mr. Lifeguard about the camera (which, of course, got him softer than a melting vanilla cone in the blazing summer heat) and headed into his living room to freak out. Luckily for me my boy toyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uncle just so happened to be the superintendent of the building, and he had access to all of the security footageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including the ones on a balcony. After an awkward end to a painfully
awkward night, I freaked out for DERXW DQ KRXU LQ P\ URRP KRUULĂ&#x20AC;HG at the idea of his uncle reviewing the tape and discovering his nephewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innocent antics. He was also freaking out, which I could tell by his keeping at a distance and answering my texts with three words or less. Weeks went by with no sign from his uncle that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been caught, which gave me some comfort but still left me with the uncomfortable knowledge that I have a sex tape out there. However, the day to leave for college came and went, and I still havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t received a word on that night. Eventually, the incident faded into the background as I adjusted to the stresses of college life and found new boys to obsess over. Nevertheless, whenever I look back on that night I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but laugh at how unfortunate the whole thing was. It made for an experience to remember and one hell of a story to tell. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never know if his uncle ever saw the video, but what I do know is that next time Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m feeling extra-Âfrisky Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll make sure to check out my surroundings before pulling out any moves Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve read from Cosmo. Rest assured, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be having any on-Âcamera romances any time soon, especially with freakishly tall lifeguards who wear too much cologne.
Prose & Cons
&CONS. PROSE&CONS. PROSE
37
A morning’s ride through the Fog
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
Despair; Despair for all I’ll never know; For lost nights and Lethe’s pale torpid glow. Lost is all I ever dreamed, lost amongst Mab’s loom, Where her freezing dreaded web tinkles like The evening snow. Razed and waterlogged, my mind (VMJXW MR XLI QSVRMRK JSK [LIVI EPP GYPQMREXIW MR E ½REP Surge: a crescendo of the doubts, the labors and tests, the thoughts Of an early death. ‘Tis still spring: the air is warm, the nights are new. Light pilfers, sneaks and casts its gloom. Yet I see Mab; I see her at the loom. I feel the snow, crisp and alive, creeping on my naked skin. 8LI FYHW EPP [MXLIV FIJSVI Q] I]I SR IZIV] XVII ERH ¾S[IV ¯ No beauty will last in these early hours. Tell me plainly, oh Queen of Air and Darkness, Why do you make the soul quake when your Heart draws near? Why do you suck out young life Like the marrow from a bone? Do you feel At home among the young and petty, While your own soul decays but Your face grows not weary? She does not answer as I waver on, 7XYQFPMRK PMOI E GLMPH [LS VMWIW JVSQ E ½PXL] TSRH Alas, she never does; she does not like the sun. A blazing star breaks gently through the fog: A blood orange collection of rays To guide, remind of past summer sighs and sights. 8LIVI MW WEHRIWW MR XLIWI Q] ½VWX JI[ FVIEXLW But no regret, at least, not as of yet.
- Nick Azzopardi
38
Where the Kids Go By Christian Cassidy-Amstutz Lights hung dim and low in the arcade where the air reeked of low hums and the methodical tap-tap tapping of buttons, eroded concave by the ceaseless push-push pushing of long, pale hands.
The wash of those portals are the suns of that cramped cave, each night being reset, the inhabitants staying as they are. No change, just eyes closed. Soon enough their days will reignite.
By the door, where the SYXWMHI PMKLX GSYPH ½RH MXW way in, stood rows and rows of abandoned machines, proudly coming in every hue ever discovered by man. Red Blue Green Yellow Orange Purple Black Violet Fuchsia White The evolution of the human eye having ceased after the release of the famous Nintendo Entertainment System.
Behind the back, there is one last corner, a jammed space that but a few approach. There the rectangles of XMKLXIRIH WTVMRK ERH ¾SEXMRK WTLIVIW are sent. An exile, not so devastating as to be seen upon the threshold in the light of day, but part of an acknowledged past, remembered, but no longer wanted.
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Prose & Cons
Further back, behind the shadowed WIRXMRIPW ERH ½RIP] PE]IVIH WTMHIV WMPO crouched and hunched, their backs and bodies a contortionist’s nightmare, exist the denizens of that poorly lit space. They make no noise other than the faint rasping of their lungs, a quiet plea for release, and the screams of pain they wrench from the bruised and bloodied ½KYVIW ¾MGOIVMRK EGVSWW XLI WIE of screens.
Of all the stations that have been sent there to their demise, only one still stands lit with the light of life. In front of its clattering whirrs, whizzes, and whirls will stand sometimes one, sometimes two, depending on the time of day and the weight of the quarters in their pockets, and they will watch little planets on their ever-changing trajectories coming too close to the sun and being smashed away.
Unseen in Your Eyes By Alexis Farabaugh I wish you could see That the sun rises over our heads every day Even if darkness by our axis and moonless thoughts must return And that grass can grow back Just as beautifully as it once did before a harsh summer burn I wish you could see That the way you laugh is a ballet performance on your cheeks Rather than the scar on your leg you think is a nebulous error And the grandeur in your eyes Rather than all of the “imperfect” things you want to tweak I wish you could see The way the water always runs into the arms of the sand Forever relentlessly and devotedly and repeatedly Without worry if love is not returned 0MOI XLI [E] ]SY EVI Q] JYPP] ¾S[IVIH TVSQMWIH PERH
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
I wish you could see That for every scream or whimper you want to let out today You can smile and laugh that stunning dance on your face tomorrow Because it is waiting for you And all of your dreams to be let out on display
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A Series of Unexpected Events (excerpt)
By Katy Stringer 8LI [SVPH MW HEVORIWW ERH ¾EQI % PYVMH WO] XLI GSPSV SJ FPSSH TYPWIW ERH XLVSFW PMOI ER STIR [SYRH Icy heat licks at my skin and a hot, ashen wind worms its way into my eyes and nose. Discordant strains of unearthly howling slice through the air, clawing at my ears and forming a tangled web of sound from which I can’t escape. My power has dropped us into the pit of Hell. A vague shape looms out of the swirling blackness and I cringe away, falling on the shifting, rocky landscape. I feel my hand slice open on a shard of stone. I can just make out the outline of my father before he turns and wanders off into the smoke. “Sarah!” he bellows, his voice immediately swallowed up by the screaming winds. “Sarah!” - TYPP MR E FVIEXL XS ERW[IV FYX E KYWX SJ FYVRMRK EWL ½PPW Q] QSYXL ERH - GSYKL ERH VIXGL JIIPMRK PMOI Q] throat must be bleeding. I struggle to my feet, cradling my hand to my chest, and strain to see through the WQSOI ERH ½VI %R] EVKYQIRX MW JSVKSXXIR MR Q] TERMG XS VIYRMXI ERH IWGETI XLMW LSVVM½G TPEGI - GER´X PSWI WMKLX SJ LMQ [I LEZI XS KIX SYX SJ LIVI RS[ ¯ Suddenly the swirling smoke parts for a heartbeat, and I see my father still calling my name, wildly rubbing at his streaming eyes and backing blindly towards… a cliff. He is barely a foot away from the edge of a craggy drop off. “No!” I scream, tearing the sound out of my throat. “Dad, NO!” He pauses, teetering on the edge of the abyss; he takes a step toward the sound of my voice, towards WEJIX] ¯ ¯ ERH XLI VSGO FIRIEXL LMW JSSX KMZIW [E] HVSTTMRK Q] JEXLIV MRXS RSXLMRKRIWW _________ =SY GER ½RH XLI VIWX SJ XLMW WXSV] EPSRK [MXL E ZEVMIX] SJ SXLIV KVIEX TMIGIW EX FY^^WE[QEK SVK
Prose & Cons
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A Brief History of the Future, Part I
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
By Kaitlyn Folkes Leonard had been living in Brooklyn for nearly three decades. He spent most of his time in silence. Silence fro0m the world around him, and silence, especially, from himself. Every morning he’d wake and follow his customary routine. Ever so delicately, he would peel himself out of bed, step into his trousers that were slightly too large and his suede loafers that were slightly too old. The lights would ¾MGOIV SR EW 0ISREVH [SYPH GSQF LMW XLMRRMRK LEMV FEGO ERH WTPEWL XLI VYRRMRK [EXIV SRXS LMW JEGI He would gather a sharp intake of breath before stepping onto his front porch. He’d be careful not XS FVIEXLI MR XSS QYGL SJ XLI GMX] JSV JIEV XLEX LI [SYPH ½RH WSQI QIQSV] MRXIV[IEZIH MR XLI morning air. He would collect the papers from a small and weathered welcome mat. As he did this, LI [SYPH WXST ERH WXEVI EX XLI [IPP [SVR QEX YRXMP ½REPP] VIPIEWMRK E HVIEHJYP WMKL -R XLEX MRWXERX LI would let his shoulders droop off unevenly as he resignedly relived his memory, or his grief, or some other clenching feeling that cannot be described by petty language- one deep and ancient in the ache of his gut that left him no choice but to burst forward with longing nearly every morning. As he felt XLI [MRH OMWWMRK XLI RETI SJ LMW RIGO ERH PMWXIRIH XS XLI WSYRHW SJ XLI VMWMRK GMX] LI [SYPH ¾IIXMRKP] and unwillingly remember his past. As he regained consciousness, Leonard would start shaking his head violently as though he was capable of physically ridding himself of the past. Just for good measure, he would pull his scarf tighter, too. Then, he would warily place the papers under his right arm and quickly forget it all again. Leonard drank one cup of black coffee every morning. It was in these small details that Leonard OITX LMQWIPJ [SYRH XMKLXP] XSKIXLIV 7EJI ,I [EPOIH XS [SVO EX TVIGMWIP] WM\ JSVX] ½ZI MR XLI QSVRMRK weaving around the city clinging closely to the inside of his coat. It is a shame that no one was there XS GSYRX XLI RYQFIV SJ XMQIW 0ISREVH GPIRGLIH ERH YRGPIRGLIH LMW ½WXW ,I [SYPH EVVMZI XS [SVO and open up shop. He did these things alone. Leonard kept a humble job as a shoe repairman, and was well practiced in his craft and well known, too. His customers knew that he was kind but could not help but feel pity for him, for the way his eyebrows creased together painfully as he was lost in thought, and for the way that he slowly counted their change and signed their receipts with shaking hands, only looking up to give them a brief smile. Quietly he sat, all day, under the glow of an old lamp as he meticulously stitched worn shoes together as he made up lives for them. Leonard became so accustomed to observing others, instead of interacting with them, that he could easily predict their mannerisms and attitudes as he dreamed up vignettes of his customers. He spent so much time daydreaming about these stories and interactions that he would create, he almost forgot to be lonely. After the death of his wife, Leonard began to believe that he was made of glass. He imagined himself falling apart silently, like some fragmented prayer said to an unknown god. Quick gestures XIVVM½IH LMQ ,MW LIEVX [SYPH RIEVP] WXST EX PIEWX ½ZI XMQIW SR LMW [EPO XS ERH JVSQ [SVO MR grocery store, while feeding the cat, or while picking up the laundry. Sometimes, he came so near to shattering that he would sense a familiar electric pulse tingle behind his breastbone, buzzing outward MR LMW GLIWX WPS[P] WPMTTMRK HS[R LMW EVQW WXYXXIVMRK EX LMW TEPQW IWGETMRK XLVSYKL LMW WLEO] ½RKIVW He would wait patiently and secretly wish that his agony would have ended just then, in the middle of the milk aisle, or when passing a barking dog, or from the unfamiliarity of the sounds of his own name as the laundress would call out to him. Leonard liked the idea of mending the broken. This is what he did every day. He hoped that if someday he were to break miserably and embarrassingly, someone would scoop him together, tug at his heartstrings, pull hard, and start stitching. ________ 8LMW MW TEVX SJ E PEVKIV TMIGI XS ETTIEV MR PEXIV MWWYIW SJ Buzzsaw Magazine
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Sawdust
WDUST. SAWDUST. SAWDUST
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I’ll Follow You Until You Love Me Confessions of a paparazzi By Jodi Silberstein
I
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
’ve seen it all. The wardrobe mal- functions, the make-out sessions, the toddlers in Chanel, the weight gain, and the weight loss. My camera has been there, right by my side to capture it all. I’ve been threatened by Eminem, almost punched by Kanye, and don’t even get me started on Avril. , ZDV RQH RI WKH ÀUVW WR EUHDN 6SHDUV· meltdown and her sister’s baby bump. I got a hefty paycheck for capturing Madonna canoodling with her body- guard and that time Michael Jackson held Blanket over the balcony got me a raise. I’ve been in this business for some time now and I honestly have to say I love it. It is the most rewarding job in America. Without me, capitalism would crumble. Nobody would have any idea what celebrities do on a dai- ly basis. Is that the kind of world we want to live in? I think not. We, the paparazzi, are true investi- gative journalists. We put ourselves in danger, trespass on private property, and go undercover all for the sake of ÀQGLQJ WKH WUXWK 7KH WUXWK LV RXU WRS priority. It’s what the people of this PDJQLÀFHQW FRXQWU\ GHVHUYH ,V .ULV- ten Stewart pregnant or was that just a big lunch? These are the kinds of questions we should be asking. Undy- ing skepticism is what separates top journalists from the rest. One time I leaked the ten recently watched items on Miley Cyrus’ Netf- lix account. I got more re-tweets that day than any of Justin Bieber’s tweets
ever. That is because this is what the people care about. This is what is actually important. Julian Assange OHDNHG FRQÀGHQWLDO GRFXPHQWV WKDW revealed secret government plans, but how many people actually read those documents? People care most about the things that will affect them directly, like what shoes Suri Cruise wears when she goes on a walk. Unfortunately, this business is a dying one. That child who worships Perez Hilton and takes candid pic- tures of his or her family, dreaming of one day becoming a member of the paparazzi, might have a pretty tough time with it. Today’s celebrities with their Instagrams and Twitters and Vines are beating us to the punch. They have become their own paparaz- ]L ,W ZDV D KDXQWLQJ GD\ LQ WKH RIÀFH when Amanda Bynes took all those VHOÀHV LQ WKH J\P , VKRXOG KDYH EHHQ there and everyone knew it. I literally can never take a picture of Kim Kar- dashian in a bikini again after that picture on her Instagram. She did it herself and she did it better. These young celebrities are making us look bad. People like when celebri- ties take their own pictures because it makes them seem like normal people. It’s no longer good enough to take a picture of Taylor Swift eating ice cream. People want Taylor to do that herself, and what’s more, the people are asking all the important questions themselves. What kind of ice cream LV VKH HDWLQJ" :KDW RWKHU ÁDYRUV RI
ice cream does Taylor Swift enjoy? Is she discriminating against other ice FUHDP ÁDYRUV" 7KH SHRSOH DUH ORV- ing trust in the paparazzi. Obviously Kristen Stewart just ate a big lunch. She took a picture of it herself and put it on her Instagram, in sepia might I add. I mean, how can I compete with that? A world without the paparazzi would be a strange and confusing one. We connect people. We bring WKHP WRJHWKHU :H ZHUH WKH ÀUVW VR- cial media. Without us, nobody would know what Matthew McConaughey looks like catching a football in mid air on the beach wearing only cargo shorts. You’d have to actually watch KLV PRYLHV WR HYHU ÀQG RXW 3HULVK WKH WKRXJKW Even if the business is dying, this world will always need paparazzi. We are the real history makers. We cap- ture the real moments. We remind people that in no way will they ever personally know what it’s like to buy a baby carriage for $8,000. Without XV ZH PLJKW QHYHU NQRZ ZKDW 6RÀD Vergara looks like without makeup. The thought of that alone makes me want to crawl into bed, cover myself with soft blankets, and cry for hours on end. ____________________________________ Jodi Silberstein is a junior Journal- ism major who thinks Wikileaks was child’s play. Email her at jsilber1@ ithaca.edu.
Image by Evan Spitzer
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Top 5 Online Privacy Tips Sponsored by the National Security Agency
By Caitlin Vetere
H
i folks, this your local NSA agent, (NAME REDACTED) here. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather not reveal my name for security purposes, but just remember: I am not a spy. I repeat: NOT a spy. Anyway, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to give you some helpful tips to guarantee your safety when you browse the great frontier that is the Internet. This advice will keep you safe online no matter what shifty Craigslist listing you click on. (Side note: I could have sworn â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;happy endingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was the name of an ice cream sundae.) Trust me, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m an expert...not a spy. Anyway, here are the tips:
you keep your webcam on, the police can come and rescue you right away. 3OXV D JUHDW RSSRUWXQLW\ IRU D VHOĂ&#x20AC;H can arise at any moment, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to be prepared. 3. Save all of your passports to everything in multiple places; email them to yourself, put them in a Facebook note, on your embarrassing 7XPEOU DFFRXQW WKDW , GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ KDYH not seen (A Jonas Brothers blog? Come on, they broke up. Get over it), on the wall behind you facing your webcam in huge letters. If you lose a password, you can never EVER get it back, trust us, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve checked, 1. Make sure you enable all cookies. VR VDYLQJ LW LQ PXOWLSOH HDV\ WR Ă&#x20AC;QG We realize that you probably have no SODFHV ZLOO EH H[WUHPHO\ EHQHĂ&#x20AC;FLDO WR idea what cookies are. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not really you, nickjonasluvr69, I mean, reader. sure what this means either, but just 4. Have you ever seen those ads on do it. It really sounds like it will work, questionable websites that say: doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it? Calling whatever these are ´&RQJUDWXODWLRQV <RX¡UH WKH RQH â&#x20AC;&#x153;cookiesâ&#x20AC;? makes them sound really PLOOLRQWK YLVLWRU <RX¡YH ZRQ D IUHH neat, so they have got to be important. $SSOH L3DGÂ&#x152; Âľ 7KRVH DUH WRWDOO\ OHJLW Cookies are always important. Click on all of them. They are not 2. .HHS \RXU ZHEFDP RQ $7 $// 7,0(6 spyware- trust me on this one. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for your own safety. What if a a spy, so I would know not-Âspyware burglar broke into your home? A when I see it. Or donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see it. Bonus ZHEFDP FRXOG VHH WKH FULPLQDO ,I tip: The Prince of Nigeria has a check
waiting for you. I hear itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hefty LQKHULWDQFH 5. Make sure you give out your full name, address, phone number, cell phone number, work phone number, motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maiden name, social security number, and a photo of yourself to anyone on the Internet, especially 4chan, who asks you for them. The Internet is about making connections, and you could just make a lifelong friend (who, like me, is NOT a spy.) If you make sure you pay close attention to these tips, it will make your internet experience so much more enjoyable. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more fun than sharing all of your information with a company that lets you run a virtual farm on Facebook? I sure canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of anything. (PS, Your high score on Candy Crush is totally weak.) ____________________________________ Caitlin Vetere is a sophomore TV-ÂR major who waits in the Apple store for people who forget to log off Facebook. Email her at cvetere1@ithaca.edu.
TLC Launches New â&#x20AC;&#x153;A-Wal!â&#x20AC;? Reality Show
Wal-Mart security cameras prove to have nationwide entertainment value By Lizzy Rosenberg
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television. Jaznelle Scarlet, a local avid Wal-ÂMart goer is a consistent character on â&#x20AC;&#x153;A-ÂWal,â&#x20AC;? and is delighted about Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence in Casper. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;all are as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party,â&#x20AC;? Scarlet gushed to reporters, after offering them some of her famous mountain lion casserole. Scarlet is a 103-Âyear-Âold woman who lives alone with her pet squirrel, Crystal, and reportedly â&#x20AC;&#x153;always brings her credit cards and sass on her regular Wal-ÂMart outings.â&#x20AC;? It is expected that Jaznelle will thrive on the show as a favorite character, often giving distressed middle-Âaged women intimacy tips, while taking her aggression out on young blond boys she refers to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;hooligansâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;bad kitties.â&#x20AC;? Unlike Scarletâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enthusiasm for Mauryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cameras in Casper, there are a number of locals who are not handling the camera presence with such ecstasy. Longtime Casper resident and regular Wal-ÂMart loiterer, Aggressive Moose #1, has not responded well to â&#x20AC;&#x153;A-ÂWalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;? camera crew. Thus far, three reporters have been
trampled, and one cameraman had his sandwich stolen. Unfortunately, nobody was able to get a word from this ill-Â mannered moose, but regular shoppers are shocked by his recent hostility. Aggressive Moose #1 is supposedly generally quite welcoming, and loves a good belly rub on the way into the store. As of now, nonetheless, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;A-ÂWalâ&#x20AC;? crew is steering clear of the impolite creature. According to Maury, viewers should be ready â&#x20AC;&#x153;to learn how to skin a possum, DQG WR VHH ZKDW LW ORRNV OLNH WR Ă&#x20AC;JKW D great-Âgrandmother with switchblades for hands.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;A-ÂWalâ&#x20AC;? has already been awarded Most Educational Back Country Television Program and Sassiest Dialogue of the year by Entertainment Weekly. This new hit is sure to touch the hearts of both Wal-ÂMart and Tractor Supply Store goers alike. _________________________________________ Lizzy Rosenburg is a sophomore IMC major who is starting her own Toddlers & Tiaras fan club. Email her at erosenb3@ithaca.edu.
Sawdust
KHQ 6DP :DOWRQ Ă&#x20AC;UVW RSHQHG Wal-ÂMartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature blue doors in 1962, he had absolutely no idea that his wholesale retailer would become the Jenna Maroney of showbiz. For 51 years since its birth, Wal-Â Mart Stores Inc. has mistakenly overlooked its brilliant entertainment opportunities; whether it is a heart-Âwrenching family feud, long lost lovers reuniting, a mother going into labor or a bratty teenager trying to purchase condoms and bagged wine. A substantial amount of profound human activity occurs in Wal-ÂMart on a daily basis, and valuable megabytes of captivating security footage are discarded after only six months. Finally, TLC is broadcasting these quality moments that so often go unseen by the public. Maury, human disposition expert and educational talk show host has DOUHDG\ EHJXQ Ă&#x20AC;OPLQJ VHDVRQ RQH LQ Casper, Wyo.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wal-ÂMart Superstore, and SUHPLHUHG LWV Ă&#x20AC;UVW HSLVRGH )ULGD\ QLJKW According to Nielsen, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A-ÂWalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;? ratings are astronomical, as it is currently the most-Â watched backcountry reality show on
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Shakespearean Sonnet for NSA, TSA & Other SOBs By Gillian Wenzel I post my duck-face- you watch me true I could only wish you’d double tap my… 6HOÀH VHOÀVKO\ , PXVW VD\ , OLNH \RX You know my love for Me, cats and bow ties. My government touch or terrorist lace On the way to my voyage you are kings And queens to seams of every suitcase Protect from us bombers in travel things 7KDQN \RX $PHULFD JRG IRUELG WKDW³ The terrorists win or we legalize it ,W·V &RPPXQLVP ,W·V KLSSLHV ,W·V IDW³ ‘Merica watch me touch me Google it For I cherish life in the land of the free Happy as long as my government sees me ________________________________________ Gillian Wenzel is a freshman Business Administration major who clearly usually writes for Prose and Cons. Email her at gwenzel1@ithaca.edu.
Scandal is the New Black
Photo provided by Gillian Wenzel
Edward Snowden voted “Sexist Whistleblower of All Time” By Fran Toscano
BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue
A
ccording to popular collegiate ranking site LikeOMGTotallyCollege.com, Edward Snowden was ranked the Sexiest Whistleblower of All Time, a title previously held by TSA Whistleblower and Air Marshal hottie Robert MacLean. Snowden’s recent revelations have thrust him into the forefront of our headlines and our hearts. Madison Browning, a senior at Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey, and president of the college’s Edward Snowden Fan Club, said that Snowden’s hotness is in direct correlation with his scandalous actions. “Like, Snowden is, like, so fucking sexy. Oh my god, like, I’m so sorry I said fucking. Fuck my life,” Browning said. “Anyway, like, he didn’t have to tell people he did what he did. But, like, he did.” When prompted to reveal what she would do to Snowden if they were to meet, her eyes
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widened. “I would rock his world. Kinda like Snowden did to, like, America,” Browning said. Recently, Hawaiian pole dancer and blogger Lindsay 0LOOV ZDV LGHQWLÀHG as Snowden’s ex- girlfriend. When told of Snowden’s new title, she ranted about her H[·V ÁLJKW\ QDWXUH “You think a man who leaves his girlfriend out of nowhere to live in Hong Kong and forces her to deal with a national scandal is sexy? Are you kidding me?” she said. “But, yes, to answer Image by Evan Spitzer your question, his penis is massive.” When asked if she thought she was worthy of his hotness, she rolled her eyes. “I’m a pole dancer, for God’s sake. Have you seen my body? I’m a 10. He’s a sad, lonely whistleblower in Russia probably having sex with a polar bear or something.” Browning and the rest of Bergen
Community College’s Edward Snowden Fan Club are well aware of Snowden’s ex- girlfriend. However, Browning does not consider her a threat. “She is, like, normal person hot. But now that Snowden, like, is a celebrity, he’s totally out of her league. He is to politics what Robert Pattinson is to vampires.” There have been various reports of Snowden’s stud-like presence in Moscow; LQ DGGLWLRQ WR EHLQJ XQRIÀFLDOO\ UDQNHG Russia’s most eligible bachelor, he was currently featured in Stoli Vodka billboard advertisements around the city. Moscow UHVLGHQW $NLP $YHU\DQRY ÀQGV WKHVH advertisements to make a mockery of his beloved hometown. “Why are we supporting an American whistleblower on our territory? He is not a celebrity and should not be considered a sex symbol. I’m not saying this because I’m anti- gay or anything… Can I retract this quote? ,V WKLV RII WKH UHFRUG" *R 6RFKL µ When contacted, Snowden refused to comment. However, according to trusted sources, he responded to the news by taking a shot of Stoli and saying, “I’ll drink to that.” ____________________________________ Fran Toscano is a senior IMC major who’s now selling a “Sexy Fugitives of America” 2014 Calendar. Email her for a copy at froscan1@ithaca.edu.
A True Patriot Act Divorcee uses position at NSA for Vengeance By Timothy Bidon
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, we gather here to celebrate a woman who understands American values,â&#x20AC;? Obama said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While all the non-Âpatriots have tried to condemn our surveillance, Delores Schmidt has done the American thing by seeking opportunity and seizing it to serve the greater good.â&#x20AC;? With beads of sweat on his forehead and a tremor in his voice KH DGGHG ´,I WKDW¡V QRW MXVWLĂ&#x20AC;FDWLRQ then what is?â&#x20AC;? Indeed, the women Schmidt has come into contact with are eager to sing their praises. Gloria Rhodes is RQH RI WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW ZRPHQ WKDW 6FKPLGW called. ´, ZDV DEVROXWHO\ Ă DEEHUJDVWHG Âľ said Rhodes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so grateful to Mrs. Schmidt, I was able to divorce my husband Mitch and keep the BMW.â&#x20AC;? Schmidt is very proud of her work and is proud to cite former republican president George H. W. Bush as her inspiration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All my friends who knows me knows I love the Bush doctrine,â&#x20AC;? Schmidt said between wheezy smoker coughs, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and I says, if pre-Âemptive strike can work in Iraq, why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it work with cheatinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lazy bastards?â&#x20AC;? To date, Schmidt has ratted out a total of 65 cheating husbands, and she has every intention of continuing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a pioneer,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;because now I can invade ya privacy and help ya get ya life together.â&#x20AC;? It would appear that much of the world agrees, with news coming out of Norway that Schmidt will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A representative of the Nobel Prize Committee lauded that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Schmidt will now go down in history as the true American hero she is.â&#x20AC;? ____________________________________ Timothy Bidon is a senior Journalism major who changed the spelling of his last name because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s embarrassed by his Grandpa Joe. Email him at tbidon1@ithaca.edu.
Cornell hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t droned us yet? by Rachel Maus
According to their website, the Cornell University Unmanned Air Systems team (affectionately referred to as CUAir) is â&#x20AC;&#x153;an interdisciplinary project team working to design, build, and test an autonomous unmanned aircraft system capable of autonomous takeoff and landing, waypoint navigation, and reconnaissance.â&#x20AC;? In non-Ivy league simpleton words, Cornell has been experimenting with drones since approximately 2003. Not only have they been experimenting, but also they have been kicking serious unmanned ass at competitions, which apparently exist. In fact, this year they placed 1st overall out of over 30 teams from around the world at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Student Unmanned Air Systems Competition. This basically means that they can do to us what Showgirls did to Elizabeth Berkley. While this tournament primarily judges â&#x20AC;&#x153;design, integration, and demonstration of a system capable of [â&#x20AC;Ś] autonomous žMKLX REZMKEXMSR SJ E WTIGM½IH course, and use of onboard payload sensorsâ&#x20AC;? (according to the AUVSI website) and not necessarily airstrike-ability, with all those engineers and scientists over at our Ivy-league counterparts, could they perhaps be experimenting with more devious MRXIRXW# 2SX XS TYX XSS ½RI E point on it, but our A&E center is rumored to be a whole foot taller than their glorious clock tower, and everyone knows our symbol of overcompensating phallic glory is just taunting them. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not saying itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a viable reason to drone us. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just saying what everyone else is thinking: size does matter.
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Sawdust
n Thursday, Tammie Fae, a mother of two, received a phone call at 5 a.m. On the other end of the line was Delores Schmidt, a recent divorcee and professional wire tapper with the National Security Agency (NSA). Schmidt proceeded to inform Fae that her husband, Johnny Joweler had been making phone calls of an erotic nature to another woman. Turns out Tammie Fae was just one of the many wives Schmidt would inform of their husbandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cheating ways. Buzzsaw was able to sit down with Delores Schmidt and investigate why ratting out cheating husbands has become her new mission. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My husband, Art, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the scum of WKH HDUWK Âľ VKH VDLG DV VKH OLW KHU Ă&#x20AC;IWK cigarette, petting the Persian cat in her lap. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fifty years we was married,â&#x20AC;? VKH H[FODLPHG ´FRPH WR Ă&#x20AC;QG RXW KH¡V been sleeping with the girl who used WR FDW VLW RXU OLWWOH )OXII\ Âľ Arthur Schmidt allegedly extended his affair for two years of the marriage. Delores described herself as â&#x20AC;&#x153;extremely verklemptâ&#x20AC;? upon these revelations. According to Dolores, it was time to seek vengeance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was watching â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly Factorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; like I do every night after â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wheel of Fortune,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I heard about that Edward Snowden guy and how he could listen in to phone calls, or whuteva.â&#x20AC;? Schmidt explained that this news opened her eyes to her new life mission: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The way I see it is this: if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not gonna have our privacy anyways, I may as well rat out all the cheatinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bastards like Artie so these young girls donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end up like me: old, wrinkly and alone.â&#x20AC;? According to Schmidt, she received her job at the NSA with relative ease; she was the only applicant willing to recite the pledge of allegiance with no breaks for the six-Âhour interview process. She got the job and the rest is history. President Obama, eager to save his reputation amidst the NSA scandal, commended Schmidtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actions in a press conference last month.
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Buzzsaw Asks Why...
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BUZZSAW: The Surveillance Issue