The Throw-Away Issue

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BUZZSAW Please Dispose Responsibly May 2012

News & Views

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Buzzsaw  presents...

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

EDITORS’ COMMENT

The Throw-Away Issue Americans and consumerism go hand-­in-­hand — it’s ZKDW ZH¡UH NQRZQ IRU %XW ZKDW ZH FRQVXPH LV QRW Ă€QLWH ‌Nor do we want it to be. There’s always more to eat, lis-­ WHQ WR ZDWFK DQG EX\ :H¡UH MXVW QHYHU VDWLVĂ€HG But our consumerist lifestyle doesn’t end with the pur-­ chase — it goes way beyond that. We amass waste in both the physical and metaphorical form. From the grow-­ LQJ QXPEHU RI XQXVDEOH SODVWLFV LQ RXU ODQGĂ€OOV WR WKH average number of relationships Americans go through in middle school, the imprint of our consumption is ever-­ increasing. We live in a society where it’s not only accept-­ able — but encouraged — to take, use and throw away. Some of this waste can be seen in the streets of Beijing, &KLQD ZKHUH WKH ZDVWH GXPSV DUH RYHUĂ RZLQJ D SURGXFW of perpetual consumption in the country. Read about it in Mimi Reynolds’ article “An Excess of Filthâ€? (pg. 20). In other situations, we throw away our rights. In “The Voter’s Conscienceâ€? (pg. 14), Megan Devlin explores the culture of voting and how it differs among youth in Amer-­ ica and Morocco. Other times we throw away things that are less tan-­ gible — like our relationships. Whether we’re jumping from boyfriend to girlfriend to boyfriend to boyfriend ev-­ ery two weeks or leaving our spouses after twenty years of PDUULDJH RXU FRXQWU\ KDV VWDUWHG VHHLQJ WKH GHĂ€QLWLRQ RI marriage change from “Forever and Alwaysâ€? to “For Now.â€? Read “I Can’t Hear the Bellsâ€? for more (pg. 22). And sometimes, we prove to be the worst at throwing away our waste. In “Psychologists Discover Early Signs of Hoardingâ€? in Sawdust, Rachel Maus muses on people who just can’t seem to part from their possessions (pg. 52). From throw-­away entertainment to the logistics of tak-­ ing out the trash, the act of Throwing Away can take many forms. It’s not all bad, it’s not all good, but it’s all disposable. P.S. Recycle this issue when you’re done. Or share it. Or use it as a frisbee. <3 The Editors

BUZZSAW News & Views Upfront Ministry of Cool Prose & Cons Sawdust Design Art Website Haircut Seesaw

Production

Adviser Founders

Kacey Deamer Gena Mangiaratti Meagan McGinnes Mariana Garces Jenni Zellner Catherine Fisher Danielle West Daniel Sitts Adam Polaski Jenni Zellner Alyssa Figueroa Andrew Rivard

Zachary Anderson Darby Jones Rachel Lewis-­Krisky Cat Nuwer Kayla Reopelle Markus Sykes Jeff Cohen Abby Bertumen Kelly Burdick Bryan Chambala Sam Costello Thom Denick Cole Louison James Sigman

Buzzsaw is published with support from Campus Progress / Center for American Progress (online at CampusProgress.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 Daniel Sitts Table of Contents image by Kayla Reopelle Center spread by Zachary Anderson Upfront divider by Nathan Krauss Ministry of Cool divider by Karen Rich Prose & Cons divider by Kacey Deamer Sawdust divider by Layan Bitar

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Table of Contents News & Views .................................................4 Current events, local news & quasi-­educated opinions.

Upfront .......................................................11 Selected dis-­education of the month.

Ministry.of.Cool ........................................24 Arts, entertainment and other things cooler than us.

Prose & Cons ............................................41 6KRUW ÀFWLRQ SHUVRQDO HVVD\ DQG RWKHU DVVRUWHG OLHV

Seesaw ........................................................49 Print media is dead, check out multimedia on the web. Threatening the magazine’s credibility since 1856.

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BUZZSAWMAG.ORG 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

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N Bews UZZSAW & Views

Sawdust .......................................................50

Compiled by Kacey Deamer

buzzcuts

Built to Be Broken “Planned obsolescence is a business strategy in which the obsolescence (the process of becoming obsolete—that is, unfashionable or no longer usable) of a product is planned and built into it from its conception. This is done so that in future the consumer feels a need to purchase new products and services that the manufacturer brings out as replacements for the old ones.”

99%

(The Economist)

of consumer products are trashed in 6 months (Story of Stuff)

+IRIVEP 1SXSVW MW GVIHMXIH EW SRI SJ XLI ½VWX companies to encourage customers to ‘upgrade’ to a new product. Rather than making small stylistic changes, GM began to refurbish the auto body each model year.

“The American economy’s ultimate purpose is to produce more consumer goods.” -- Arthur F. Burns, Post WWII President Eisenhower’s Council of Economic Advisors Chairman

- Ted Steinberg, Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History

Average lifelong mass consumption, based on a life expectancy of 77 years 9 months, and a United States population rounded to 301 million (National Geographic)

sions 156 toothbrushes i v e l e t 10 rs

diape 3,796

15 computers 10 homes

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

12 cars

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Home Away From Home

IC builds stronger on-campus community

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cause we know that RXU Ă€UVW \HDU VWX-­ dents are in some ways our most vul-­ nerable population,â€? Solt Prunty said. “It’s D GLIĂ€FXOW WLPH RI transition for them to start out with and then to put them in temporary housing on top of it is really not an ideal circum-­ stance.â€? Upperclassmen housing is also being added to the campus, as accommoda-­ tions have been built for 168 students in the Circles apartment complex. The Circles property had space to add more buildings, and housing in the complex has typically been the highest demand. The additions were intend-­ ed to draw upperclassmen back onto campus while freeing up traditional dorms for the underclassmen. The current Circles apartments, which were constructed in 1989 as private housing not associated with the college, house between three and six students in single or double rooms. The new Circles, which are being con-­ VWUXFWHG E\ ORFDO Ă€UP ,QWHJUDWHG $F-­ quisition and Development, are all four-­person units with four single bed-­ rooms and the same facilities as the original Circles. In the future, Ithaca College plans to extend the housing progression to include a sophomore program. Rory Rothman, associate vice president for Student Affairs and Campus Life and administrative co-­chair for the IC 20/20 Residential Models task force, said that the sophomore program will serve as part of students’ developmen-­ tal transition and progression. “In the sophomore year, the concept is to continue to grow the opportuni-­ ties for sophomores,â€? Rothman said. One would be topic-­based housing in subjects that students can engage in, similar to the Sustainably Con-­ scious Living and Outdoor Adventure RLCs offered now. The other would be closer to a sophomore version of the FYRE, including a sense of commu-­ nity that includes the Ithaca area as a whole, as well as opportunities they might explore as an upperclassman, such as study abroad.

Rothman stressed the program’s emphasis on “preparation to take the next step in their development toward independence and a readiness to take advantage of all the opportunities.â€? Other plans in the works include a revised transfer student housing pro-­ gram. Currently, transfer students have their own RLC, which was started WKLV SDVW IDOO RQ WKH Ă€UVW Ă RRU RI 7HU-­ race 11, and Solt Prunty said that the demand was actually too much to accommodate. Rather than mak-­ ing a mandatory program, the goal is to meet the needs of transfer students and be more committed to the unique-­ ness of the transfer transition. Though housing on campus has gen-­ erally been well homogenized, the plan for more progression-­based housing was developed to help build a stronger community. ´7KH EHVW SUDFWLFHV LQ WKH Ă€HOG WHOO XV WKDW VWXGHQWV ZKHQ WKH\¡UH Ă€UVW \HDU students, do better when we house them together,â€? Smith-­Schubart said. “We make sure that we’re targeting the type of programming and outreach WKDW ZH GR IRU WKHLU VSHFLĂ€F QHHGV VR we’re moving in that direction as a campus.â€? The new plans also enable the col-­ lege to incorporate academics and civic engagement into the housing commu-­ nity to create a complex and interdisci-­ plinary experience. These changes, ac-­ cording to Rothman, are an “effort to try to think of the student experience as a holistic experience.â€? _________________________________ Amanda Hutchinson is a freshman journalism major who will pitch a tent on the Quad over living in Terraces. Email her at ahutchi2@ithaca.edu.

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News & Views

ith each incoming class, many colleges struggle to Ă€QG D SODFH WR KRXVH HY-­ eryone. This past fall, the University of Michigan had to deny housing to 180 students due to lack of space. Though a relatively small school, Ithaca College is just as susceptible to problems such as those that Michigan faced. Students who choose housing last are inevitably placed in extended occupancy housing, so many fresh-­ men make the transition to college in non-­standard housing. Additionally, the desire for housing other than the traditional dorm room is sending up-­ perclassmen off what is advertised as a residential campus. To prepare for the fall 2012 semes-­ ter, the college will expand freshman housing to West Tower and add 42 new apartments to the Circles complex. These changes are largely due to IC 20/20, a comprehensive plan drafted in May 2011 to institute changes at the college within the next decade. One of many items proposed was to create a progression of housing similar to the academic progression, which, accord-­ ing to Residential Life director Bonnie Solt Prunty, would “create a more logi-­ cal developmental sequence.â€? The First Year Residential Experi-­ ence, which will include West Tower in the fall, will serve as the starting point for the housing progression. Current-­ ly, the program includes East Tower and Boothroyd, Rowland and Tallcott in the Upper Quads, and focuses on a VHQVH RI FRPPXQLW\ IRU Ă€UVW \HDU VWX-­ dents to help them adjust to college life. 5RXJKO\ Ă€UVW \HDU VWXGHQWV SDU-­ ticipated in FYRE this past year, but even with the addition of West Tower, FYRE will need to continue to expand WR DFFRPPRGDWH DOO Ă€UVW \HDU VWXGHQWV in the future. Solt Prunty said several models were proposed, but it is likely the program will extend into the Quads due to their centralized location. ,Q DGGLWLRQ WR EULQJLQJ Ă€UVW \HDU students together, such a program would ensure they have housing at all. Because of a lack of standard rooms this past fall, about 50 students were housed in extended occupancy rooms, according to Solt Prunty’s reports. These were often study lounges con-­ verted into four-­person rooms. “We want to get away from that be-­

Photo by Alexis Lanza

Amanda Hutchinson

Tourist Attraction?

Travel advisories confused on Mexico’s stability By Kayla Reopelle

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mindful that even if no advisories are in effect for a given state, crime and violence can occur anywhere.â€? Later that month, 22 tourists were robbed at gunpoint (some sources say by a one-­armed man) in Puerto Val-­ larta on Feb. 23 while on a hiking ex-­ pedition during a Carnival Splendor cruise. Confused? I sure was. Why would an American-­based corporation allow Americans to hike without security personnel through an area surround-­ ed by government warnings to defer nonessential travel? The highest warnings are in place throughout the regions bordering Texas and central Mexico, with all ZDUQLQJV FRQQHFWHG WR GUXJ WUDIĂ€FN-­ ing in some way. A few prime tourist destinations are placed in this area, though the majority of destinations are heavily protected by the Mexican police in “no advisoryâ€? zones. Mexico’s warnings are equal to those for Syria, North Korea and Afghanistan though

the tone for Mexico’s advisory is much more lighthearted. U.S. government personnel and their families are prohibited from trav-­ eling for personal reasons through most of Mexico’s states for various “security and safety reasons.â€? Overall, the state department urges all visitors to be aware of their surroundings, especially at night, and to stay near tourist areas. The Texas Department of Public Safety issued its own warning on Mar. 6 that encouraged spring break trav-­ elers to avoid Mexico due to continued violence, according to a press release IURP WKH 7H[DV 3XEOLF $IIDLUV 2IĂ€FH Department of Public Safety Di-­ rector Steven C. McCraw noted that many people travel to Mexico without FRQĂ LFW EXW XUJHG WUDYHOHUV WR FRQ-­ sider the risks. “The Mexican government has made great strides battling the cartels, and we commend their continued commit-­ ment to making Mexico a safer place

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

he United States government and the tourism industry in Mexico seem to pull each other in different directions all due to dif-­ fering opinions on the drug trade. The drug war has been going on for de-­ cades with little to no improvement of the security situation. The U.S. Department of State Bu-­ reau of Consular Affairs’ most recent-­ ly issued a travel warning on Feb. 8 that tried to balance the threat of vio-­ lence with Mexico’s need for tourism. “Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day,â€? according to the travel warn-­ ing. “The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that Transnational Crimi-­ nal Organizations have targeted U.S. visitors and residents based on their nationality ‌ Travelers should be

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Image by Kayla Reopelle

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visitors by using footage from hidden camera interviews of tourists during cab rides home. A 30 million dollar campaign paid for by the Mexican government, it claims to tell “noth-­ ing but the truth about a remarkable SODFH Âľ 7KH Ă€UVW TXHVWLRQ WKH WUDYHO-­ ers were asked was about safety. The commercial “3 friends come back from Los Cabosâ€? was aired on cable televi-­ sion stations in the United States and focused on the safety issue. Cab Driver: “Did you guys feel safe and everything down there?â€? Tourist: Oh, yeah. It was one of our biggest ‌ we, we almost didn’t go Tourist 2: I ZRXOG GHĂ€QLWHO\ recommend it. Ev-­ erything you hear on the news is not what you experi-­ ence down there. You’re in paradise, in two hours. The ads feature people returning from Cancun, Akumal and Cabo San Lucas — all areas without advisories. The banner of the website claims that the videos represent “real people, real stories, [and] the real Mexico.â€? The Mexico Tourism Board’s main website, visitmexico.com, calls the country, “the place you thought you knew.â€? The articles emphasize learn-­ ing and exploring on the visitor’s own terms and claim the country is an ex-­ cellent place to revive relationships and curiosities long forgotten. The site features vibrant colors and reassuring statements such as, “With these and more delights, this cosmopolitan city spreads out among the peaks, offer-­ ing fun, adventure and relaxation that will satisfy all visitors.â€? This is a state-­ ment about Monterrey, a city within a state that the U.S. government has encouraged citizens to avoid all non-­ essential travel. The site features no explicit sections on safety. The annual tourism trade industry show was so important to President Felipe CalderĂłn of Mexico, that he Ă HZ GLUHFWO\ IURP KLV PHHWLQJ ZLWK WKH Pope in Guanajuato to open the event in Puerto Vallarta. Sixty-­three percent of Mexico’s GDP is from the service industry and over 60 percent of its population is

If anything, the current policies represent the United States ignoring the larger effects of its actions.

employed in this industry. Last year Mexico had 22.67 million interna-­ tional travelers, a record breaking 5.7 percent jump from 2009 according to Mexico’s Tourism Board. In the recent Latin American sum-­ mit, Obama isolated the United States due to the positions it takes on the drug war and on Cuba. Latin American countries found that the United States’ policies on the drug war disproportionately affect them. Obama recognized that there needs to be more debate on the issue, but refrained from actual discussion and instead offered the traditional $130 million sum to aid military ef-­ forts in the region. Mexico, also a large trading partner with the United States, is beginning to take its business elsewhere, as it now trades more with China than it does ZLWK WKH 86 IRU WKH Ă€UVW WLPH HYHU Mexico and the United States need to have a candid discussion about the greater effects of the drug war, instead of sending passive-­aggressive statements to the public through ad-­ visories and advertisements. It is not economically feasible or politically responsible to believe that the same strategies for this drug war will get better results. If anything, the current policies represent the United States ignoring the larger ef-­ fects of its actions. I understand that it is important to protect the citizens of the United States from harm, but Mexico’s government has strategically placed its police and military forces in high tourist areas to protect its visi-­ tors. If the United States is going be serious and decisive about encourag-­ ing Americans to avoid Mexico, then it needs to stop using a peppy tone in the warnings. Mexico is an easily accessible par-­ adise for many Americans. People won’t stop having dreams of spring breaks in Cancun or crossing the bor-­ der to Tijuana to get knock off Coach purses. The verbal statements coming from the United States aren’t going to change that. Policy will affect change, and a hard look about the way this country treats drugs is necessary to move forward and make both coun-­ tries safer, more prosperous and more XQLĂ€HG ____________________________________ Kayla Reopelle is a sophomore docu-­ mentary studies major who plans to visit all Mexican states with travel advisories, and survive. Email her at kreopel1@ithaca.edu.

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News & Views

to live and visit,â€? McCraw said. “How-­ ever, drug cartel violence and other FULPLQDO DFWLYLW\ UHSUHVHQW D VLJQLĂ€-­ cant safety threat, even in some resort areas.â€? “Many crimes against Americans in Mexico go unpunished, and we have a responsibility to inform the pub-­ lic about safety and travel risks and threats. Based on the unpredictable nature of cartel violence and other criminal elements, we are urging indi-­ viduals to avoid trav-­ el to Mexico at this time,â€? he said. A few organizations have claimed that Texas issued this warning to encourage domestic tourism. If so, this is another economic struggle to claim the cash of ea-­ ger tourists. Despite the statis-­ tics and warnings, Americans travel to Mexico more than any other country. In 2011, there were almost 20 million visitors, with 1.3 million to 2.1 million visitors each month, according to the 2IĂ€FH RI 7UDYHO DQG 7RXULVP ,QGXV-­ WULHV¡ 8 6 &LWL]HQ $LU 7UDIĂ€F WR 2YHU-­ seas Regions, Canada and Mexico 2012 report. 7KH Ă€UVW QLQH PRQWKV RI -DQXDU\ 2011 saw 14,827,592 visitors from the 8QLWHG 6WDWHV 7KH Ă€UVW QLQH PRQWKV of January 2011 also had 12,903 nar-­ cotics related deaths. The number of U.S. citizens mur-­ dered in Mexico increased from 35 in 2007 to 120 in 2011, according to the Department of State. Between Dec. 1, 2006 and Sept. 30 of 2011 there were 47,515 people killed in narcotics re-­ lated violence in Mexico. Though most of the deaths are from people work-­ LQJ GLUHFWO\ ZLWK QDUFRWLFV WUDIĂ€FNLQJ many innocent civilians and tourists have also been caught in the line of Ă€UH These innocent deaths are covered up by cheery advertising campaigns that use white, American, English speaking tourists that drown out any warnings that their local news may provide about criminal activity. The Mexico Taxi Project, an adver-­ tising campaign launched by the Mex-­ ico Tourism Board in November 2011, may have foreseen the travel warning. This campaign tries to entice potential

Up, Up, Up in the Cloud

The future of data storage is above our heads TinaMarie Craven

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Corporation Ted Newman said that people can access their protected information with ease because its all stored in a slice of the internet where one person has the power to control who can and cant see their information. EMC is a computer infor-­ mation company that focuses on deliv-­ ering and supporting virtual infrastruc-­ ture. “It’s easier to use because you can ac-­ cess it from any device because it only UHTXLUHV LQWHUQHW DFFHVV WR RSHQ Ă€OHV from your computer on your phone,â€? Newman said. Not everyone is pleased with the Cloud computing storage system. Rich-­ ard Stallman, the founder of the GNU project, a company that specializes in producing free software, warned against the security dangers of using a storage program that is under someone else’s protection. “One reason you should not use web applications to do your computing is that you lose control. It’s just as bad as using a proprietary program. Do your own computing on your own computer with your copy of a freedom-­respecting program,â€? Stallman said. “If you use a proprietary program or somebody else’s web server, you’re defenseless. You’re putty in the hands of whoever developed that software.â€? +RZHYHU WKH Ă€OHV DUHQ¡W DFWXDOO\ Ă RDW-­ ing about cyberspace. According to New-­ PDQ WKH Ă€OHV VWRUHG LQ WKH &ORXG DUH safely protected by the regulations put LQ SODFH WR SURWHFW WKH Ă€OHV DQG WKH Ă€OH owner’s identity. He said it was similar to the way users on Facebook can choose their privacy settings as to who they al-­ low to see their photos and information. “Different services come with differ-­ ent levels of privacy and some of those DUH XVHU DSSURYDO ZKLFK DUH PRUH Ă H[-­ ible and others are set as a default—you know everything is available,â€? Newman said. “Some of the big companies don’t use them because they’re afraid they’re going to access their data or there are regulations put in place so credit card information can’t live on data that could be potentially accessed by another com-­ pany or could be exposed to the public. So there are regulations put in place and companies meet those regulations, but if

Image by Georgie Morley

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

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loud computing is taking data storage to new heights with recent advancements and improvements in information privacy and access. Windows, Google, Amazon and Apple are participating in the move-­ ment toward Cloud computing as they and other companies establish individual versions of the Cloud. In-­ ternet and computing giants have inspired other companies to devel-­ op Cloud storage systems in order to keep up with their competition. According to a study conducted by Edge Strategies, 74 percent of business employees surveyed from 3,258 companies international-­ ly said they expect to use at least one Cloud servicein the next three years. While the Cloud is advertised as being part of the sky, a new frontier conquered by the technical design-­ ers, the concept of the storage sys-­ tem is not as lofty as its title sug-­ gests. The difference between Cloud computing storage and more tradi-­ tional forms of data storage is how it utilizes the Internet to store the information. Recently, Hewitt Packard, a tech-­ nology and software company joined the ranks of corporations mak-­ ing the switch to Cloud computing services. H.P. decided to make the switch to the Cloud in an effort to compete with Amazon, which, The New York Times reported has one of the largest corporate cloud busi-­ ness. Bill Veghte, the chief strategy of-­ Ă€FHU DQG H[HFXWLYH YLFH SUHVLGHQW of software at H.P. said the com-­ pany decided to make the switch because they had experience with products and working with intellec-­ tual property and felt it would be a wise move to apply Cloud comput-­ ing programs. “There is a new wave of cloud and mobile computing, and big data, and there is a gap between what businesses need and what infor-­ mation technology is delivering,â€? Veghte said. Senior Director for Cloud and Vir-­ tual Data Center Services for EMC

they don’t want to use them then in-­ dividuals use them.â€? However, according to Newman, “you get what you pay forâ€? so if con-­ sumers want more security for their Ă€OHV WKDQ WKH\ ZRXOG KDYH WR SD\ IRU just as if they wanted more storage space for the Cloud. “In the case of the iCloud, you know WKH Ă€UVW Ă€YH JLJV DUH IUHH EXW RQFH \RX start going over that you have to pay for it. Whereas if you had a physical piece of hardware you would have to pay for it whether you were using it or not,â€? Newman said. Companies were unwilling to pub-­ licize information detailing how they designed the security features of their Clouds. With the competitive Cloud storage system climate it’s logical that companies would prefer to keep the design secrets of their products close to the chest. Freshman Matthew Dezii, a PPECs employee and avid Cloud user said, the Cloud is a great way to store in-­ formation because he can access his Ă€OHV ZKHQ KH¡V RQ WKH JR +H VDLG LW was easier to keep track of his hectic schedule with the Cloud because he was able to access the calendar in his Macbook easily from his smart phone. “Cloud computing is wonderfully convenient, it allows instant collabo-­ ration, and access to information from anywhere across the globe,â€? Dezii said. _____________________________________ TinaMarie Craven is a freshman jour-­ nalism major who saves all of her in-­ IRUPDWLRQ RQ Ă RSS\ GLVNV (PDLO KHU DW tcraven1@ithaca.edu.

A Powerful Promotion

U.S. supports nuclear despite recent disaster Jessica Santos

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organization advocates that the NRC stop licensing new reactors until the Fukushima disaster and its conse-­ quences have been fully analyzed and understood by experts. “So even when we’re organizing on the public level we may not focus on [environmental issues],â€? Hancock VDLG ´%XW LW¡V GHĂ€QLWHO\ DQ XQGHUFXU-­ rent in everything we do, and when we GR OHJDO DQG DGYRFDF\ ZRUN LW GHĂ€-­ nitely has a lot more of the safety dis-­ cussion embedded in that aspect.â€? Although McIntyre points out that nuclear energy has a very good safety record overall, there are still other en-­ ergy alternatives that are progressive, cleaner and safer. “I would urge people in the market place who are concerned about their energy consumption and energy fu-­ WXUH WR Ă€UVW FRQVLGHU WKHLU EXLOGLQJ HIĂ€FLHQF\ ² PHDQLQJ ZKHUH WKH\ OLYH and where they work,â€? Casey Mastro, WKH &KLHI 2SHUDWLQJ 2IĂ€FHU DW 6XQ6N\ Energy LLC, a Finger Lakes region en-­ HUJ\ HIĂ€FLHQF\ FRPSDQ\ VDLG ´7KLV isn’t an alternative to nuclear, but at any starting point when we talk about the possibilities of nuclear energy as it pertains to residential and commercial buildings, I feel that it’s pertinent to understand the importance of creating DQ HIĂ€FLHQW EXLOGLQJ V\VWHP Ă€UVW Âľ “On a state-­by-­state basis, the solu-­ tions that work in one state won’t al-­ ways work in another,â€? Hancock said. ´%XW HIĂ€FLHQF\ FDQ ZRUN HYHU\ZKHUH because every state has a way to go to PD[LPL]H WKH HIĂ€FLHQF\ WKDW WKH\ KDYH available to them and in just reducing their need for electricity to start with.â€? Because of our country’s vast geo-­ logical and climatological differences, the renewable energy sources that would be ideal for each state also dif-­ fer. For example, in terms of Ithaca, solar is the most ideal. “Due to advancements in technol-­ ogy alone,â€? said Mastro. “I would say that solar, in this area, determined by proper design and materials, can be a fantastic alternative to nuclear en-­ HUJ\ <RX NQRZ ZKDW WKH\ VD\ ² WKH\ say that a horrible solar spill is just a sunny day.â€? ____________________________________ Jessica Santos is a junior writing major who supports bicycle power. Email her at jsantos1@ithaca.edu.

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News & Views

KH \HDU PDUNHG WKH Ă€UVW for the four new reactors came in ear-­ major catastrophe associated ly, around 2007 and 2008, before the with nuclear power: the partial economic downturn and, obviously, meltdown of Three Mile Island Nuclear before Fukushima.â€? Generating Station in Pennsylvania. The usage of nuclear power is in-­ Although no one was killed, injured, creasing in the country, despite the or suffered adverse health effects due recent disaster at Fukushima. How-­ to the accident, the site emitted a large ever, according to McIntyre, the coun-­ quantity of radiation as a result. WU\ LV VHDUFKLQJ IRU VRXUFHV WR IXOĂ€OO Seven years later, an experiment their energy needs without using coal, gone awry caused an explosion in which is the most common en-­ the Ukrainian Chernobyl Nu-­ ergy source in the U.S. ac-­ clear Power Plant, causing cording to the DOE. The the worst nuclear power country’s energy demands plant accident in history. are projected to increase. The catastrophe led to 237 “Earlier last decade incidents of acute radia-­ there were projections tion sickness (which is of large increases in de-­ potentially fatal) and 31 mand for electricity,â€? Mc-­ deaths. Both areas are Intyre said. “Especially in still deserted due to the the South and Southeast, dangerous levels of ra-­ in the sunbelt states, diation that per-­ where the popula-­ meate the en-­ tion is growing.â€? vironment. The four newly Most re-­ licensed reactors cently was the will be built in the Fukushima Southeast, where Nuclear Power many nuclear re-­ Image by Karissa Breuer Plant disaster in actors are already March 2011. After located. The South-­ earthquakes shook Japan, three of the ern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) plant’s reactors (out of six) underwent has been protesting the building and full meltdowns. Although there were reopening of nuclear plants in the re-­ no immediate deaths, it is estimated gion, working on both local, state and that over 300 people have suffered sig-­ federal levels. QLĂ€FDQW UDGLDWLRQ GRVHV DFFRUGLQJ WR On the local level, SACE has focused USA Today. on raising awareness about ‘nuclear Although no new nuclear power cost recovery’, or the controversial plants have been built since the Three practice of energy companies charging Mile Island disaster, nuclear energy is their customers for constructing new still prominent in the United States nuclear reactors. and its increased use is being consid-­ “When you talk about nuclear power ered. The Nuclear Regulatory Com-­ in general, it’s hard to get the larger mission (NRC) has approved licenses public riled up about it,â€? Mandy Han-­ for four new reactors at two sites this cock, the High Risk Energy Organizer year. However, the NRC granted these at SACE, said. “So we focus on the licenses as a result of The Energy Pol-­ economic aspect of it, because that is icy Act of 2005. cross-­party when it comes to politics. According to David McIntyre, the If you just talk about nuclear energy, SXEOLF DIIDLUV RIĂ€FHU IRU WKH 15& WKLV radiation, water, and more environ-­ Act included incentives for utilities to mental and health concerns, it auto-­ submit applications to the NRC for matically marginalizes the topic and new reactor licenses. These incentives makes some people think, ‘Oh, it’s included loan guarantees to build the just those environmentalists causing reactors, administered by the Depart-­ problems again.’â€? ment of Energy (DOE). Regardless, SACE works consistent-­ “So it was in part national policy ly with governments to raise aware-­ that said, ‘We want more nuclear pow-­ ness of these other issues surround-­ er,’â€? McIntyre said. “The applications ing nuclear power. For example, the

Buzzsaw Takes A Bite... ...of Ithaca’s Italian options By Kait Hulbert

Zaza’s Cucina Restaurant Located directly across the street from Purity, the mid-­sized Italian restaurant seems inconspicuous from the outside, but once inside, GLQHUV ÀQG WKHPVHOYHV LP-­ mersed in a dining experi-­ ence that’s about as elegant as Campus Center isn’t. The menu boasts a sampling of authentic Italian dishes com-­ plied from the recipes of the mother/daughter duo that operate the eatery. Among the choices, the chicken par-­ mesan, pesto gnocchi and lasagna bolognese proved to be winning choices. The gor-­ gonzola pasta, on the other hand, seemed to be just dif-­ ferent enough to miss the mark. And keeping the bar in mind, it’s probably relevant to note that ZaZa’s only keeps imports and local brews on draft and in-­house. Nothing about ZaZa’s

could be called bad, but at the same time, depending on what you’re looking for, it’s HQWLUHO\ SRVVLEOH WR QRW ÀQG LW “good.” ZaZa’s Cucina is not your typical “I want pasta/ pizza/ravioli, so let’s go out,” restaurant. As one of Ithaca’s truly upscale dining options, ZaZa’s will present you with an incredible upscale dining experience — if that’s what you want. For that one date that you really can’t afford to blow, the birthday dinner your parents are footing the bill for or that one night a year when you just want to forget you’re a broke college student, ZaZa’s could offer the perfect solu-­ tion. But be wary: unlike in Campus Center, you will seem out of place here if you show up in last night’s PJ’s or your sweaty gym clothes.

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

Joe’s Italian Restaurant There’s something to be said for knowing your mar-­ ket. As one of Ithaca’s long-­ standing Italian restaurants, Joe’s Italian Restaurant fully understands that its primary consumers are college stu-­ dents — but it does so with-­ RXW VDFULÀFLQJ FODVV Joe’s menu reads like a dream, offering both authen-­ tic Italian dishes and Ameri-­ canized plates. Their pillows (essentially fried ravioli) are a gift to the appetizer sub-­ category. The chicken parm is incredible (though be sure to order it with a side of pas-­ ta), as is anything with their homemade tomato sauce, or anything with any of their sauces at all. If you’re look-­ ing for something to end the meal, go for a cannoli; they make them the right way, with little chocolate chips in-­ side.

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And good as the food is, one of Joe’s best qualities is the atmosphere you get to eat it in. The front of the restaurant is a bar that’s almost always half-­full with townies and students alike watching one game or an-­ other. The waiters write their name in black marker on disposable tablecloths. The prices are reasonable. Joe’s is loath to forget that its largest market is made up of college students — and the DWPRVSKHUH UHÁHFWV WKDW Show up in jeans, and you won’t look out of place. Act like you’re twenty, and you won’t be patronized. Look at the bill, and you won’t see your dreams of next month’s paycheck die. The only thing you really have to do at Joe’s is eat.

Napoli Pizzeria There are few things in the world that outweigh convenience in importance; most of them disappear around one in the morn-­ ing. Luckily, Napoli Pizzeria delivers until 1 a.m. on Fri-­ days and Saturdays. Napoli’s orders are pro-­ cessed through Campus-­ food — or GrubHub, if you’ve already made the switch. In less than three minutes, you can have your order made, processed and sent. Unfortunately, the de-­ livery time can hardly be described as quick — but if you’re looking for “freak fast delivery,” I’d suggested Jimmy Johns. At any rate, Napoli of-­ fers an interesting selection of Italian cuisine. Though their specialty is pizza, they also offer a selection of rea-­

sonably priced pastas, dinner entrees and hot and cold subs. And the food’s not terrible. The pizza is greasy and over-­ sauced, and possibly a bit under-­cheesed for my taste — but the crust is GHOLJKWIXOO\ ÁXII\ /LNH the rest of Ithaca’s Ital-­ ian delivery options, their pasta rates just above av-­ erage. The hot and cold subs are nothing special considering the other op-­ tions, but an eggplant parm sub can never re-­ ally go wrong. As long as you’re not expecting a cu-­ linary masterpiece, you probably wont be disap-­ pointed. It’s better than the piz-­ za at Campus Center, at least.

Sammy’s Italian Buffet and Grille Oh, Sammy’s, I expected so much more of you. Like Napoli, my encoun-­ ter with Sammy’s occurred via GrubHub, which I of-­ fer as a disclaimer. Unlike ZaZa’s and Joe’s, Sammy’s capitalizes on the conve-­ nience factor. It’s quick and inexpensive — and to a college student, there are few things more impor-­ tant. That said, if you were to venture out to Sammy’s Meadow St. locale, you’d ÀQG D IDPLO\ IULHQGO\ EXIIHW that offers a unique combi-­ nation of Italian, American, Jewish and Greek food. And that food is pretty much on par with Ithaca’s other low-­ priced Italian eateries. It’s really the delivery where they get you. It could have something to do with the condensation inside the

metal-­and-­plastic con-­ tainers they package the food in. It may be that the drive from Meadow to campus gives the grease in the pasta sauces time to separate from the rest of the sauce (or from the cheese in the pizza or from whatever it is you decided to order) and pool over everything. Ei-­ ther way, by the time you get it, chances are you’re going to be staring at a wet, greedy plate of food. It’s not an inedible plate of food, and if the grease doesn’t bother you, the pizza’s good and the to-­ mato and alfredo sauces are passable. But at the same time, they have cannoli, and I do love cannoli, so that almost saves it.

Upfront

UPFRONT. UPFRONT. UPFRON

11

The Heart of the Humanities

The reasoning behind general education requirements By Rodrigo Ugarte

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

W

e log onto Homerconnect and search through all of the classes available, try-­ LQJ WR Ă€QG RQH WKDW Ă€WV RXU GHVLUHG schedule. First, we choose the classes for our majors, maybe a minor and use however many credits are left over for general education requirements. Maybe a math credit needs to be ful-­ Ă€OOHG RU D YLVXDO DUWV UHTXLUHPHQW VR we simply pick nothing too complex or time consuming, and happily rest as-­ sured. General education requirements are meant to broaden our intellectual panorama, however, many of us sim-­ ply see them as hurdles in the path to our degrees. We lack appreciation for the humanist intentions because of our job-­oriented perceptions. Yet may-­ be the humanities can teach us more than we think. The humanities have been the mainstay of higher education since the foundation of universities. Focus shifted from the humanities to special-­ ized tracks as the college population increased and job culture changed. Soon higher education’s purpose to enlighten the mind switched to create the ideal employee. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, this isn’t a bad thing, as students then become more market-­ able and have a higher job placement rate. What can the humanities do with such odds against it? Educators have paved two paths for students to follow and try to answer the question of the humanities. One favors a means by which to re-­ Ă HFW XSRQ RXU KXPDQLW\ DQG the oth-­ er a prag-­ matic

Image by Kennis Ku

12

cooperation with professional tracks. “There simply aren’t very good jobs for people who can’t solve and under-­ stand problems,â€? Park School of Com-­ munication’s Dean Diane Gayeski said. She describes how the humani-­ ties can help in such situations. Know-­ ing historical or cultural perspectives provides students the ability to see past a single concept. “You have to be able to think in so many different ways at the same time about the same thing,â€? Gayeski said. “You have to look at a problem and say ‘O.k., I understand this from a cul-­ tural/diversity standpoint [or] I under-­ stand this from a historical viewpoint.’â€? Gayeski said focusing solely on RQH¡V Ă€HOG OHDYHV VWXGHQWV ZLWKRXW WKH means to apply it to an area. Yes, you mastered the skill, but what will you do with it? Here, knowing about his-­ tory or art or literature can provide students with something to apply to their craft. Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education, Richard Freeland, furthers this idea and binds them. “I would encourage a college to think about interdisciplinary fresh-­ men seminars that team faculty from GLIIHUHQW Ă€HOGV HVSHFLDOO\ IDFXOW\ IURP professional and liberal arts subjects,â€? Freeland said. “These faculties would develop coursework and curricula so that both the liberal arts perspective and professional perspective can add value to the understanding of a partic-­ ular problem or a particular situation.â€? Practicality can provide students with a reassurance that they are getting their money’s worth while also partaking in the materialist culture they live in. Yet, the pur-­ pose of the humanities and liber-­ al arts education expands further than just applicability. “We, as a society, have certain sorts of things we focus on,â€? points out Humanities and Sciences Dean Leslie Lewis. “If we are focusing on material ways, then our children are going to focus on material ways. The humanities’ question is really sim-­ ple: So you want to go to college to get a good job, why do you want to get a good job? What’s the point?â€? As students, some of us seldom ask these ques-­ tions. Under torrents of

class work, internships and extracur-­ ricular activities, we continue to drown and cannot see past our set goals into the larger picture. With this, we disre-­ gard how college helps us open our-­ selves to critical thinking with our gen eds. “A typical way of thinking about gen-­ eral education requirements is distri-­ bution requirements. That is a little bit of this, a little bit of that, broadly across the liberal arts. And that’s, in some way, what we have now at Ithaca College,â€? Lewis said. The IC 20/20 plan means to remedy this disparity by integrating gen eds into a themes and perspective model that allows students to pick a theme and study it from different academic perspectives. It encourages students to appreciating gen eds and explore how they can enrich their education. “If you want to answer those really big questions that have to do really with fundamentally the meaning of life, you need the humanities. You re-­ ally need to know where other people have gone with those questions and those answers,â€? Lewis said. She continued to explain how hu-­ PDQLW\ LV Ă€JXULQJ RXW WKH PHDQLQJ RI life, and that the humanities help us in this journey. “What’s the point? That’s not a rhe-­ torical question. That’s a real question, what’s the point of your life?â€? Lewis said. “Certainly everybody has thought beyond just that job and that pay-­ check, so what is it that you want to do? What kind of mark do you want to make on the world? Why are you alive? It’s really as fundamental as that, I think. It’s a scary set of questions. It’s a lot easier to say, ‘I just want to get a good job and make a lot of money.’â€? Such questions undermine the world we live in and, perhaps, have led to our collective dismissal of the hu-­ manities. Gen eds can help students shift toward living for the sake of ex-­ ploring and understanding life rather than living to reach a goal. Because if we achieve our goal and have no deep-­ er understanding of the world, we’ll Ă€QG QRWKLQJ HOVH ____________________________________ Rodrigo Ugarte is a junior writing ma-­ jor whose heart and soul belongs to the humanities and sciences. Email him at rugarte1@ithaca.edu.

Hungry as a Hipster

Are IC students’ eyes too big for our stomachs? By Stephanie Khoury

I

The Princ-­ eton Review graded Ithaca College with a score of 91 out of 99 for their Green Col-­ lege Rating, which analyzes sustain-­ able campus efforts across the United States. The Green Report Card gave IC a “Bâ€? for food and recycling. “We start early, as freshman to educate them how we do things here,â€? Darling said. Starting education immediately pro-­ vides a solution to the “lost in transla-­ tionâ€? issue Keating touched upon re-­ garding students and composting. ´, UHPHPEHU YLVLWLQJ KHUH IRU WKH Ă€UVW time as a perspective student and see-­ ing composting everywhere. It’s just more frequent here compared to my hometown because you just have to QRWLFH LW Âľ ,& IUHVKPDQ 6DUDK 3HIĂ \ said. The latest shift in Ithaca College’s push for sustainability is the transi-­ tion to single stream recycling where the choices are now between recycling and trash. Basically, all recyclable material can be placed in one bin and Tompkins County Solid Waste sepa-­ rates it. “The big advantage is we can now recycle more plastics because of this system,â€? Darling said. The college’s primary goal is to edu-­ cate students, which in the long run will result in more compost and less trash for future years. _____________________________________ Stephanie Khoury is a freshman jour-­ nalism major who composts because all the cool kids are doing it. Email her at skhoury1@ithaca.edu.

Upfront

waste correctly. “One of our biggest things is trash cop-­ ping in the pub and at events,â€? said REMP and Ithaca College Environ-­ mental Society president, Mar-­ garet Keating. As a senior envi-­ ronmental stud-­ ies major, she has seen this to be the best edu-­ cational tool be-­ cause of the one-­ on-­one interaction between eco-­reps and students. “We try to have as much informa-­ tion out there as possible,â€? Keating said. However, for composting and re-­ cycling to be a norm, it will take some time. The college has been composting since January 1993. Originally, the Ă€UVW FRPSRVW SLOH ZDV ORFDWHG RQ FDP-­ pus in the Physical Plant Service Area. The original composting came from the vocalization of students advocat-­ ing for composting and recycling. “We did composting on campus be-­ cause no one was doing it in the area,â€? Mark Darling explained, sustainabil-­ ity programs coordinator at IC and head of REMP. After receiving a grant from the New York State Department of Economic Development, the college built a new compost facility for the en-­ tire campus in 2000. Then, in 2007, composting shifted to Cayuga Compost. “It just made sense, since our core mission is education not compost, we were doing it mostly as a service, for about the same amount of money we could have someone else do it better,â€? Darling said. Composting right now is not done in the residence halls because the waste generated does not have a sig-­ QLĂ€FDQW SHUFHQW RI RUJDQLF ZDVWH $Q-­ other issue is that students are just not aware of what can and cannot be composted. “In the Gardens and Circles, we used to have composting programs, but the bins outside would just get contaminated with trash because peo-­ ple didn’t understand,â€? Keating said.

Image by Karen Rich

thaca College Dining Services com-­ posts over 3,000 pounds of food daily. With the average American eating about 4.7 pounds of food each day, the waste IC generates is enough to feed one American adult for about two years. With that known, the ques-­ tion remains: how much food are stu-­ dents taking compared to what they are actually eating? 7R Ă€JXUH WKLV RXW WKH 5HVRXUFH DQG Environmental Management Program (REMP) and Sodexo have teamed up DFURVV FDPSXV WR Ă€QG KRZ PXFK IRRG is actually wasted. “Some people need to take respon-­ sibility for themselves, which is why we do Weigh the Waste,â€? said Sodexo Sustainability Coordinator Stephanie Piech. About twice a week Sodexo, REMP and sustainability interns volunteer two-­hour shifts in the dining halls weighing the waste in front of the tray return. The reason for putting the compost bins in front is to highlight the action of scraping the food off the plate into a waste bin so students can see how much food they actually did consume. “Just kind of the actual action of the taking your plate and scraping it somewhere is kind of like â€˜â€Śoh‌ I didn’t eat this or I didn’t eat that,’â€? Piech said. Not only does Weigh the Waste bring awareness to students, but it also helps Sodexo plan meals. “From a service standpoint to see if pasta is always being wasted in one area, then perhaps we should serve the pasta in a different way or make a different pasta,â€? Piech said. Composting has always been a part of the Sodexo operation. All of Sodexo’s items are pre-­and-­post consumer composted, meaning the scraps from preparation to what you do not eat are collected. Weigh the Waste has been a reoccur-­ ring event on campus in recent years and the most waste generated varies between Campus Center and Terrace Dining halls. As one of the new meth-­ ods implemented, Weigh the Waste has helped to educate the student body on food waste and composting. Organizations, such as REMP help in raising awareness through “trash cops.â€? Student “trash copsâ€? stand by the garbage, compost and recycling bins to make sure people rid their

13

The Voter’s Conscience

Is being uninformed worse than not voting? By Megan Devlin

“

sations. I thought I would escape all this while studying abroad in Moroc-­ co, but I was gravely mistaken. Here, I am asked for my personal opinion on Mitt Romney’s Mormonism or my thoughts about the Left’s shift toward the Right as Obama’s healthcare plan is nearly identical to what the Repub-­ licans proposed in the 1990s.

“

T

hick, yellow folds of the paper accordion bounce in the space EHWZHHQ P\ KDQGV DV , VKXIĂ H through a list of semi-­familiar names and even less familiar positions. “So if there’s only one candidate, do I just check the box?â€? I voted in the local elections for the Ă€UVW WLPH LQ WKH IDOO :KHQ , UHFHLYHG

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

I sink in guilt knowing that I’m not inJSVQIH IRSYKL XS GSR½HIRXP] I\IVGMWI this freedom.

the absentee ballot in my on-­campus mailbox, I clutched it with subtle H[FLWHPHQW NQRZLQJ , ZRXOG Ă€QDOO\ have the chance to voice my opinion through my vote. But within minutes of opening the envelope and scanning over the pages of electoral jargon and instructions to “Refer to Section E.11 of Article 1 for more information,â€? my eagerness began to fade and apathy loomed overhead. After 20 years of living in a small town imbued with small town poli-­ tics, I could not wait to exercise my right to vote, to check a box and be-­ lieve I could contribute to a shift in the discourse toward progressive change. Yet the moment I put my pen in hand, I questioned whether I was even ready to make my mark. It wasn’t just because I didn’t know half the names listed on the ballot or the majority of positions the candi-­ dates were campaigning for. It was a feeling of incompetency that spurred my nerves and made me second-­ guess the whole concept of voting. I couldn’t help judging the candidates based on their names — Bonnie used to look after me when I was in day-­ care; I love Mimi; That’s Amanda’s Dad — or their party lines — I’m a Democrat, so I guess I’ll vote for this person. With the 2012 presidential elec-­ tion just months away, Jon Stewart’s Daily Show spoofs are racking up YouTube views, and the Republican frenzy is saturating our daily conver-­

While many young Moroccans are deeply engaged with American poli-­ tics, they are as equally disinterested with the party politics of their own country. But it’s not because they are uninformed. In fact, many youth actually follow the political discourse and could tell you which party made what statements about topical issues or what the King said in his last con-­ ference. They just know that their voices won’t be heard. Upon coming to Morocco, I was shocked to learn from Sam Werberg,

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

14

WKH 'HSXW\ &XOWXUDO $IIDLUV 2IĂ€FHU DW the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, that only RQH PLOOLRQ Ă€YH SHUFHQW RXW RI WKH million voters brought the “majorityâ€? party, the Islamist Party of Justice and Development, to power in Novem-­ EHU 7KHVH Ă€JXUHV UHĂ HFW WKH GHHS rooted corruption in the country’s political system. While power sharing abounds in a parliament comprised of 35 different political parties, the Constitution protects the ultimate authority of the King. According to Saloua Zerhouni, a political scientist and professor at Mohammed V Uni-­ versity in Rabat, the King’s arbiter status enables him to not only rule, but also govern in times of dispute. In most cases, the King appoints mem-­ bers of his royal circle of loyalists to special committees when parliament can’t come to consensus. Oftentimes, WKHVH FRPPLWWHHV KDYH PRUH LQĂ X-­ ence than the political parties. Despite new reforms to Morocco’s Constitution, which include an em-­ phasis on gender equality and greater efforts to encourage the political, eco-­ nomic and social participation of all citizens, the King’s intervention weak-­ ens the power of political parties and discourages their autonomous and participatory governance. Zerhouni

are disinterested in their country’s politics. And it’s not just my Ameri-­ can friends either. The problem is not that I am dis-­ engaged — I follow political news outlets on Twitter, I’ve “Likedâ€? politi-­ cal parties on Facebook, I subscribe to policy think tank newsletters and I voted in the most recent local elec-­ tions. The problem is that I have grown desensitized to the political GHEDWH (DFK WLPH D WZHHW Ă DVKHV DQ #Obama hashtag or brands the last name of a Republican candidate I scroll past it, and each time an email from some political outlet pings in my inbox, I delete it. Many of us like to think we’re politically engaged, but how much time do we actually take away from resume building, fantasy sports playing, Facebook chatting and weekend partying to devote to studying the platforms, propositions and credentials of presidential candi-­ dates, the history of America’s demo-­ cratic transformations and the cur-­ rent political discourse? Bearing this LQ PLQG KRZ PXFK FRQĂ€GHQFH GR ZH really put into our votes? So here I am with the power to vote, the privilege of knowing that this vote will be representative, that my voice will be heard in a democratic election process without corruption. Yet here I am surrounded by politically engaged Moroccan youth, who are more in-­ formed than me about my own coun-­ try and do not have this same elec-­ toral luxury. I sink in guilt knowing that I’m not informed enough to con-­ Ă€GHQWO\ H[HUFLVH WKLV IUHHGRP In about one month I will leave Mo-­ rocco and return home to face more political bombardment and institu-­ tional encouragement to participate as the presidential race picks up its pace. Come November, I will go to the polls and etch a bit of blue or black ink in the boxes of my ballot. How-­ HYHU , FDQQRW VD\ WKDW , ZLOO FRQĂ€-­ dently know the full impact of those very marks. As a 20-­year-­old col-­ lege student who cannot give her in-­ formed opinion on the state’s budget or foreign policy interests, I wonder if my ignorance is worse than throwing away my vote. ____________________________________ Megan Devlin is a sophomore CMD major who can’t escape Buzzsaw, even when she is abroad. Email her at mdevlin2@ithaca.edu.

How Politically Informed are Adults in the U.S.? In a News IQ quiz conducted by The Pew Research Center from July 1-5, 2010 among 1,007 adults reached on cell phones and landlines‌

34% knew that the government’s bailSYX SJ FEROW ERH ½RERGMEP MRWXMXYtions was enacted under the Bush administration.

47% incorrectly said that the Troubled Asset Relief Program (widely known as TARP) was signed into law by President Obama.

28%

were able to identify John Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

73%

of Americans knew that Congress passed a major health care reform bill that year.

14%

said Congress did not pass health care legislation that year

13%

didn’t know.

55% were able to identify Gen. David Petraeus as the top military commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. from: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1668/politicalnews-iq-update-7-2010-twitter-tarp-roberts

15

Upfront

said even having local candidates who run on behalf of their commu-­ nity, as well as a quota system that integrates more women and youth into the parliament, these individuals become powerless once voted into of-­ Ă€FH EHFDXVH WKH\ DUH RIWHQ LQĂ XHQFHG or co-­opted by the regime. Because the internal political game prevents a true realization of the constitutional promise of equal, po-­ litical participation among Moroccan citizens, many are discouraged from participating in the country’s alleg-­ edly free elections. A group of youth echoed this claim during a discus-­ sion at the Center for Cross-­Cultural Learning, my academic building in 5DEDW 7KHLU ODFN RI FRQĂ€GHQFH LQ WKH system keeps them unmotivated to change it. As a result, they choose to throw away their votes because once they cast their ballots, true represen-­ tation is unlikely. The more conversations I had with young Moroccans about why they didn’t participate in the free elec-­ tions or embrace the new Constitu-­ tion’s call for equal participation in all spheres of life, the more I began to realize that there is no guarantee that their voices will be heard. My neo-­ orientalist thought process — the one critiquing my Western attitudes to-­ ward the Islamic world — neglected to acknowledge that maybe corruption wasn’t the only force turning youth away from political participation. Even the youth who are politically engaged and sounding their cries for a true democracy through protests of the February 20 movement have had their voices faded to a rumble and lost their effectiveness. Each Wednes-­ GD\ VKRSSHUV Ă€QLVK XS WKHLU HYHQLQJ errands by weaving among the dem-­ onstrators marching toward parlia-­ ment and glancing indifferently at the crowd of police clad in riot gear wait-­ ing to push away the protesters. My immersion in this society and exposure to Morocco’s political dy-­ namics has made me re-­examine my ability to ask about the motives for political participation of the peo-­ ple living in another country. I have failed to even ask the same questions of people living in my own country. Why don’t more people vote in the U.S.? Why didn’t my friends vote in our local elections? Why was I the only one among kids my age excited that the candidate I voted for won? It’s not just Moroccan youth who

The Empty Ballot

Why we may be throwing away our vote By Patrick Feeney

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

I

UHPHPEHU JHWWLQJ P\ ÀUVW EDOORW est in years, the number of absent vot-­ last fall. As a 19-­year-­old from a ers in the United States is quite high. small town an hour north of Ithaca, Why are people choosing to skip out? LW ZDV P\ ÀUVW FKDQFH WR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ It seems many people have various an election, and naturally I was excit-­ reasons for trashing their ballots. Col-­ HG , KDG WR VDFULÀFH WKH H[SHULHQFH RI man McCarthy, director of the Center the mechanical booths for an absentee for Teaching Peace in Washington, ballot, but at the time I didn’t mind. I D.C., said in an editorial for the Na-­ ZDV MXVW H[FLWHG WR ÀQDOO\ JHW P\ YRLFH tional Catholic Reporter that he cannot out, in a legal and political sense. support the American voter system I got the ballot in the mail. I quickly because it continually puts war-­mon-­ ran to my room and ripped the ballot JHULQJ PHQ LQWR WKH 2YDO 2IÀFH open to scour over my choices of can-­ “Voting means supporting politi-­ didates. Since 2011 was an off-­year for FLDQV ZKR VSHQG SXEOLF PRQH\ WR À-­ major elec-­ n a n c e tions, the soldiers to only cat-­ t o kill people egories I whose be-­ could vote havior or for were thinking town su-­ the U.S. p e r v i s o r, g o v e r n -­ highway ment dis-­ comptrol-­ approves,” ler and McCarthy some other stated in small posi-­ his editori-­ Image by Jennifer Pike tions. I looked through my choices ... al. “Elections are and my heart sank. over-­funded charades for pseu-­ Out of the nine or 10 seats I could do-­progress, staged for the gullible vote for, more than half of them had who prefer representational democ-­ only one choice of candidate. The cur-­ racy to personalist democracy.” rent supervisor of my town, who had Landon Brooks, a delegate for the been in that seat for years before-­ Workers Solidarity Alliance, believes hand, and whom I knew for the dogs voting is against his interests as a she never cleaned up after, was my member of the working class. Al-­ only choice. Many of the people were though he votes within the organiza-­ conservative townies with no sense of tions he participates in, the positions political knowledge or duty. Disgusted, he helps choose “[have] no authority, I threw out my ballot. What was the and [are] immediately recallable.” point of voting when I had no choice of “I realized that people have been whom to vote for? voting for almost 200 years, trying Surprisingly, many people in the to vote away poverty, war, hunger, et United States do not end up going to cetera and yet we are still suffering the voting booths. According to the these things,” Brooks said. “We can-­ Federal Election Commission, ap-­ not vote away a system that is built proximately 41 million registered vot-­ upon the principle of disempowering ers skipped out in 2010’s congressio-­ its subjects. That is essentially what nal elections. Similar numbers can be voting is, a ritual that we partake in seen in 2006 and 2002. In 2004 and every couple of years that makes us 2008, approximately 10 to 12 percent feel like we have the ability to change of registered voters failed to show up the social narrative.” at about a 65 percent registration However, Brooks sees power within rate. There is no trend amongst these the population — just outside the vot-­ numbers, but compared to nations ing booth. like Britain, with a 65 percent voter “There is power on the streets, in turnout in 2010, and France, whose the workplace, in the neighborhoods, 60 percent turnout in 2007 is the low-­ in the PTA meetings, amongst the poor

16

and the hungry and the displaced and abandoned, imprisoned and criminal-­ ized,” he said. Could the younger generations in the United States be thinking simi-­ larly? The Occupy movement, which started last September, shows an up-­ rising of student involvement in pro-­ tests and activism unseen since the Vietnam War. The City of Ithaca’s own Occupy group is still holding General Assemblies, and they still have large support from the community. The ideas seem to be gathering pop-­ ularity in higher education as well. Mc-­ Carthy said he often comes to speak at schools on topics such as nonviolence. He also teaches a course at the Uni-­ versity of Maryland, “that focuses on how much of the establishment media cheerlead the nation’s wars,” he stated via e-­mail. We will have to wait until Novem-­ ber to see how the Occupy movement, and the current political climate, af-­ fect voter turnout nationwide. Brooks, though, thinks more people will start to turn away from their ballots. “Egalitarian models are gaining foothold in communities and protest movements worldwide,” Brooks said. “In my opinion, it is our natural in-­ stinct to cooperate to get work done and make decisions ... Competition, which is what voting is, is disempow-­ ering and contrary to our true nature.” Although I didn’t vote in my local elections, I’m still seriously consid-­ ering whether or not I’ll be submit-­ ting my ballot in November. I believe Obama and Romney are very similar candidates with similar ideas and poli-­ cies, and I don’t see the value of choos-­ ing between them. However, I have never voted before, and I still question whether or not I should express my opinion. If my vote doesn’t matter, why don’t I at least state my views at the booth? I may not be able to decide in time for November, but I believe oth-­ er students are in the same boat I’m in. Ultimately, the voting population could shrink more than ever. _____________________________________ Patrick Feeney is a sophomore journal-­ ism and politics major who is voting for Mickey Mouse in the next election. Email him at pfeeney1@ithaca.edu.

What Do You Do With a B.A. in English? Fears and missteps in the undergraduate experience

By Kaley Belval

I

W LV H[WUHPHO\ GLIĂ€FXOW WR PHHW WKH expectations of others. Students are often told to do one thing by their parents, another by their friends and another by society. The failure to meet those expectations can lead to the feeling that no matter what is done, students are throwing their lives away. Haley*, a freshman at Ithaca Col-­ lege, has struggled with the fear of failing to meet her parents’ expecta-­ tions. “I think it’s a tough thing because I feel in a lot of ways I shouldn’t care, but I still do,â€? she said. “I still have that ingrained in me to care about ZKDW SHRSOH VSHFLĂ€FDOO\ ZKDW P\ SDU-­ ents think.â€? Haley had trouble with her parents’ expectations for a while, but especial-­ ly now that she is a television-­radio major, they believe that she will not necessarily get a stable job. Recently, her parents’ support has increased with her decision to minor in English so that she can eventually become a teacher. Both think being in education is a much safer decision than going into communications, but have asked whether making such a career switch would

ing the expectations placed on him as a soon-­to-­be alum. Since he has been extremely in-­ volved in both academics and extra-­ curricular activities, such as politics, Zivalich felt that his fears have come more from himself and his friends than any other source. “It’s hard to say that right after col-­ lege you’re really going to be involved in activism all the time,â€? he said. “One of my fears is that maybe I’m not as good at continuing that as some peo-­ ple might want me to be.â€? David Jaffe is a junior who has never really been afraid of throwing his life away because of how he was raised. He discussed expectations with his friend who goes to Cornell. “If you show a weakness, what does that show for the entire world?â€? Jaffe said. “Does that show that the entire world is weak and we can’t develop into today’s expectations? Or does that mean, well, no, we can’t accept being just good enough, which is re-­ ally scary.â€? The other frightening aspect of ex-­ pectations is taking risks against the expectations that people have for one another, such as following what you want to do, which Jaffe says can be a really positive expe-­ rience. “If we didn’t scare our-­ selves, we would literally probably stay in bed all day and we wouldn’t care about any sort of desire,â€? he said. “And by scaring ourselves, we’re able to see how far we can be pushed and then see where our comfort is.â€? Whether the pressure is from oneself, one’s friends, family or peers, LW LV FKDOOHQJLQJ WR Ă€QG DQG FUHDWH something meaningful in what one does at all times. But by realizing one’s own standards for oneself, it will be a much less stressful and unhappy experience. *Name has been changed to protect anonymity _________________________________ Kaley Belval is a freshman docu-­ mentary studies and production major who can’t pay the bills yet be-­ cause she has no skills yet. Email her at kbelval1@ithaca.edu.

17

Upfront

Image by Georgie Morley

alter her passion for communications. Colton Shoenberger is a freshman student currently majoring in busi-­ ness who is going to switch to mathe-­ matics-­economics. He feels that soci-­ etal pressure had a lot to do with why he originally chose to study business. “I didn’t know what to do with my life, so I picked the most practical thing possible,â€? Shoenberger said. “If I followed creative passions, I probably ZRXOG¡YH GRQH Ă€OP RU VRXQG SURGXF-­ tion or something in Park or some-­ thing cool, but I didn’t trust in any creative ability because ‘getting a job LQ WKRVH Ă€HOGV LV VR KDUG ¡¾ He also said that societal standards have a lot to do with why there are such high expectations for students. “Basically, everybody at some level or another has these expectations at some point in society, so it’s hard not to develop them because pretty much all interactions you have with people involve their expectations,â€? Shoen-­ berger said. Chris Zivalich is a senior journal-­ ism major with minors in German, women’s studies and honors. With less than a month until graduation, he has been consider-­

Pregnant Pause

Think before generalizing teen pregnancy By Timothy Bidon

Y

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

ou know her. She may have been in high school with you; maybe she’s a cousin, a sister, a friend. But when she got pregnant, it may very well have rocked your world. Early pregnancy is not something that is looked upon kindly in this country. To be a teen parent is to be cast aside and condemned. We may enjoy watching teen moms scream at each other on MTV, but as soon as it KLWV KRPH ZH GRQ¡W Ă€QG LW HQWHUWDLQLQJ anymore. When Florencia Sadler, a freshman at Cornell College in Iowa, got preg-­ nant at the age of 19, her life got a lot more complicated. “My initial reaction was that I was excited to be a mom,â€? Sadler said, but upon assessing the situation she real-­ ized that things weren’t as simple as she had perceived them to be. Sadler KDG MXVW Ă€QLVKHG KHU Ă€UVW \HDU DW FRO-­ lege and her life plan, which is to work with immigration law, and had no room for a baby in the near future. Her initial excitement quickly turned to panic, not sure where to turn or who to go to for advice, being that she lived in an area with little support for teen mothers. Luckily for her, her parents were willing to discuss the options. “I had a long talk with my parents,â€? she said. “I got the motivation to think DERXW ZKDW , ZDQWHG WR GR Ă€QLVK WKH work I wanted to do at college.â€? After talking to her parents, she de-­ cided that the best option for her was to abort the pregnancy.

18

Image by Zachary Anderson

“It wouldn’t have been a good life for me or the baby,â€? she said. “Looking back now, now that I’m back in school, , UHDOL]H , ZDQW WR Ă€QLVK VFKRRO JHW D job and I don’t know how I would’ve done that with a child. I’m not sure I would’ve necessarily thrown away my life, but more so the life of my child because I wouldn’t have the means to support it.â€? Though Sadler felt she didn’t have the means to provide for her child, she stressed that early pregnancy is never the same for everyone, and that we should be cautious before we paint it with a broad brush. “It all depends on the individual and how they deal with it and the situa-­ tion,â€? she said. While Sadler may have felt as if there was not enough support for her to bring a child into the world, Ste-­ IDQL /DĂ DPPH D IUHVKPDQ DW +RO\RNH Community College, was determined to beat the odds and have her baby at the age of 19. ´, ZDV SUHWW\ H[FLWHG Âľ /DĂ DPPH said. “I always wanted a child, but had second thoughts because of how people view teen pregnancy. I thought about adoption and even talked it over with the father, but when my daugh-­ ter started kicking, I knew I wanted to keep her.â€? )RU /DĂ DPPH WKH PDLQ REVWDFOH was not the fear of having the child, but rather the rigid social stigmas she experienced. “They said I was trailer park trash; they said if it was black they didn’t want it around; they said I should get an abortion, that I was throwing my life away. They said all sorts of things similar to that. It was hurtful, but I basically started believing that they would learn to love her or they wouldn’t see me. She was a baby, who doesn’t love a baby?â€? )RU /DĂ DPPH KHU VXSSRUW V\VWHP came in the form of friends and family. Her parents let her stay at home rent-­ free, her mother drove her places and put her on WIC, a nutrition program for mothers. /DĂ DPPH IHHOV WKDW KDYLQJ WKLV baby has made her a stronger person. “Having a child forced me to grow up. I don’t party anymore; I have a good job, go to college, and am able to take care of myself. And having a child is the most beautiful experience any-­ one could have. Now, I am so happy to have a life with my daughter.â€?

But this theme of feeling cast-­aside as a pregnant teen would appear to be all-­pervasive. Maureen Reedy, who is the Family Services director of the TP3 program at the Child Development Council in Ithaca, has seen this unfold Ă€UVW KDQG LQ KHU SRVLWLRQ UXQQLQJ WKH teen parent program. “They certainly feel judged by soci-­ ety,â€? Reedy said. “They feel judged by teachers and other students at school and feel certain biases which make it GLIĂ€FXOW IRU WKHP WR VXFFHHG Âľ Through her experience running the program, Reedy has garnered respect for the teen moms she’s worked with. “I’m always learning from the teens. There is a remarkable capacity of sur-­ vivors. There’s a lot of determination. Some of them have rough starts; some of them have come out of the foster sys-­ tem themselves. They care about being parents, and they care about their ba-­ bies and they’re proud of their babies. It’s not easy. They struggle, but they’re motivated to do the best that they can,â€? Reedy said. Perhaps she has a point; perhaps we should refrain from the harsh judg-­ ments. After all, providing for a child at such a young age is challenging enough as it is. “Unless you are in their situation, you can’t judge. There needs to be a tolerance for all kinds of lifestyles and all sorts of situations,â€? she said. Sadler believes this awareness will come through education. “We need more sex education in schools and we need to teach peo-­ ple that there are options,â€? she said. “Younger women should understand that it doesn’t mean their life is over.â€? Is this lack of education the root RI RXU LQWROHUDQFH" $V /DĂ DPPH H[-­ plained, her main problems were not within the physical pregnancy, but rather how others had thought about her. Maybe a more inclusive education would remedy this. This is far from a simple question to answer. With every pregnancy comes a slew of different circumstances. No two pregnancies are alike and yet we continue to generalize. Perhaps it’s time we rethink how we deal with it. After all, who are we helping by casting aside the teen mom? _____________________________________ Timothy Bidon is a sophomore journal-­ ism major. Email him at tbidon1@itha-­ ca.edu.

Post-Disaster Disposal

Invisible communities in New Orleans after Katrina By Willie Sleight

the tour -­ ist attractions of New Orleans? Was the media and govern-­ ment really that successful in creating an invisible population? If I had not been volunteering and had not preplanned destinations set up to interact with people who were affected by Hurricane Katrina, I would not have seen them. How many people are traveling to New Orleans to see the lower ninth ward? Not many. And I was helping now — but what had I been looking at for the last seven years? Clearly, the media and government did a good job of hiding this population to my eyes, since I have family in New Or-­ leans and had been regularly keeping up on the situation in New Orleans. The real question is not whether or not this population erasure is hap-­ pening — it is. The question is why. I went to New Orleans and worked di-­ rectly with people affected by the Hur-­ ricane, hearing their stories that I had not heard in the media and learning about how they failed to receive help from their local government. I started to understand the ongoing complexi-­ ties of the post-­Katrina recovery move-­ ment. And I began to realize just how much has been hidden from the rest of the country. _____________________________________ Willie Sleight is a senior CMD major who knows that NOLA is so much more than Mardi Gras. Email him at wsleigh1@ ithaca.edu.

19

Upfront

seeing the plight of poor blacks and other minorities.â€? African-­Americans were not the only people affected, but the media grasped a hold on lower-­ class black people to make them look like criminals and waste. They had been clogging up the streets and now they needed to be “cleansed.â€? 7KLV UHYHDOV D PDMRU Ă DZ LQ RXU JRY-­ ernment: that a government by the people and for the people does not include all people — but only the ones it chooses to see. The rest are thrown away. Giroux believes that with regard to the management of Katrina by the Bush administration, “a poisonous biopolitics was revealed in which en-­ tire populations were rendered invisi-­ ble with the goal of having them forgot-­ ten.â€? Even though the media showed this population in several images, no one actually did anything. Even if people saw the images and felt bad, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they actually did anything — simply being able to see a population doesn’t make them visible. Looking at someone in need and ignoring their call for help is just as bad as not seeing them at all — if not worse. When people are repeatedly exposed to the same images, it is hard to avoid them and not accept them as the truth. Why would the government and media lie about something as serious as a disaster? It appears as though WKH\ GR WKLV WR KHOS Ă€[ WKHLU RZQ SURE-­ lems triggered from the crisis: political SXEOLF UHODWLRQV DW LWV Ă€QHVW Armed with this knowledge, I was ready to get to New Orleans and gauge whether or not this was true. How invisible was the lower-­class African-­ American class? Were the scholarly ar-­ ticles I read biased? And if they were, just how biased were they? Immedi-­ ately upon landing in New Orleans, I began my search. I quickly found a city acting as if it was not affected by any disaster. Tourism was booming, and Bourbon Street was Ă€OOHG ZLWK SHRSOH GD\ DQG QLJKW 3HR-­ ple from all over the world were crowd-­ ing the local businesses and parks and restaurants, enjoying themselves as if everything had always been this way. But why were people not looking past

Image by Daniel Sitts & Photo by Alyssa Figueroa

D

uring the last week of this year’s winter break, I was for-­ tunate enough to have the op-­ portunity to go on a service trip to New Orleans. I was excited about this trip because I had recently studied New Orleans and the effects of Hurricane Katrina in my Disaster Politics course from the previous semester. One issue that struck me as par-­ ticularly interesting was the idea that the media and national government in New Orleans virtually disposed of an entire population. People affected by the disaster literally became invisible — thrown away as if they were noth-­ ing. I was excited to see whether the is-­ sue was still a reality in the city, seven years after Hurricane Katrina struck. Before I left for New Orleans, I had a basic understanding of Katrina’s ef-­ fects on the NOLA population. After looking at the way the federal government handled Hurricane Ka-­ trina, American cultural critic Henry Giroux explained that the “Bush ad-­ ministration does more than under-­ mine the nature of social obligation and civic responsibility: It sends a message to those populations who are poor and black — society neither wants, cares about, nor needs you.â€? As Giroux mentions in his book Stormy Weather, Bush’s lack of care “reveal[s] the emergence of a new kind of politics — one in which entire popu-­ lations are now considered disposable, an unnecessary burden on state cof-­ fers, and consigned to fend for them-­ selves.â€? Race and social class play a key role in determining who is considered a disposable population — but this isn’t a new phenomenon. U.S. historian Ted Steinberg discusses in his book Acts of God that after the famous earthquake in Charleston, S.C. in 1886: “The sight of large numbers of blacks on the streets became a source of repulsion for Charleston’s whites.â€? In the Katrina situation, unfortu-­ nately, the degradation of lower-­class blacks as a disposable population continued. As Giroux states, “Race re-­ mains the major reason America treats its poor more harshly than any other advanced country. One of the worst storms in our history shamed us into

An Excess of Filth

Beijing burried by extreme consumption By Mimi Reynolds

R

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

esonating in the forefront of the audiences’ consciousness ZHUH LPDJHV RI ÀOWK JDXQW cows slurping around debris to drink from black pools of water, buckets RI XQLGHQWLÀHG VOXGJH SRXUHG into a gulley of goo, suffocat-­ ing dust clouds and hun-­ dreds of acres of garbage.

Image by Kennis Ku

20

During the Finger Lakes Environ-­ mental Film Festival panel discus-­ sion at Cinemapolis on Mar. 31, viewers expressed unanimous feel-­ ings of disgust after watch-­ ing a graphic documenta-­ ry about the colossal waste produced by one of China’s most progressive metropolitans. Wang Jiuliang’s documentary Beijing Besieged by Waste let the images speak for themselves as the ÀOWK\ GHPRQ RI consumerism physically manifested on the big screen. “I am from China, and I had no idea that this was happening. This is shock-­ ing to me,” an audience member said. O r i g i n a t -­ ing as an ini-­ tial photo-­ documentary on Walmart, Wang’s in-­ vestigations caused him to stumble upon more than 400 waste dumps in Beijing. The 11 larg-­ est waste dumps each have 1,400 tons of waste added every day. Among the 460 discovered waste dumps, 75 per-­ cent of them were not government

approved. And by 2014, Beijing’s ODQGÀOOV ZLOO UHDFK PD[LPXP FDSDF-­ ity, inevitably spreading the waste’s territory with the results of illegal dumping. So why should people care? This issue is not in their backyard. 7KH ÀOP·V GLVWULEXWRU .HYLQ /HH UH-­ assures the closeness of the problem. “The waste dumps, on average, are only about 15 kilometers away from the city.” That’s about a 10-­minute drive. And though the people may not see it, they eat it, drink it and breathe it everyday. Seventy percent of the waterways in China are polluted. According to The New York Times, nearly 500 million people in China lack access to safe drinking water. Ambient air pollution alone is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. The Chinese government is not turning a blind eye. Nov. 19, 1991 marked the start of the Beijing En-­ vironmental Project. The proposal stated, “[this] project will address pollution problems associated with air and water quality, and the dis-­ posal of domestic and industrial solid wastes.” The project was closed in 1999. The Second Beijing Envi-­ ronmental Project, approved on June 20, 2000, stated its objective to be “to support visible and sustained al-­ leviation of air and water pollution in Beijing.” The project was closed in 2009. One can see on the Chinese Government Central Web Portal that these two projects do not detail infor-­ mation concerning the outcomes; “a result for this framework is currently unavailable.” Is China a lost cause? Is the gov-­ ernment so gluttonous with its own success that it’s choking on it? In an interview with China Daily, Jiulang proposes the solution to the PRQXPHQWDO DPRXQW RI ÀOWK VXU-­ rounding the city. “When buying something, we should carefully consider if we re-­ ally need it. For example, we can get something environmentally friendly, rather than something like KFC,” Ji-­

cost about $15. The labor involved, the numerous pit stops for the cotton in Savannah to be transformed into the v-­neck in Beijing somehow cost $3.99 on the Target sale rack. This shirt will have a shelf life of about three months before it’s tossed in the garbage and replaced. Cheap is cheap. So why should we care? This issue isn’t in our backyard. Comparing the waste dumps to en-­ vironmental concerns in the United States 40 years ago, Professor of Fi-­ ber Science and Apparel Design at Cornell University Tasha Lewis be-­ lieves this issue is global. “It was more of a domestic issue that people wanted solved because it was affecting their health and their quality of life,” Lewis said. “I think it becomes an international issue when pollution doesn’t stay within a bor-­ der.” China is playing a game of Jenga with its resources. Focusing on ex-­ pansion and growth as a nation with a limited amount of building blocks will inevitably cause the structure to collapse. China cannot take ad-­ vantage of its land forever, but can we trust them to stop on their own? More importantly, can we afford to ZDLW IRU WKHP WR ÀJXUH LW RXW" Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides VSHZHG E\ &KLQD·V FRDO ÀUHG SRZHU plants fall as acid rain on Seoul and Tokyo. According to the Journal of Geophysical Research, much of the particulate pollution of Los Angeles originates in China. A huge swatch of debris is reaching the shores of the United States from Tokyo’s tsunami in 2011. You vote with your money. When you spend money, you are saying this is okay: it is okay to treat your workers this way, to treat the plan-­ et this way. Disposable t-­shirts will dispose of China, and the planet will soon follow. ____________________________________ Amelia Reynolds is a sophomore journalism major who loves her egg-­ rolls fried in swill oil. Email her at ar-­ eynol2@ithaca.edu.

Top Five

Largest Waste Dumps in America This toxic issue is closer to your backyard than you may think. 5. Okeechobee, Florida

2,640,000 tons

Visitors to Okeechobee won’t just see piles of trash; they’ll also get a view of local wildlife. Of the 4,150 acres making up the site, 1,550 have been places in conservation easement, offering visitors a variety of recreation and conservation related activities.

4. Atlantic Waste Waverly, Virginia

2,669,423 tons

-R XLI PERH½PP [EW ½RIH JSV WSQI 8,000 gallons of leachate (a.k.a. garbage juice-which spilled into surrounding wetlands).

2I[XSR 'SYRX] 0ERH½PP Partnership Brook, Indiana

2,692,455 tons

A stone’s throw from Chicago, Newton 'SYRX] 0ERH½PP MW VIWTSRWMFPI JSV XEOMRK a large part of the city’s waste. Chicago residents produce about one million tons of trash per year.

2. Puente Hills Whittier, California

3,756,718 tons

Though Puente Hills is a big player when it comes to waste, taking in a third of Los Angeles County’s trash. It’s also the largest recycling location in the United States, receiving more than one million tons of recyclable materials per year.

1.Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada

3,824,814 tons

Upfront

ulang said. With an emphasis on systemic thinking, Jiulang asserts “we should think that all waste is also a prod-­ uct.” -LXOLDQJ·V ÀOP UHYHDOHG SLJ IDUP-­ ers boiling the garbage from the waste plants to make feed for pigs. $ SRUWLRQ RI WKH VZLOO LV ÀOWHUHG IRU the oil and then sold to restaurants in Beijing. This may not be what Ji-­ ulang has in mind. The glimmering PHWURSROLV RI %HLMLQJ VDFULÀFHV WKH health of its land and its people for the sake of expansion. China’s great-­ est achievement has become its big-­ gest burden. While living in China, television-­ radio professor Charles McKenzie said that the poor air quality caused continual dust corrosion in his nose. “I also had to throw out the clothes I wore from China [upon returning home], for my whites were simply no longer white.” And by throwing away those clothes, the waste perpetuates. More garbage added to the pile, more en-­ ergy used to make new clothes, more dyes and toxins dispersed into the environment. What the textiles purge into the environment is not the only concern. 'XULQJ KHU ÀHOG LQYHVWLJDWLRQ LQ &KL-­ na for her documentary Cotton Road, Laura Kissel painted a picture of the ÀOWK\ HQYLURQPHQW LQVLGH WKH WH[WLOH factories. “There are more environmental protections in the United States than there are in China,” Kissel said. “The air quality, for example, in the cotton gin [in Savannah, Georgia], required YHQW ÀOWHUV WR NHHS WKH DLU FLUFXODWLQJ and clean. Factories can get away with more polluting in China than here.” Kissel revealed her time in the textile factories caused permanent damage to her hearing. “I was only there a handful of times, so imagine someone working in these factories day in and day out without ear plugs…When you pay $3.99 for the t-­shirt, you may think it’s a bargain, but that price doesn’t UHÁHFW DOO RI WKH SRVVLEOH KDUP RU costs that society as a globe has to bear. Think about what the hidden costs are.” To mail this t-­shirt to China would

Residing just an hour north of Sin City, %QIVMGE´W PEVKIWX PERH½PP TVIWIRXP] VIGIMZIW 9,000 tons of waste daily. At 2,200 acres, it has the room to keep pulling in waste at this pace for the next 200 years.

21

I Can’t Hear the Bells

Society’s normalization of divorce By Amanda Hutchinson

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

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or something that is so preva-­ have decreased for any number of lent and dynamic in our culture, reasons, though cohabitation and the the portrayal of marriage and economy are likely the largest factors. divorce is very generalized. Marriage “Cohabitation has become so much has often been romanticized into an more normative,â€? Payne said. “The ideal of two people who are head-­over-­ vast majority of marriages are pre-­ heels for each other that go to their ceded by cohabitation now, and there nearest house of worship, recite their are people that are choosing to co-­ vows and ride off into the sunset in habit and they forgo marriage alto-­ their car with gether.â€? She also aluminum cited economic cans tied to conditions as the back. a factor in In contrast, the decrease, divorce is since many typically de-­ couples do picted as not want to a violent, marry until hateful mess WKH\ DUH Ă€-­ initiated by nancially sta-­ adultery ble. and ending Marilyn in emotional Westlake, an scarring for attorney who the children focuses on di-­ Image by Clara Goldman who are inevi-­ vorce media-­ tably caught in the middle. tion, said divorces were not common-­ Sarah* was married for 15 years place in the past due to societal and before divorcing her ex-­husband in religious taboos, as well as tangles in 2001. Though the divorce was initi-­ the law. In the past, New York state ated by an extramarital affair on his law said that assets belonged only to part, she feels the way the media rep-­ the person whose name was on it, so resents marriage and divorce is inac-­ a person had no right to anything his curate. or her spouse had the title for. This “I think that any movie that shows OHG WR PHVV\ GLYRUFH Ă€JKWV DQG WKH marriage as fun and happy all the state changed the law to ‘equitable time is incorrect,â€? Sarah said. “It’s distribution,’ where each spouse in a PXFK PRUH HPRWLRQDOO\ GLIĂ€FXOW WKDQ divorce has equal right to the value of the media portrays it as.â€? the assets. Regardless of whether these ideal-­ “Now, the titled spouse doesn’t have izations were ever true or not, soci-­ the upper hand,â€? Westlake said. “I ety has changed — both in the way think that was a huge change that al-­ marriage and divorce are experienced lows people to get divorced who oth-­ and in their frequencies. According erwise might have stayed married be-­ to National Affairs, about 50 percent cause they didn’t know what they had of adults are married, and approxi-­ and they had no rights.â€? mately 40 percent of marriages today Conservative and religious groups end in divorce. However, the changes often denounce the changes in both in both marriage and divorce rates because they feel it destroys the sanc-­ are not the result of the trend of ex-­ tity of marriage. However, Rev. David pendability in our society, as celebrity Grimm, minister of the First Unitar-­ marriages and divorces may suggest. ian Society of Ithaca, says that there 5DWKHU WKH\ UHĂ HFW WKH QHHGV DQG is a distinction between the religious wants of people today. marriage and the legal marriage, so Krista Payne, an analyst for the Na-­ the religiosity of marriage is depen-­ tional Center for Family and Marriage dent not on society as a whole but Research out of Bowling Green State rather the people directly involved. University, said that marriage rates “Technically, a marriage is a legal

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agreement that two people promise each other, sign, give their vows, ex-­ change something of worth,â€? Grimm VDLG ´7KHUH KDV WR EH DQ RIĂ€FLDWH RI the state there to witness it and two other people there to witness it, and that’s all that’s required.â€? The religious connotation of mar-­ riage, Grimm said, came from an in-­ terpretation of the Bible that Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was WKH Ă€UVW PDUULDJH DQG LV WKHUHIRUH WKH model. Marriage, then, is a religious commitment in which “you’re prom-­ ising in front of God to be the best partner for each other and ‘‘til death do you part.’â€? He said that the magni-­ tude of this commitment is so impor-­ tant that “you’d have this ceremony to show that this is a sacred, sacred thing.â€? Grimm also said that, in many con-­ gregations, divorce is not always seen as a sin. Instead, they recognize that not all relationships work and staring anew is a good thing. “I know that within Unitarian Uni-­ versalist congregations, not all of them, but some of them actually had rituals that ended the marriage,â€? Grimm said. He said that the concern ZDV Ă€QGLQJ D ZD\ WR HQGLQJ D PDU-­ riage without a lot of anger and suffer-­ ing, so a ceremony was developed that allowed people to make a clean break. After 11 years, Sarah has main-­ tained a good relationship with her ex-­husband, particularly through the “strong co-­parentingâ€? of their children despite the separation. “I would say he’s an awesome ex-­ husband,â€? she said. Maybe then, divorce should not been seen as the throwing away of a marriage, but as the repurposing RI D OLIH UHGHĂ€QLQJ UHODWLRQVKLSV IRU something better for both individuals involved. *Name has been changed to protect anonymity. ____________________________________ Amanda Hutchinson is a freshman journalism major who can’t wait to ride off in a car with the aluminum cans tied to the back. Email her at ahutchi2@ithaca.edu.

Drowning in the Debt

6IQMWW WTIRHMRK SR REXMSREP HIJIRWI HIITIR XLI HI½GMX By Kyle Robertson

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primary causes of wasteful spending. For example, a U.S. initiative instruct-­ ed farmers to stop cultivating poppies in order to cripple the drug trade in the Middle East. While the poppy plant can be used to make opium and other ille-­ gal drugs, it is also many farmers’ sole source of income. Because of this, it is unsurprising that money ends up in the hands of warlords and terrorists. “Throwing money at a problem with-­ out looking at the context of the situ-­ ation is a bankrupt strategy,â€? Barlas said. “You would think the U.S. might have learned something from this in the last hundred years. If these are the peo-­ ple with the power, where do you think the money will end up?â€? Overall, the U.S. military estimates that around $360 million in U.S. tax dollars is now in the hands of the Tal-­ iban, mostly thanks to careless spending and oversight practices. “No amount of money can compensate for the violence and destruc-­ tion that the U.S. has caused in Afghanistan,â€? Barlas said. “It seems to be mostly meant for the U.S. to feel better about itself rather than actu-­ ally help anyone.â€? The Center for Stra-­ tegic and Budgetary As-­ sessment said that even though defense spend-­ ing is at a historic high since World War II, it is consistent with its portion of overall government spending, around 20 to 25 percent, being still affordable. But if wasteful spending practices such as those used in Afghanistan persist, it may not continue to be affordable for long. The effects of this government waste are spurring many legislators to cut funding from other national programs to compensate. The areas often target-­ ed, such as Social Security and Medi-­ care, are the programs that can ill af-­ ford to be downsized. Jennifer Tennant, an assistant pro-­ fessor of economics at Ithaca College, said that while Social Security will face insolvency by 2037 if current patterns continue, the situation is not as bad as it sounds. Older Americans dependent

Throwing money at a problem without looking at the context of the situation is a bankrupt strategy

on the system will receive reduced pay-­ ments, but will not be cut off entirely. Tennant said there are many possible solutions possible to the Social Security problem, including institutionalizing a graduated tax where wealthier Ameri-­ cans would pay more to the program and raising the retirement age. “If 65 years is the average and people are living to 90, why should you have 25 years of retirement?â€? she said. “But what about people who do really manu-­ al labor or have disabilities? There are a lot of pros and cons to consider.â€? During the writing of this article, many attempts were made to contact JRYHUQPHQW RIĂ€FLDOV VSRNHVSHRSOH IRU organizations calling for greater over-­ sight of government spending and jour-­ QDOLVWV ZKR KDG DGGUHVVHG WKH GHĂ€FLW LQ their work. Several New York congress-­ men and representatives of the Citizens Against Government Waste group could not be reached for comment, and one HGLWRU IURP WKH +XIĂ€QJWRQ 3RVW FLWHG being “oversubscribedâ€? as a reason for ODFN RI FRPPHQW ,W LV EDIĂ LQJ WKDW GH-­ spite the serious nature of this issue, DGYRFDWHV RQ ERWK VLGHV RI WKH GHĂ€FLW DU-­ gument are silent when asked for more information. Rob Montana, editor of the Ithaca Times, said the reason sources were not forthcoming could be because journal-­ ists have less time and drive to inves-­ tigate matters of spending and budget. Montana also said the public in gener-­ al is not usually interested in hearing about budgetary and spending debates. “A journalist’s role is to go through the budget line by line to see what money is really being spent on,â€? he said. “We’ve gotten into a very rushed philosophy of getting information out there faster when we should be worried more about just doing it better.â€? Government action alone cannot be depended on to solve the problem of WKH QDWLRQDO GHĂ€FLW ,I HYHU\GD\ $PHUL-­ cans take the time to inform themselves about how their money is really being spent, they could then join with jour-­ nalists and interest groups in demand-­ ing more. ____________________________________ Kyle Robertson is a sophomore journal-­ LVP PDMRU ZKR LV VWXIĂ€QJ KLV PDWWUHVV with his work-­study paychecks. Email him at krobert4@ithaca.edu.

Upfront

e live in an era of both un-­ precedented government spending and a remarkable lack of accountability for what is done with the average American citizen’s tax dollars. While money is continuously shipped overseas to military operations in foreign countries — and sapped from medical and welfare programs — politi-­ cians on both sides of the party line say they are diligently working to reduce the country’s national debt. The most obvious suspect of negli-­ gent spending is national defense. Over the past several years there has been debate as to just how many wars the 8QLWHG 6WDWHV LV Ă€JKWLQJ DW DQ\ JLYHQ time: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and the list goes on. In August 2011, 7KH +XIĂ€QJWRQ 3RVW SXEOLVKHG D UHSRUW Ă€OHG E\ WKH &RQJUHV-­ sional Commit-­ tee on Wartime Contracting on military spending in Afghanistan that contained VWDUWOLQJ Ă€JXUHV The committee reported that around $60 bil-­ lion spent on the war effort in Af-­ ghanistan and Iraq was lost to poor planning, oversight and fraud, amounting to nearly 30 percent of funding that was essentially wasted. Committee mem-­ bers insisted this was a very conserva-­ tive estimate. The committee also esti-­ mated that aside from the drug trade, the largest source of funding for terror-­ ist groups in the Middle East is U.S. dollars, usually diverted from projects in the area for protection money against warlords and insurgents. Ithaca College politics professor and director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity, Asma Bar-­ las, said it is important to understand that most money budgeted to Afghani-­ stan by the United States is not actually Ă RZLQJ LQWR WKH HFRQRP\ EXW LV LQVWHDG going toward sustaining its military forces. Barlas said poor oversight on spending and refusal to look at the larg-­ er social structure in Afghanistan are

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BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

OL. MINISTRYofCOOL. MI

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Another Man’s Treasure

*MRHMRK TVS½X EX XLI HYQT By Kristen Tomkowid

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Photos by Kristen Tomkowid

y family is extremely cheap when it comes to most things. We squeeze every penny, from buying clothes and food when they’re on sale to going to every free giveaway of food or prizes. We even save money by not having our trash picked up. Instead, every weekend my dad and

ture. In some instances, he has found money stuffed inside such books. While he undoubtedly kept the mon-­ ey, he gave the furniture and books to antique dealers, free of charge. Since he did not have to pay anything to get them, he did not think it would be fair to charge him for them. It is not unusual to go through gar-­ EDJH LQ WKH KRSHV RI Ă€QGLQJ VRPH-­ thing great, but it is a little strange the amount my family does. But my IDPLO\ DV ZHOO DV RWKHUV DUH EHQHĂ€W-­ ting from this rummaging. I know my family won’t be giving up the hunt at the dump any time soon. “I pick things up from the dump be-­ cause I think someone can use them: either in our family or someone else. , KDYH XVHG WKHP P\VHOI Ă€[HG WKHP and given them away, donated some items to Goodwill or learned what was wrong with some of the items and got an education on how they work and how they are made,â€? said dad. I suppose as long as someone (in-­ cluding my dad) is enjoying what he or she has then, nothing has gone to waste. ____________________________________ Kristen Tomkowid is a freshman jour-­ nalism major who knows a guy who can hook you up with a sweet bike. Email her at ktomkow1@ithaca.edu.

Ministry of Cool

brothers pack up the car with our gar-­ bage and drive up to the dump and recycling center that are close to my grandma’s house. It may seem like it is not worth the effort, but it does have its perks. The things that have been brought home from those dumpsters over the past decade are astonishing. Our basement, garage, attic and grand-­ mother’s garage are practically full of all this “junk,â€? as my mom puts it. To my brothers and my dad, everything down there has a purpose and is a treasure in its own way. They search, GLJ DQG WKH\ Ă€QG ZRUNLQJ WHFKQRORJ\ or equipment to use it for their own purposes. Because of all this we now own piles of other people’s garbage. My dad, John Tomkowid, sees this as a sort of pastime and a challenge. “The good side to dumpster diving is ‘The Hunt,’ or looking for something of value. Basically it’s a hobby... plus the guys at the dump are like family. Also I have to go to the dump anyway to throw out our garbage!â€? They may have to go there, but they always come back with someone else’s garbage. Irony? Yes, but again there is a good side. :KLOH PD\EH KDOI RI WKH Ă€QGLQJV are rarely used, some items they have found like TVs and computers were things we used in our everyday lives. Rarely did we ever buy a new version

of one of these items. With technology constantly upgrading, people are con-­ stantly tossing out of their outdated models. Up until LCD televisions were popular and cheap, when I came to college, I used a Dell desktop com-­ puter and watched my favorite shows on a Panasonic tube television that we found at the dump. Free stuff sure works for me. On the other hand, there is so much more garbage taken in by my fam-­ ily that has never been touched. My grandma’s garage has 12 perfectly Ă€QH ELF\FOHV in it. But WKHUH DUH RQO\ Ă€YH SHRSOH LQ P\ IDPLO\ Most of the bikes are brand names, too, like Free Spirit, Suteki, and Peu-­ geot and yet they are all just rusting away. My dad has his reasons for it though. “I have so many bikes in the garage because when I was growing up I could not afford a good bike, so I had to piece my bikes together. The bikes that were in the garage are the same makes of the ones I could not af-­ ford. They are old but very well made in Italy, England, France, etc. They will be cleaned up and sold to people who appreciate them.â€? We have been holding to the bikes for years. Maybe one day we will actually get to work on them while they are still worth something? One time, in a stroke of luck, my brother Mike, found a pair of Bose speakers at the dump and sold them for $400 on eBay. 7KDW¡V SXUH SURĂ€W 6R LW LV QRW all bad, and we’re not the only people who collect trash. Saul, from the Olive Bridge Recycling Center, has also en-­ countered some interesting items while working. He said the craziest things he has found were antique books and furni-­

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Golden Oldies

:MRXEKI ERH ERXMUYI WLSTTMRK EVSYRH -XLEGE By Cat Nuwer

I

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

n the last decade, whether we have Mad Men or Zooey Deschanel to thank for it, the trend of antiqu-­ ing has taken an upturn in fashion. Ithaca, a town known for sustainable HQWHUSULVH LV D SHUIHFW SODFH IRU Ă€QG-­ ing vintage clothing and classic home decoration. From tea-­length dresses at Petrune to Victorian-­style teacups at Mimi’s Attic, Ithaca shops have the right tools to send you back to the 40s while remaining environmentally friendly. Kelly Moreland, owner of Mimi’s At-­ tic and Mama Goose, both located on West State Street, embraces antiqu-­ ing in both her stores. Mama Goose, which opened in December 2004, is a second-­hand children’s store that carries everything from sundresses to bicycles. Mimi’s Attic, which opened in June 2010, sells home furnishing items, from kitchen utensils to living room furniture. Both stores have an open door consignment policy, where anyone can come in and sell used items for cash or store credit. “We get the majority of merchandise from people who walk in off the street or contact us,â€? Moreland said. There’s certainly a respect for histo-­ ry in antiquing, but at the same time, the trend of revamping and “upcy-­ clingâ€? allows total creative freedom in

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modern style. It’s a happy me-­ dium, a touch of the past with a stroke of imagination. “Combining newer and older pieces really creates a nice en-­ ergy. Both with second-­hand clothing and second-­hand fur-­ niture, it’s a really fun way to express your taste, style and creativity,â€? Moreland said on the topic of personal taste. Pastimes, an antique store in the Dewitt mall, has been run by owner Adam Perl for 33 years. The store is an ideal SODFH IRU Ă€QGLQJ YLQWDJH DQG costume jewelry and has an assortment of quirky odds and ends like historic postcards, vi-­ nyl records and old-­fashioned cameras. Perl was inspired by his parents to open up shop, as they were antique collectors as well. “I grew up with a lot of really nice things around me,â€? Perl said. “And I always admired their quality, style, material, and pride of workmanship.â€? 3HUO Ă€UVW VWDUWHG FROOHFWLQJ DQWLTXH items in the 60s, when planned obso-­ lescence began to rear its ugly head in American consumerism – a term that applies to merchandise that is de-­

signed poorly or made to throw away. “Things that were made 100 years ago were made to last more or less for-­ ever, and that was what attracted me originally,â€? Perl said. After working as a picker (someone who picks out antique items and then sells them to re-­ tail businesses) for three stores in New York City, Perl settled his business down in the Dewitt mall in 1973, when the building was being remodeled. While some of the merchandise in Pastimes is from individual sellers, Perl also buys from estate auctions – you can check out the items from the store on Ebay or Pastimes’ Face-­ book page. Petrune, a vintage shop locat-­ ed on the Commons, has been a popular site for antique clothing and items since its opening seven years ago by co-­owners Domen-­ ica Brockman, Justin Hjortshoj. The co-­owners, who previously owned an antique store in NYC, meticulously choose the items at Petrune. Lucy Carey, who has

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Tumblr, Twitter and Flickr, great for Ă€QGLQJ RXW DERXW QHZ LWHPV LQ VWRUH The shop also has a supply of new products from brands like Tulle, BB Dakota, Dickies and Salt Water San-­ dals, as well as local items from One Swell Gal (handbags and tees), C Star Studios (metal-­based necklaces and jewelry), Belle Epoch (feather-­studded hair pins), and Cady Fontana (hand-­ made necklaces). “We’re really selective about the

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been working at the store for four years, talked about Brockman and Hjortshoj’s buying methods. “Most of our items come from our owners – they travel all around New York state and buy items wherever WKH\ FDQ Ă€QG WKHP Âľ VDLG &DUH\ The items at Petrune are one-­of-­ a-­kind, ranging from an 80’s style pinball machine to 50s-­era photo books of Marilyn Monroe. According to Carey, vintage dresses and sun-­

Local Antiquing Ithaca is a great place to discover old treasures. There are many places to explore. Make sure to check out these antique shops below for WSQI JEFYPSYW ½RHW

Things that were made 100 years ago were made to last more or less forever, and that Found Located next to Wegmans on Cherry was what attracted me originally. -Adam Perl, Pastimes Owner

glasses are the number one sellers – the dresses range from 40’s style sweetheart dresses to 80’s disco-­ball gowns. The menswear section, on the VHFRQG Ă RRU LQFOXGHV D UHFRUG VHOHF-­ tion and a variety of button-­up shirts, cowboy-­esque boots and Ray-­Ban in-­ spired sunglasses. The store sells its more valuable items on its Etsy page, ZKHUH \RX FDQ Ă€QG WKH OLNHV RI 9LFWRUL-­ an-­style jewelry and 20’s dresses. “On Etsy, we try to have items that DUH WRR GHOLFDWH WR EH RQ WKH Ă RRUÂŤ7KH [items are] a piece of history, not nec-­ essarily a garment to be worn – they’re more of display items,â€? said Carey. Along with Etsy, the store has ad-­ ditional social media sites, including

handmade stuff that we have in the store, and we like it to have sort of a vintage style‌we’d like to think that anything new we carry in the store will be in a vintage store in 20 years,â€? Carey said. Whether you’re dressing as Betty Draper to a themed party or are look-­ ing for a new key piece in your ward-­ robe, Ithaca is a great place for an-­ tiquing when on the hunt for unique items. ____________________________________ Cat Nuwer is a senior writing major who is going on tour as a groupie for Antiques Roadshow. Email her at cnu-­ wer1@ithaca.edu.

Street, the warehouse holds vintage furniture as well as fun smaller items, like porcelain animals and glass slides.

Blue Bird Antiques

Next to the State Theatre, this small shop has a funky yet classic approach, WIPPMRK XE\MHIVQMWX ½KYVIW VIPMKMSYW ½KYrines, jewelry and random items (think miniature bear pill boxes).

Ithaca Antique Center

Out by Trumansburg, this huge center contains tons of jewelry, furniture and decorative accessories like teacups and art prints.

Sheldon Hill

Right by Petrune on the Commons, this vintage store carries jewelry in art deco and costume styles, commonly made with silver and rhinestones.

An old farm building transformed into an antique and consignment shop about X[S QMPIW [IWX SJ -XLEGE XLEX´W ½PPIH with paintings, knick-knacks, and unique JYVRMXYVI ½RHW

Photos by Cat Nuwer

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Ministry of Cool

Antiques @ City Lights

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BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

Incarceration Nation

How the War on Drugs causes money and lives to waste away By Pete Blanchard

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Ministry of Cool

artford, Connecticut, 1967. Eighteen-year-old Clifford Thornton, Jr. is just two weeks away from graduating high school. He and his brothers are eating Sunday morning breakfast when there is a knock at the door. It is Thornton’s grandmother. After exchanging the usual pleasantries, she instructs the gentlemen to JSPPS[ LIV 7LI HVMZIW XLIQ XS E ½IPH of abandoned cars. Underneath one of the cars lies the body of a naked woman, dead from an apparent heroin overdose. 29 It is Thornton’s mother.

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

There are no words to describe this feeling. The event had a life-­changing effect on Thornton. When he came to his senses, there was one thought that came to mind: All illegal drugs should be eradicated from the face of the Earth. Three years later, Congress would pass the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. ,Q 5LFKDUG 1L[RQ ZRXOG Ă€UVW use the term “war on drugsâ€? to de-­ scribe the government crackdown on drug abuse. “We must wage what I have called total war against pub-­ lic enemy number one in the United States: the problem of dangerous drugs,â€? Nixon declared during a press conference in 1972. In 1973, the Drug Enforcement Administration was created to en-­ force such laws. The goal of the war on drugs was to deter consumption, production and distribution of all illegal drugs. Over the years, how-­ ever, Thornton noticed that the war on drugs had done little to solve the problem of drug abuse and, in fact, had made the situation even worse. “As I watched my native Hartford, Conn., go downhill decade after de-­ cade, seeing more and more money being put into this drug war, arrest-­ ing more and more people, I began to study the issue even more,â€? Thornton said. In 1995, Thornton founded an or-­ JDQL]DWLRQ FDOOHG (IĂ€FDF\ D QRQSURĂ€W group that promotes drug policy re-­ form through education. In 1997, he left his job at a telephone corporation to pursue his passion of drug policy reform, and has been organizing and speaking around the world ever since. He is also on the advisory board for the National Organization for the Re-­ form of Marijuana Laws (NORML). “I retired early and have since ded-­ icated my life to ending the war on drugs,â€? Thornton said.

Lock Down The war on drugs has created a huge boom in the domestic prison population. With over two million people in prison, the United States has the highest incarceration rates in the world, a factoid that should be repeated by media outlets every day. 7KH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV PDNHV XS MXVW ÀYH percent of the world’s population, but it contains 25 percent of the world’s prison population. Since the 1980s,

the U.S. has intensely ramped up its drug enforcement policies, incarcer-­ ating individuals for minor drug of-­ fenses, including drug use and pos-­ session. In 1986, Congress passed the Anti-­Drug Abuse Act, which cre-­ ated a 100 to one sentencing dispar-­ ity for crack vs. power cocaine pos-­ session. Today, over half of prisoners in the U.S. are locked up on drug-­re-­ lated charges. Prisons have also become a boom-­ ing business. State governments are turning to private prison companies WR DOOHYLDWH EORDWHG EXGJHW GHĂ€FLWV ,I states let private companies run and operate the prisons, the logic goes, then that’s less money the state has to spend on public employees. The Corrections Corporations of America and the GEO Group Inc., the two largest private prison companies in the world, have been extremely suc-­ cessful in convincing state govern-­ ments to privatize their prisons. The Ă DZ LQ WKLV ORJLF LV WKDW VWDWHV DUH still spending billions of dollars to maintain these growing prisons. The CCA and the GEO Group are two very powerful lobbying groups that have a vested interest in maintaining the war on drugs. The state of California has priva-­ tized the majority of its prisons. In 2011, California spent more on pris-­ ons than it did on education, dishing out a whopping total of $9.6 billion to prisons, compared to $5.7 billion on higher education. Cali-­ fornia’s reincarceration rate is the highest in the nation, with seven in every 10 individuals returning to prison. The racial disparities among drug convic-­ tions are also alarming. Two-­thirds of all pris-­ oners on drug charges are people of color. Ac-­ cording to the Bureau of Justice, in 2006 there were 3,042 black male prisoners per 100,000, compared to 1,261 His-­ panic male prisoners per 100,000 Hispanic ales. The ratio for white males: 487 per 100,000. Rick Cusick, associ-­ ate publisher of High Times Magazine, argues that the war on drugs is

largely a war on young people, espe-­ cially minorities. “It’s a power trip in a lot of ways. Cops on the streets, judges on the courts, marijuana is a tool to them, their badge and a gun,â€? Cusick said. “They don’t want to give up that tool.â€? Ithaca College senior Evan Nison, founding board member of the Ithaca College chapter of Students for a Sen-­ sible Drug Policy, has made reform-­ ing marijuana law a personal goal. He says that reforming marijuana law and decreasing incarceration rates are issues that go hand in hand. “The war on drugs is mostly target-­ ing people under 25, especially Afri-­ can-­Americans,â€? Nison said. “They’re either minorities or young people. The rich upper class can do what they please, but if you’re young, black or Latino, you have to follow the law.â€? About half of all federal inmates are serving time for drug offenses. The recidivism rates in the U.S. — the likelihood that an ex-­convict will return to prison within a few years after being released — are around 60 percent. This is attributed to the fact that prisoners who are released are unequipped for post-­prison life. Unemployment among ex-­convicts is around 60 percent, with the average annual income at around $22,000. “We should be focusing our atten-­ tion on reducing recidivism rates,â€? Nison said. “The recidivism rates are extremely high, and it’s because

By Zachary Anderson

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Unlikely Adversaries Some of the most vocal critics of the war on drugs are coming from the right. One of the most surpris-­ LQJ SXEOLF Ă€JXUHV WR FRPH RXW DJDLQVW the war on drugs is Pat Robertson. An ex-­Baptist minister and televi-­ sion evangelist, Robertson’s politics are often disputed even by those on the right. He has denounced homo-­ sexuality and feminism, and argued

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uador and El Salvador called on the United States to end the drug war. President Obama rejected their plea, saying instead he would only con-­ sider alternative drug policies. Rath-­ er than learning from the lessons of the past, the Obama Administration has stepped up federal enforcement of drug prohibition laws, raiding dis-­ pensaries in states where medical marijuana has been legalized (federal law trumps state law), most notably its recent raid on Oaksterdam, a uni-­ versity in Oakland, California that trains its students for the cannabis industry. 7KH :KLWH +RXVH 2IĂ€FH RI 1DWLRQDO

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WKH\¡UH Ă€OOLQJ SULVRQV WKUHH RU IRXU times over capacity, treating them like shit in these jail cells, and releas-­ ing them and expecting them to act like normal citizens.â€?

It’s a power trip in a lot of ways. Cops on the streets, judges on the courts, marijuana is a tool to them, their badge and a gun

Drug Control Policy recently released its 2012 National Drug Control Strat-­ egy, and the template for drug policy remains largely unchanged. Despite the public outcry against the war on drugs, the Obama Administration’s drug policy is nearly identical to that of previous administrations. Almost 800,000 Americans are arrested ev-­ ery year for low-­level marijuana pos-­ session. When talking about the war on drugs, the discussion inevitably turns toward marijuana, and for good reason. Federal and state pro-­ grams combined, about $12 billion is spent on enforcement of drug prohi-­ bition policies each year, and about $8 billion of that is directed toward marijuana. Cusick argues that the war on drugs could not exist without mari-­ juana. “The war on drugs is a war on marijuana,â€? Cusick said. “The reason marijuana is still illegal is because too many people make too much money off the current system.â€?

The Portugal Model Faced with record high numbers of HIV cases among hardcore drug us-­ ers, Portugal decriminalized personal drug possession in 2001. Portugal began treating personal drug use as

____________________________________ Pete Blanchard is a senior journalism major that has only been to the slam-­ mer once. Email him at pblanch1@ ithaca.edu.

31

Ministry of Cool

that people have the power to ward off natural disasters through prayer. But during his “700 Clubâ€? program on the Christian Broadcasting Net-­ work, Robertson denounced the war on drugs as a failed policy. “I just think it’s shocking how many of these young people wind up in prison and get turned into hardcore criminals because they have a small amount of a controlled substance,â€? Robertson said. Hardcore conserva-­ tive anti-­tax lobbyist Grover Norquist asks, “How much do we spend on in-­ carceration? Are we getting our mon-­ H\¡V ZRUWK" :KDW LV WKH FRVW EHQHĂ€W analysis?â€? Libertarian and Republi-­ can presidential candidate Ron Paul recently told an audience of over 4,000 at Cornell University that he thinks the war on drugs is more dan-­ gerous than the drugs themselves. While public opinion continues to lean toward a policy of legalization rather than criminalization, drug policy has remained the same. Gil .HUOLNRZVNH GLUHFWRU RI WKH 2IĂ€FH RI National Drug Control Policy, said he would no longer use the term “War on Drugs,â€? calling it counterproductive, and yet the same hardline stance toward drugs persists. At a recent summit in Central America, the pres-­ idents of Columbia, Guatemala, Ec-­

a public health issue rather than an issue of law enforcement. Drug ad-­ dicts are targeted with therapy rather than punishment. While possession is no longer considered criminal, JURZHUV GHDOHUV DQG WUDIĂ€FNHUV DUH still charged with criminal penal-­ ties. Those caught with possession of small quantities of drugs are issued summons, and the user is treated as a patient rather than a criminal. While drug use initially spiked after drugs were legalized — mostly among people already using drugs — in the past 10 years drug use by teenag-­ ers has declined while treatment has doubled. Thornton said Portugal’s program has been highly successful at both treating drug addiction and reducing crime rates. “Heroin maintenance stops crime and violence right there in its tracks,â€? Thornton said. “Once it comes under medical supervision, a form of legal-­ ization, it cuts out the drug dealers.â€? Portugal’s overall success proves there are alternatives to prohibition to combat drug abuse. “If [the war on drugs] was about getting people off of drugs, we would have effective treatment programs in this country,â€? Thornton said. “We don’t have them. The war on drugs is not about treatment. It’s about mon-­ ey, power and control.â€? Despite the billions of dollars that have been funneled into federal, state and local anti-­drug programs every year for the past four decades, the il-­ legal drug industry is thriving, every drug is cheaper and more available, and drug use is at an all-­time high in the United States. The facts are out there, and a recent Gallup poll found that 50 percent of Americans support marijuana legalization. While many Americans are not yet able to stom-­ ach the thought of legalizing hard-­ core drugs, the push for marijuana legalization is gaining popularity. “We are at the tipping point,â€? Cu-­ sick said. “It’s no longer a matter of if the war on drugs will end, but when.â€?

Buzzsaw Goes Pinterest % (-= 8 WLMVX WGEVJ

By Chloe Wilson +RZ PDQ\ IUHH W VKLUWV GLG \RX JHW GXULQJ \RXU Ă€UVW semester at IC? Too many? Me too. While the free clothes are nice, they’re not exactly things that I want to include in my everyday ward-­ robe, but they are great materials for DIY makeovers. I took a free t-­shirt and turned it into a decorative scarf in less than thirty minutes. What You Need: ‡7 VKLUW ‡6WULS RI FRPSOLPHQWLQJ FORWK 25 DGGLWLRQDO FORWK from the t-­shirt ‡6FLVVRUV ‡+RW JOXH JXQ ‡2SWLRQDO GHFRUDWLYH EHDGV EURNHQ MHZHOU\ HWF

How to Make It

Cut your t-shirt from armpit to 1 armpit lengthwise and dispose of the top part of your t-shirt (the part with the sleeves).

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

2 3

Take the part of the shirt you just cut and cut off the bottom hem.

4PEGMRK XLI GPSXL SR E žEX WYVJEGI XLI long way, cut 3/4 inch to 1inch wide strips from one looped end to the other, leaving around 3/4 inch uncut at the top.

4

Pull on each strip and let it curl. This will give each of the strips a tube-like shape.

5

Gather all the strips together at the un-cut section so you have them all together in a loop. Holding the scarf up in the air will make it look like a looped scarf.

by ection uncut s er e v th o p u f cloth o Cover e c ie e p t. If you gluing th tion of the shir t u c , t por of cloth the uncu an extra piece p part of e v a e h m th to ie don’t cloth fro usly cut) and t f o e c ie io v e a p r p u at yo t-shirt (th he section. t d n u adding it aro scarf by cover r u o y lize can Persona elements. You e v oken jew ti r a b r n o i c th de lo c ls e d e e e of add anything the piec , buttons and e snazz to m ds elry, bea ink of. Add so t gluing on o th n y a b bon h etc. you c er or rib chain, buttons, th a e l r , s you d a e b welry, some je w scarf! rand ne b r u o y Try on

6

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Chloe Wilson is a sophomore TVR and scriptwriting major who is crafty like ice is cold! Email her at cwilson6@ithaca.edu.

32

The Re-Circle

(-= FPSKW VITYVTSWI JSV E TYVTSWI By Kacey Deamer Image by Kacey Deamer

R

tips, recipes and more.â€? Emma said their motivation behind the blog was the ability to test out new projects and share them with their readership. “We have a passion for learning new things, experimenting, approaching problem solving with an excited and creative attitude,â€? she said. “And we like that the handmade life can be quite budget-­friendly.â€? (PPD VDLG EH\RQG WKH VHOI VXIĂ€-­ ciency and budget-­friendliness of DIY projects, it allows for a distinctive and personalized style not found in strip mall stores. “We love unique things, things with a story behind them, and we adore giving new life to old items,â€? Emma said. “That’s part of where our love of all things vintage comes from, but also just the idea of using something that would have gotten thrown out for a new purpose is exciting.â€? For example, repurposing projects featured on A Beautiful Mess have included: an old sweater to a knit hat, a paper shopping bag to crafty mail packaging, vintage thermoses WR Ă RZHU YDVHV %H\RQG WKRVH (PPD and Elsie also have sewing tutorials, which can be done with new fabric or old sheets and clothing. Brittany also said she thinks that the U.S. is a disposable society, and QRWHG WKDW ODQGĂ€OOV ZLOO EH VKXW GRZQ

simply because they are full. ´+RZ PDQ\ ODQGĂ€OOV GR ZH KDYH Ă€OO EHIRUH ZH DUH ZLVHQHG XS WR RXU throw-­away ways?â€? she asked. “I al-­ ways try to throw away as little as possible. I prefer to give worn out or tired objects a new lease on life.â€? In the CNN article on DIY fashion, the blog P.S. – I made this... was fea-­ tured. Erica Domesek, author of the blog and book of the same name, told CNN her motto is, “Re-­imagine, reuse and reinvent: I see it. I like it. I made it.â€? Domesek focuses on education through her tutorials and inspiring readers that any beautiful bag from the runway can be easily recreated. Many home improvements can be accomplished without the assistance of a contractor, and Pretty Handy Girl takes on everything from painting projects to bathroom remodels. Brit-­ tany began her blog after realizing she didn’t have the time to help her less-­ handy friends with projects. Her blog is not just an outlet for project ideas, but also an educational tool to inspire others. “My mantra is ‘If a human being can do it, then there is a 95 percent chance that you can do it too,’â€? she said. ____________________________________ Kacey Deamer is a junior journalism and environmental studies major who transformed her jeans into jorts. Email her at kdeamer1@ithaca.edu.

Ministry of Cool

euse, recycle, repurpose and redesign are all factors of the Do-­It-­Yourself movement and all help to keep cash in the wallet and trash out of the dump. Many see the DIY movement as a money-­saving, self-­empowering hobby. However, many craft projects begin as redesigns or repurposing of items already in the home. This is es-­ pecially true for interior design and fashion DIY projects, which have re-­ cently become popular in the blogo-­ sphere. Making headlines since the eco-­ nomic decline, the DIY movement has found multiple platforms to share ideas and projects with the public. There is now a television channel, DIY Network, dedicated to home projects. However, the Internet remains the fastest growing platform. DIY blogs, from fashion to farming, are innumer-­ able and their readerships continue to grow. A CNN article on DIY fashion blog-­ ging noted two readership bases: those who are frugal in their purchas-­ HV DQG WKRVH ZKR FDQ QHYHU Ă€QG WKH ULJKW Ă€W RU VW\OH LQ VWRUHV 7KLV LV WUXH for home improvement, gardening and other DIY projects. Homemade projects allow for personalization and cost-­savings, as well as the self-­sat-­ isfaction of saying “Actually, I made it,â€? when someone compliments that ‘new’ dress or throw pillow. Brittany, author of the popular home improvement and DIY blog Pret-­ ty Handy Girl VDLG WKH VHOI VDWLVĂ€HG feeling is a component of her contin-­ ued dedication to the blog. “The sense of accomplishment you get when you complete a project is huge,â€? she said. “It’s like a mini adrenaline rush. I want everyone to have that experience and to be able to learn something from my tutorials.â€? Emma and her sister Elsie maintain the blog A Beautiful Mess. Elsie intro-­ duces the blog’s purpose in the About section of the site as: “a Style blog that focuses on creating a beautiful life. My goal is to promote an inspired lifestyle through fashion, handmade and pretty things. I believe in making everyday life special, so that’s what I try to inspire through handmade projects, fashion tutorials, hairstyling

33

Something Old, Something New, Always Borrowed ;LIR ERH [L] HMH XLI QSZMI MRHYWXV] FIGSQI WS HIWTIVEXI# By Rachel Maus

C

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

inema has always been a me-­ dium that has astounded and amazed people of all genera-­ tions and backgrounds. The expres-­ sion “the magic of cinemaâ€? is not too far off from the truth. Sadly, it will take more than applause and pixie dust to keep it going. In a world in ZKLFK D Ă€OP OLNH Twilight can break ER[ RIĂ€FH UHFRUGV WKHUH LV OLWWOH KRSH that the “magicâ€? will last much lon-­ ger. Maybe it’s just the changing times, but it seems as though for the last ten years, the theaters have been Ă€OOHG ZLWK FUDS DQG WKH UDUH ZRUWK-­ while movie -­ usually coming from the same few directors like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese or Chris-­ topher Nolan, who have been mak-­ LQJ TXDOLW\ Ă€OPV VLQFH EHIRUH PRYLHV were reduced to big budget shit-­ VKRZV 1RZ Ă€OPV KDYH EHJXQ WR GH-­ teriorate in quality (once again, I give you Twilight). So, has this generation just been the downfall of high cul-­ WXUH" $UH Ă€OPV IRUHYHU GRRPHG WR EH reduced to stale close-­ups of angsty teenagers and million-­dollar action sequences “just becauseâ€?? T h e

34

future of cinema seems pretty grim. Not to mention, our society is slow-­ O\ JHWWLQJ GXPEHU 1RW VFLHQWLĂ€FDOO\ (obviously) but culturally. We either do not have the time to engage our-­ VHOYHV LQ FRQYHUVDWLRQV DERXW Ă€OP and art, or we are simply not inter-­ ested. This very well may be due to the decline of quality entertainment RSWLRQV ,W VHHPV DV WKRXJK Ă€OP KDV RQH VSHFLĂ€F WDUJHW DXGLHQFH LQ PLQG the teenage demographic. It is almost as if studios are forgetting about old-­ er generations, or they simply do not care about people who maybe want something more thought-­provoking. 6WHYHQ *LQVEHUJ D ZULWHU Ă€OP EORJ-­ ger and professor at Ithaca College’s Los Angeles Program, says that stu-­ dios would, in fact, consider this a wide target audience. “What I think they would say to you is that it is broad in that teen-­ age boys and girls are the core mov-­ ie-­going audience. ... they don’t think people over 50 are going to go to the movies with any consistency. But I believe they will if there’s something they really want to see,â€? Ginsberg said. So the problem now becomes that films are being m a d e not for a wide variety of people, but for the group of people who the studios think are going to the movies most often — WKH VDPH SHRSOH ZKR Ă€QG entertainment in Jersey boys on steroids going tanning, and 16-­year-­ olds getting pregnant. It seems to be a vicious cycle. Ginsberg went on to say that studios don’t Image by Kieu Anh care that per-­

haps the older generation wouldn’t want to see a movie like Transform-­ ers or Twilight, because they’ll put RXW D Ă€OP OLNH The King’s Speech or The Artist for them at the end of the year. These movies will receive the acclaim from the Academy of Motion Pictures for Old White Men, but they will not be the summer blockbust-­ ers that have people dressed up and waiting for the midnight premiere. Imagine dressing up as King George IV or Margaret Thatcher and lining up at the mall. Chances are it won’t have the same effect as dousing one-­ self in glitter as a Cullen or waving a tree branch muttering “Crucio!â€? to anyone who dares cut the line. Holly Van Buren, who co-­teaches a class dedicated to learning about Hollywood and American Film at Ithaca College, says that the ability to cross mediums is what makes stu-­ GLRV VR LQWHUHVWHG LQ PDNLQJ D Ă€OP and what, in turn, makes people ob-­ sess over them. “Once we had George Lucas create Star Wars, it’s like a lightbulb went off and [the studios said] ‘If we can make movies that we can make toys for and Happy Meals and theme park rides, we can make a ton of money,’â€? Van Buren said. This trend is clearly visible in re-­ cent years. Out of the top 10 gross-­ LQJ Ă€OPV RI RQO\ RQH ZDV QRW a sequel (The Smurfs). Every one of WKH WRS Ă€OPV KDV VR PDQ\ FRPSR-­ nents that can be exploited through different mediums — whether it’s DFWLRQ Ă€JXUHV DQG WR\V D PRYLH soundtrack, or even a multi-­million dollar theme park. “What the studios want is for the movies to become a cultural phenom-­ enon,â€? Ginsberg says. “They want it to become more than the movie [be-­ cause] they are pre-­sold commodi-­ ties. If you already have a story that was really successful (i.e. The Hunger Games), the studios think: ‘Why not? Why wouldn’t this work as a movie?’ and they also have a pre-­sold audi-­ ence. So, why not do that rather than take a chance on some writer [who] sat in a room and wrote an original

“

Case in point: the new Amazing Spider Man Ă€OP 6RPH PD\ DUJXH valiantly against the reboot coming out this year, but from the perspec-­ tive of a self-­proclaimed Spider Man DĂ€FLRQDGR LW PDNHV PRUH VHQVH WKHQ the absurdity that was Spider Man 3. The original comic books spawned several spin-­offs, some taking place in universes other than the original, telling alternate stories. The new Ă€OP VWLOO NHHSV WR WKH RULJLQDO VWR-­ U\ Âł KRZHYHU WKLV Ă€OP RIIHUV PRUH depth to each character and more of a reason to root for the web-­slinger. It’s not so much a reboot as a differ-­

“

screenplay — because how do they know anyone is going to be interested in it?â€? This trend was also evident in 2009, when James Cameron’s mega-­ hit Avatar EHFDPH WKH Ă€UVW Ă€OP WR gross over two billion dollars. Avatar is essentially a mash-­up of Pocahon-­ tas and Fern Gully, and it earned three hundred million dollars. In the 1990s, only two of the top 10 gross-­ LQJ Ă€OPV ZHUH VHTXHOV Toy Story 2 and Star Wars: Episode I. So, what’s changed? Perhaps it was the constant need for something fa-­ miliar. Or maybe Hollywood has just

What the studios want is for the movies to become a cultural phenomenon...They want it to become more than the movie [because] they are pre-sold commodities. - Steve Ginsberg, Ithaca College Professor

ent perspective. Also, Kirstin Dunst’s whiney Mary Jane is replaced by Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, which we can all be relieved about. Oh, and maybe it will restore some of the bad-­ assness that the musical version, Turn Off the Dark, jazz-­squared out of the franchise. Luckily, there may be hope for the IXWXUH RI Ă€OP DV JULP DV LW PD\ DS-­ pear. After all — isn’t it always dark-­ est before the dawn? Perhaps a new JHQHUDWLRQ RI Ă€OP VWXGHQWV ZLOO VZRRS in and save the day. Van Buren of-­ fers us a glimpse of hope, even for the present. ´7KHUH DUH VWLOO JRRG Ă€OPV EHLQJ made,â€? she said. “You just have to Ă€QG WKHP Âľ ____________________________________ Rachel Maus is a freshman cinema and photography major who refuses to see Titanic in 3D. Email her at rmaus1@ithaca.edu.

Ministry of Cool

RIĂ€FLDOO\ UXQ RXW RI LGHDV ,W VHHPV as though all of our childhood shows and cartoons are either being made into some over-­hyped extravaganza made by Michael “my movies have of-­ Ă€FLDOO\ EHFRPH FOLFKpV RI WKHPVHOYHVÂľ Bay, or a painfully dragged-­out CGI. Besides that, some of the most clas-­ sic movies ever made are in the works for remakes, including 2000’s Ameri-­ can Psycho. That’s right. According to gossip guru Perez Hilton and later FRQĂ€UPHG E\ The Washington Post, a Ă€OP PDGH MXVW OHVV WKDQ WZHOYH \HDUV ago is getting a reboot. This is not to say all reboots should be condemned to the $2.99 bin at the local carwash. Familiarity can work sometimes when it’s not a direct copy (see — or rather spare yourself the pain of seeing — the 1998 Vince Vaughn remake of Psycho). While America does not need a reboot of An-­ nie, The Birds, or War Games, there LV VRPH VHQVH WR PDNLQJ D Ă€OP VXFK as Tim Burton’s campy re-­telling of the cult TV series Dark Shadows. Af-­ ter all, Scarface was a remake. There PXVW EH D UHDVRQ IRU WKH Ă€OP WR EH remade, with motivations other than the convenience of not having to be FUHDWLYH RU RULJLQDO 7KHUH¡V D Ă€QH line.

35

Letting Yourself Go

;LIR ]SY WXST GEVMRK EFSYX FIEYX] WXERHEVHW

By Kaley Belval

36

Sophomore Rebecca Billings feels that by not following conventional standards, she considers herself beautiful. “It’s been so hard because there DUH VR PDQ\ LQĂ XHQFHV WKURXJK WKH media and through advertising com-­ panies, through beauty companies, through surgeries, the way that celeb-­ rities present themselves and the way that people who are looked up to ap-­ pear,â€? Billings said. People are often treated much dif-­ ferently by society if they don’t make an effort to “en-­ hanceâ€? Image by Alexis Lanza

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

I

t is often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but is that re-­ ally true? In many ways, women and men are held to a societal stan-­ dard of how they should appear. Un-­ fortunately, t h i s creates a so-­ ciety in which any-­ o n e who devi-­ ates from these stan-­ dards is con-­ sidered to be “letting him/ herself go.â€? Professor Whisman teach-­ es a beauty unit in her Introduc-­ tion to Wom-­ en’s Studies course. She feels that there is one single standard of beauty in the Unit-­ ed States to which all women are compared. “As much as people sometimes say, ‘Oh, you know, beauty is ZKHUH \RX Ă€QG LW DQG all of that kind of thing,’â€? Whisman said. “I don’t think in this culture that we act very much like beauty is where \RX Ă€QG LW Âľ Throwing away one’s conventional standards of appearance is often de-­ Ă€QHG E\ ZRPHQ FKRRVLQJ QRW WR ZHDU makeup, dress up, straighten their hair, or wear contacts. But often it is also by subscribing to an unconven-­ tional beauty ideal.

their appearance. “You know, [using] expressions like, ‘let yourself go’, ‘just doesn’t care any-­ more,’ that kind of thing‌ and so she’s seen as deserving to be treated badly or to be looked on as lesser than because she hasn’t been willing to work at [her appearance],â€? Whisman said.

7KLV LV H[WUHPHO\ GLIĂ€FXOW WR GHDO with, especially when one tries to see him or herself as attractive in a so-­ ciety that may not consider them as such. “If one woman believes that she’s beautiful without wearing any make-­ up or doing her hair or taking a show-­ er, then it’s not going to make a differ-­ ence if every single other person that she interacts with still doesn’t see herself that way,â€? Billings said. She even pointed out the lyrics to the song “What Makes You Beautifulâ€? by the band One Direction. She said that she found it catchy, until she heard the lyrics in the chorus: “You don’t know you’re beautiful/that’s what makes you beautifulâ€?. In Bill-­ ings’ mind this idea propagates the negative standards behind beauty, since girls who are attractive are still QRW VXSSRVHG WR EH FRQĂ€GHQW “I do think I’m pretty, and I think pretty much everyone’s pretty. But it’s OLNH RQFH \RX KDYH WKDW FRQĂ€GHQFH it’s threatening to people,â€? Billings said. Whether people subscribe to con-­ ventional beauty standards or not, they should not be told they’re throwing their appearance away. With personal appearance being such DQ LQGLYLGXDO FKRLFH LW LV GLIĂ€FXOW WR determine who or what is considered attractive. ____________________________________ Kaley Belval is a freshman documen-­ tary studies and production major who is beautiful no matter what you say/ words can’t bring her down. Email her at kbelval1@ithaca.edu.

The Untold Fairytale

% KIRVI HIJ]MRK QYWMGEP TVIQMIVIW EX -XLEGE 'SPPIKI By Lucy Walker

“

What if we wrote a lesbian fai-­ rytale musical? Why are there no musicals about lesbians?!â€? That’s how Sara Stevens remembers the initial brainstorm for The Lesbian Fairytale Musical, a new show written by juniors Will Shishmanian and Sar-­ ah Kasulke. The idea emerged during Stevens’ visit last May when the junior drama major, aspiring to be a theatre director, returned to campus after a semester away at the National Theatre Institute in Connecticut. “I came back for a weekend,â€? she said, “And it just became this baby.â€? Shishmanian sings and plays the JXLWDU WUXPSHW DQG SLDQR WKH Ă€UVW three lovingly, the last begrudgingly. For the junior music composition major, the desire to write a musical is nothing new — he even considered it for a possible post-­undergraduate SDWK 'XULQJ KLV Ă€UVW \HDU DW FROOHJH he began writing a show about a girl he was involved with. However, the ro-­ PDQFH Ă€]]OHG RXW DQG KLV PRWLYDWLRQ did, too. By the start of his junior year, armed with new inspiration, he had acquired the writing skill and control to stick with the project. The experienced com-­ poser writes lyrics and music for class, his ska band at home in Connecticut, and solo and group performances in Ithaca. When he performs around town or on campus, his vivacious and friendly demeanor makes it easy for his creativity to emerge. But this time around, something was off with his writing process. “I was trying to write music and lyrics and arrange it all at one time, which is fuck-­ ing ri-­ diculous,â€? he said. He then made a

choice that musicians and writers of-­ ten underestimate: He took a break. And it worked. Then, during the break between se-­ mesters, he pushed himself to wake up early every morning to write for a few hours, and the creators all set deadlines for each other. In less than WKUHH PRQWKV 6KLVKPDQLDQ Ă€QLVKHG 16 songs about Addy, a lesbian prin-­ cess forced to court a neighboring kingdom’s prince to calm relations be-­ tween kingdoms. Sarah Kasulke, who has written hu-­ mor for The Ithacan, performed stand-­ up routines on campus, and run the Onion-­style news radio show “Libert-­ wee News Radioâ€? on WICB, wrote the book behind the songs. It’s a new fron-­ tier for the junior TV-­R scriptwriting major — unless you count the time she and a friend angrily re-­wrote Thor-­ oughly Modern Millie for drama club in tenth grade. Her involvement began last spring when Shishmanian approached her. They met up over the summer and ended up imagining Addy, her fairy godfather Gary, Prince Dimitri, and his sister Princess Dahlia, whom Addy falls for. Kasulke modestly describes herself as the Steve Wozniak to Shishmanian’s Steve Jobs and the book as “basically the space between songs.â€? “We could be doing The Three Little Pigs and Will would still write an epic, epic score,â€? Kasulke said. She says the book is mostly funny and light, aside from a few serious moments. According to Stevens, the book sounds like “pretty typical Sarah Kasulke — funny, witty writ-­ ing.â€?

Ministry of Cool

“It’s about acceptance ... How in-­ credibly stupid it is that you have to navigate [being gay], that it’s an issue, that it’s something that must be dealt with,â€? Kasulke said. Good-­naturedly labeling herself as “the only current lesbianâ€? involved in the musical’s creation, Kasulke seems WR EH LQĂ XHQFHG E\ QRW RQO\ KHU ZLGH experience in comedic writing but also the world of media in which she hopes to work. For her, this musical is about why “being gay and in loveâ€? can be a problem for some people. “If you’re a little gay kid, you want WR VHH \RXUVHOI UHĂ HFWHG LQ VRFLHW\ <RX don’t want to have to sit there and see the same heterosexual love story play out all the time.â€? On April 27, 13 actors, 8 musicians, Stevens and Shishmanian, will pre-­ miere the show in Presser Hall in the Whalen Center. ,W¡V WUXO\ DERXW KRZ OHVELDQV FDQ Ă€W into fairytales, but not in an overdone or didactic way. It’s the world of 20th century happy endings ĂĄ la Disney — knights and fairies among dragons and castles, but no medieval vocabu-­ lary or Shakespearean sonnets. The socio-­cultural issues relevant to homo-­ sexual love will become clear against the mythical backdrop. “Especially in fairytales, every girl is taught to love Prince Charming,â€? Ka-­ sulke said. “And every guy is taught to be That Guy. But fuck that, sometimes you’re not the damsel in the distress. Sometimes you’re a couple of dam-­ sels.â€? Stevens loves that the main charac-­ WHU ZLOO EH D FRQĂ€GHQW OHVELDQ LQVWHDG of a stereotype or a sidekick. ´, WKLQN >WKLV@ Ă€OOV D YRLG LQ WKH PXVL-­ cal genre. There’s no musical I know of where there’s a lead lesbian,â€? Stevens said. When the songs hit the stage, lots of hope will be on display: hope for possible careers, hope for a good per-­ formance, and maybe even hope for a shift in viewpoints. But mostly, it will be a fun, funny musical about two princesses who won’t conform to the genre they’re stuck in. “No more B plots,â€? Stevens said. “A plots for lesbians!â€? ___________________________________ Lucy Walker is a sophomore drama and Spanish major who always thought the prince in Sleeping Beauty was gay. Email her at lwalker2@itha-­ ca.edu

Photoby Amy Obarski

37

RAW SAW

Concert Review

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

We Are Scientists

FROM THE

38

Flashback to 10th grade for a second. No, not YOUR tenth grade, MINE. I had ridicu-­ lously curly brown hair and brand spankin’ new braces. But that’s not the important part, the important part is that I was also in–fricking-­love with Keith Murray of We Are Scientists. I borrowed my mom’s credit card to buy an “I are scientistsâ€? t-­shirt and would frequently daydream about being the love interest in one of the band’s quirky music videos in which I would obviously kiss Keith. )DVW IRUZDUG Ă€YH \HDUV DQG \RX FDQ LPDJ-­ ine my excitement when I heard that We Are Scientists was coming to Ithaca on April 14th and playing a free show in Emerson Suites. 7KLV ZDV WKH Ă€UVW WLPH ,¡G HYHU VHHQ 7+( /29( 2) 0< /,)( LQ WKH Ă HVK DV D WK grader I obviously didn’t have the means to see them live. They didn’t disappoint the high school fan-­ girl inside me. I got to Emerson early and planted myself front row and center. It was packed with a much rowdier crowd than at other Emerson concerts I’ve been to. When WKH EDQG Ă€QDOO\ FDPH RXW EHHUV LQ KDQG WKH crowd was already pretty antsy, but it took about three songs in until we were all prop-­ erly dancing. And then — we were DANCING. We Are Scientists played an eclectic mix of their three albums, but the crowd responded EHVW WR KLWV IURP WKHLU Ă€UVW DOEXP With Love and Squalor, such as “The Great Escapeâ€? and “This Scene Is Dead.â€? What made the show so mind-­blowingly fantastic was the band’s relationship with the crowd. You could tell they were surprised by the crowd’s size and raucousness and they bounced banter off us like comedic pros.

When a group of guys behind us held up a sign that said, “Keith, My Body is Your Bodyâ€?, referencing the song “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurtâ€?, bassist Chris Cain quipped that the guys obviously wanted Keith as some sort of Olympic coach. When that same group tried to push my friend Shaza on stage to get her to stage dive, Keith yelled into his microphone, “Well you HAVE to make her do it now!â€? So she did, and started a long chain of stage div-­ ers and crowd surfers, which meshed quite well with the throbbing mosh pit. Of course, the most infamous part of the night was during the last song, “After Hours,â€? when Keith said, “Ithaca College paid for this stage! IT’S YOURS.â€? My friends and I looked at each other wide-­eyed thinking, “Does he mean what we think he means?â€? EHIRUH UXVKLQJ RQVWDJH $ERXW Ă€IW\ NLGV IRO-­ lowed suit and soon the tiny wooden stage was shaking under the weight of so many sweaty students jumping up and down screaming along with the band, “SAY! THAT YOU’LL STAY.â€? I obviously made a beeline for Keith and ended up on his right side, brush-­ ing right up against his jean jacket. We Are Scientists proved to me that night that they weren’t just a band for my lonely 15-­year-­old self to love. They were JUST as kickass (per-­ haps even more?) for a relatively more ma-­ ture 21-­year-­old me. For four minutes and under the imminent threat of falling through a shaky stage to my death, I could believe (even if just in my head) that my megacrush and I had shared a moment. -­ Brennin Cummings

Concert Review

Empire

The Yips & Second Dam

8LI =MTW TIVJSVQMRK

The unexplainable sound of the music of Sec-­ RQG 'DP Âł LQĂ XHQFHG E\ EDQGV OLNH *RRG 2OG War, Dispatch and the Red Hot Chili Peppers — became apparent as they kept the crowd danc-­ ing with their opening song “Walk Across The Country.â€? To lead singer K.C. Weston’s surprise, the crowd knew every word to the band’s origi-­ nal songs. “I have these amazing band mates who make this band what it is, but hearing people sing along? That’s what gets me personally,â€? Weston said. “All I really do is write, and as a lyricist, hearing people sing those words back? The feel-­ ing can’t be described.â€? The band took a unique approach to The Police’s “Roxanne,â€? as Weston sang it with im-­ mense passion and a growling tone. They also took on The Strokes’ “Somedayâ€? and added their own liveliness to it. The combination of Brian Schmidt’s electric violin and Kayla Sewell’s cello with Zack Jones’ electric guitar and PJ Scott’s bass with Nick Ciccantelli — who sat in for Andrew Weir — pro-­ vided a solid foundation of distinct beats. As fantastic as the music was, the crowd truly made the show what it was. The togetherness between friends and strangers was due to the one thing everyone had in common in that mo-­ ment: the music was awesome and the energy was high. -­Robyn Schmitz

Imagine: you’re trekking through the woods. There is a foot of snow on the ground and the temperature is barely breaking 18 degrees. Everything in your body is telling you this is FUD]\ <RX Ă€QDOO\ UHDFK \RXU GHVWLQDWLRQ D foot drop over a waterfall into frigid cold water. Shit’s about to get real. You’re about to kayak right over the edge‌ For the boys in Empire: The Whitewater Story, this is a favorite pastime. Empire: The Whitewater Story is a documen-­ tary directed by avid whitewater kayaker Dan-­ iel Doran, which chronicles the adventures and misadventures of his fellow kayaking colleagues as they explore the rivers of upstate New York. For those of you unfamiliar with whitewater kayaking, you may think this movie’s topic might not immediately grab your attention, but it should. And it does. The movie is chock full of impressive stunts, beautifully shot from a wide variety of creative and strategic angles. The shots from the Go-­Pro cameras on the kayaks were some of the best in the entire movie.

But besides the killer shots, the movie was surprisingly human. The commentary through-­ RXW WKH Ă€OP SURYLGHG LQ GHSWK LQVLJKW ZLWKRXW ZKLFK WKH Ă€OP ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ EORDWHG DQG self-­promoting. It created a balance that put the movie into perspective. You understood and ap-­ preciated the rush and excitement of the kayak-­ ers and the extreme skill involved in the sport. Even if you are not a kayaking fanatic, this movie is a must-­see. Before I watched Empire, I KDOI H[SHFWHG WR ZDWFK D Ă€OP WKDW RQO\ FDWHUHG to the kayaking community, leaving myself and everyone else who does not partake in the sport excluded. But Doran went beyond the aspect of making a movie simply about kayakers. He PDGH D Ă€OP DERXW D JURXS RI IULHQGV VKDU-­ ing in the experience of doing something that they love; even if it does involve running on two hours of sleep and paddling in freezing water. -­Sydney Fusto

39

Ministry of Cool

6IPIEWIH (IGIQFIV

Upon entering The Nines on March 23, one was enveloped with a typical Friday night in the Collegetown scene: 20-­somethings scattered around the bar, adolescents spread through-­ out the restaurant area, all awaiting live perfor-­ mances from local artists. The amount of people dispersed throughout the small setting gradual-­ ly increased and the air buzzed with chatter. As The Yips took their places on stage, the crowd’s noise level dropped and was replaced with the sound of an alternative rock/funk garage jam. Lead vocalist and guitarist Sampson Bandes’ UDVS\ YRLFH SLHUFHG WKURXJK WKH DPSOLĂ€HUV crashing perfectly with bassist Jack Simons’ sound. The drums came in and tied the instru-­ ments together, adding passion to the perfor-­ mance. Their complex beats separate them from the mainstream. The variety of genres ranged from blues to funk to eerie sound effects to rock. The groove they projected got people up on their feet, and by the end of the set, nearly everyone was EXLOW XS ZLWK HQWKXVLDVP 7KH <LSV¡ Ă€QDO VRQJ a cover of the infamous “Misirlouâ€? made famous from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, had people UXQQLQJ WR WKH GDQFH Ă RRU $IWHU WKH VHW WKH\ exited the stage leaving energy and adrenaline swirling through the airwaves. The crowd mingled about as Second Dam set up their equipment, preparing for their set that would include string instruments, electric guitars, bass guitars, a ukulele, drums and vo-­ cals. The diverse instruments blended together SHUIHFWO\ WR SURGXFH D VRXQG WKDW¡V GLIĂ€FXOW WR categorize.

Hit It, Spit It, Quit It By Anonymous

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

T

he logistics of gay male sex are supposed to be pretty simple — straightforward, even, if you can forgive the pun. You’ve got two dudes, two dicks, two mouths, and four hands in the mix — it’s very easy to conceptualize what sexual reciprocity looks like. You make out with each other. You give each other hand jobs. You give each other blowjobs. You top. You bottom. You switch. It’s not that challenging. That’s what I thought — until I learned the hard way (the very, very hard way) that sometimes the ground rules of sexual reciprocity need to be explicitly established. Should I start carrying a diagram in my pocket? It was just past midnight on Wine Wednesday, and I was on my third JODVV RI &DEHUQHW 6DXYLJQRQ Ă RDWLQJ with an appropriately mild mid-­week buzz. The boy on the couch and I had hooked up once before, and I was proud of myself for being back for Round 2 — somewhat because the boy was cute, but mostly because it was one date more than I usually got out of cute boys. We had been talking for two hours, not touching, but I was getting tired and he was jabbering on about something positively uninteresting. I decided to subtly let him know that I was ready to go to bed by swinging my leg over his lap, straddling his body, and saying, “That’s so interesting,â€? just before cutting off his next thought with a kiss. We quickly found the couch to be a choreography nightmare and moved to the bedroom. His playful but deliberate push landed me onto the bed, and soon, he was in push-­ up stance while I craned my neck up WR KLV OLSV DQG NLVVHG KLP , Ă€QJHUHG

40

each of the buttons on his red plaid shirt and pulled it off, continuing to run my hands down his back and around his waist. I waited for him to take off my shirt, ready to move on. I paused for an awkward amount of time and gave him a look that said, this is the part where we get naked, before realizing that he had no intention of taking my clothes off. I gave him a second hint by unbuttoning and unzipping his pants, revealing his large, not-­quite-­straight penis. No underwear. He smiled, muttered, “Surprise!â€? and I did one of those half-­smiles that attempted to hide my inner cringe. He reached up his hands, pulled my face toward his, kissed me, and then SUHVVHG WZR Ă€QJHUV RQ ERWK RI P\ shoulders. You know, I wouldn’t mind a blowie, he implied. I gave in, reaching down to his waist and getting to work. And damn, this shit was work. His natural curvature was an unwelcome visitor in my mouth, forcing me to uncomfortably rock my head back and forth. After a few minutes, I came up for an air break and switched to my hand, which he permitted for a few seconds before eagerly pressing me down again: “Come on, dude, I’m almost there.â€? OK. Home stretch, I thought. The Little Blowjob Machine That Could chugged along for another few minutes before he half-­whispered, “I’m gonna come.â€? With my mouth still occupied, I rolled my eyes. What are we, 16? Is the warning thing really still necessary? Your legs are insanely tensed up, you’re making strangely restrained groaning sounds, and I’m already tasting salt. I think I know that you’re

“gonna come.â€? I get how it works — I have one, too. He rested for a minute before getting up, wiping himself off on an old Cats T-­shirt, slipping on a pair of shorts, and getting back into bed. “Wow. That was amazing,â€? he said, letting out an enormous sigh. “I GHĂ€QLWHO\ RZH \RX RQH Âľ I was still sitting in bed and I couldn’t believe my ears. “What? Owe me one?â€? “I am fucking exhausssssssssted,â€? KH VDLG ZLWK D GUDPDWLF Ă RXULVK WKDW only the most self-­centered of gay men can muster. “Tomorrow for sure.â€? He smiled, trying to reassure me with his eyes. Unable to produce words, I got up to leave. I pulled on my underwear, grabbed my coat, raced to get my shoes on, and went to leave in an offended huff. It wasn’t until I picked up my car keys that I remembered I was still drunk. Fuck. I had to stay the night, sleeping next to the guy who was too lazy to follow the basic rules of reciprocity. “Tomorrow for sureâ€? never worked out. I woke up early, muttered goodbye and left. His room was clean, and I left no trace of the night before. My mouth was like a cheap condom — use it once, make sure there’s no messy clean-­up, and throw it away. ,¡P QHYHU JRLQJ Ă€UVW DJDLQ ____________________________________ 7KLV ZLOO EH WKH Ă€UVW LVVXH RI %X]]VDZ that this writer doesn’t show to his parents.

Prose & Cons

&CONS. PROSE&CONS. PROSE

41

Fida’ By Emma Markham

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

7LI GPSWIH XLI FSSO TPEGIH MX SR XLI XEFPI ERH ½REPP] decided to walk through the door. It was built with three cracking wood beams and mounted on a step of concrete FPSGOW 8LI TVE]IVW LMWWIH SYX FIX[IIR LIV TYGOIVIH PMTW EW WLI GPYRK XS IEGL SJ XLIMV [SVHW VIP]MRK SR XLIMV TS[IV XS

42

GLERKI XLI JEXI SJ [LEX PE] FI]SRH XLI VSWI[SSH FEVVMGEHI *SV HE]W XLI JSYV [EPPW SJ XLI QSWUYI LEH WLEOIR VYQFPMRK [MXL XLI ER\MIX] TVSZSOMRK [IMKLX SJ ER EPEVQ GPSGO XLEX RIZIV KSIW SJJ EX XLI VMKLX XMQI 7LI LEH WEX FPEROIXIH SRP] F] LIV S[R EVQW ERH XLI ORS[PIHKI XLEX WSQIHE] WSQILS[ MX would stop. She had memoVM^IH IEGL TVE]IV IEGL WSRK each chant and had wrapped herself in them until she felt RIEVP] MRZMWMFPI IRSYKL XS escape. Her parents had taken her and her little sister to the QSWUYI XLI HE] XLEX XLIMV neighbors’ house had been FSQFIH F] E WXVE] LSQI QEHI KVIREHI 8LI] LIPH LIV MR XLIMV EVQW WS XMKLXP] XLEX she thought she was going to pass out. She knew enough not to protest, but the grip of her mother’s arms around her small frame frightened her. It scared her more than the screaming children and the ¾EQMRK FSHMIW 8LSWI TISTPI LEHR´X XSYGLIH LIV XLI] LEHR´X [VETTIH XLIQWIPZIW EVSYRH LIV ERH WUYII^IH 8LI] LEHR´X taken her wrist and led her to her room, where she had to pack her backpack full of food, water, and her worn-out Qur’an. 7LI SZIVLIEVH LIV QSXLIV and father speaking in hushed tones outside of her door. 8LI] [LMWTIVIH [MXL WYGL MRXIRX XLEX WLI ORI[ XLI] were formulating a plan about something. The door slammed in a blur of confusion and TERMG FILMRH XLIQ 8LI] [IVI RS PSRKIV LSQI 8LI] [IVI LIEHMRK MRXS ER IQTX] LEYRXIH -QEKI F] >EGLEV] %RHIVWSR mist.

She sat, perched on the toilet lid, until the sun rose and TIEOIH MXW HVIEV] I]IW XLVSYKL XLI WQEPP FEXLVSSQ [MRHS[ 7LI FIKER XS X[MXGL EW XLI PMKLX LMX LIV I]IW 7LI WPMH HS[R SJJ SJ XLI PMH WS XLEX WLI GSYPH TII MRXS XLI XSMPIX *MHE´ WPS[P] unlatched the lock on the door and opened it just enough to ½X SRI I]I ;LEX WLI WE[ TEVEP]^IH LIV TMIGIW SJ WTPMRXIVIH [SSH WXVI[R SR XLI ¾SSV EPQSWX FPEROIXMRK XLI SPH FIEVHIH QER ERH LMW KVEZI SJ HVMIH FPSSH 7LI ZSQMXIH SRXS XLI ¾SSV SYXWMHI SJ XLI FEXLVSSQ 3RGI LIV FSH] LEH ½RMWLIH VIXGLMRK WLI WPS[P] STIRIH XLI HSSV IRSYKL XS WUYII^I SYX 7LI TMGOIH YT E [SZIR QEX SR LIV [E] XS XLI FSH] *MHE´ XLIR FIKER XS PE] XLI QEX SZIV XLI HIEH QER´W JEGI ERH YTTIV FSH] [LMGL GSRXEMRIH XLI [SYRH ERH WE] E JYRIVEP TVE]IV MR XLI WXVSRKIWX ZSMGI WLI GSYPH QEREKI [MXLSYX KEWTMRK MR HMWKYWX She called out the name of her sister until her throat turned raw. Silence. She called for Mama and Baba. Silence. She HMH RSX GV] 8LI WXMRO SJ XLI FIEVHIH QER OITX LIV JVSQ IEXMRK ER] SJ XLI JSSH XLI] LEH TEGOIH -RWXIEH WLI ORIPX FS[IH ERH VIGMXIH WMPIRXP] XLI XI\X SJ LIV LSP] 5YV´ER 8LI [SVHW HMH RSX VIKMWXIV MR LIV QMRH ;LEX WSSXLIH LIV [EW XLI FS[MRK XLI VIEWWYVERGI IZIV] XMQI XLEX XLI ¾SSV [SYPH FI XLIVI 8LEX MX would be hard and cold, and that she wouldn’t fall through it as her forehead touched the ground. She sat for three sunrises and three sunsets. No more TISTPI IRXIVIH XLI QSWUYI 7LI [EW EPSRI 8LI SRP] RSMWIW WLI LIEVH [IVI XLI TEWWMRK SJ GEVW XEROW QSXSVG]GPIW ERH VS[H] JSVIMKRIVW NSOMRK MR )RKPMWL 8LI] WIIQIH WS LETT] WS JYPP SJ PMJI 7LI [SRHIVIH MJ XLI] [IVI GLMPHVIR XSS 7LI [SRHIVIH MJ ER] SJ XLIQ [SYPH ORSGO SR XLI HSSV ERH GLIGO MJ WLI [EW SOE] &YX XLIR EX HE]FVIEO SJ XLI JSYVXL HE] SJ WSPMXYHI WLI LIEVH MX E WSJX [IEO ORSGO EX XLI HSSV 7LI WLYJ¾IH SZIV XS it on her knees and pushed her ear to the crack between the door and its frame. She heard nothing other than the bustle of JSSX XVEJ½G ERH XLI GVYWL SJ XEROW HIQSPMWLMRK XLI IEVXL FIneath them. She knocked back on the door and heard a small whimper in response. She knocked again, and was interrupted F] E TMIVGMRK GV] WLEHS[IH F] E GVEGOPI SJ WQEPP WXSRIW EKEMRWX XLI HSSV 8LIR XLI RSMWI [EW IRKYPJIH F] E WSYRH WS PEVKI MX IVEWIH EPP LYQER WIRWIW 7LI ½REPP] LIEVH WMPIRGI WLI ½REPP] LIEVH RSXLMRK 7LI ½REPP] GPSWIH LIV FSSO SJ TVE]IVW breathed in her strength and her courage. She breathed in her JEMXL ERH LIV PSZI TYX XLI FSSO SR XLI XEFPI ERH STIRIH XLI door.

43

Prose & Cons

The streets were deserted. Cold, silent bodies hid behind IEGL HSSV FYX XLI EPPI]W [IVI SGGYTMIH SRP] F] XLI HYWX XLEX QSYVRW FSQFW 7LI GPSWIH LIV I]IW ERH JSPPS[IH LIV EVQ [LMGL [EW FIMRK TYPPIH EPSRK F] LIV QSXLIV´W W[IEX] KVMT 7LI TPE]IH XLI KEQI XLEX LIV QSXLIV LEH XEYKLX LIV [LIRIZIV XLI OMHW EX WGLSSP WXEVXIH XS TMGO SR LIV 7LI GPSWIH LIV I]IW breathed in the scent of a cool beach breeze, and imagined XLEX WLI [EW MR E [SVPH [LIVI XLI WERH [EW FSVHIVIH F] oceans, instead of more sand. She clung on to that image for as long as she could, until she heard the weeping at her side. ,IV PMXXPI WMWXIV SRP] WM\ ]IEVW SPH LMH FILMRH E FPEGO GYVXEMR XLEX VIZIEPIH SRP] LIV MRRSGIRX XIVVM½IH FMK FVS[R I]IW 8LI] PSSOIH YT EX LIV [MXL E TPIEHMRK WS HIWTIVEXI XLEX EPP WLI GSYPH HS XS WXST JVSQ XIEVMRK YT LIVWIPJ [EW PSSO E[E] 7LI TYPPIH LIV WMWXIV MR XS LIV WMHI ERH HMHR´X GPSWI LIV I]IW EKEMR %W XLI] VSYRHIH XLI GSVRIV EX XLI IRH SJ XLI WXVIIX LIV father breathed out a Shukran, and she saw the tinged white HSQI SJ XLI QSWUYI GSQI MRXS ZMI[ The silence of the place made it seem unreal, like it was XEOIR JVSQ E QSZMI WIX 8LI SRP] WXMVVMRK GVIEXYVI [EW ER SPH QER [MXL E PSRK KVE] FIEVH SR LMW ORIIW MR XLI GIRXIV SJ XLI GMVGYPEV VSSQ ,I [EW QSRSXSRSYWP] FS[MRK XSYGLMRK LMW JSVILIEH KIRXP] XS XLI ¾SSV ERH XLIR VEMWMRK LMW FSH] YT XS VIZIEP XLI ^EFMFE MR FIX[IIR LMW FYWL] I]IFVS[W ,I QEHI RS RSMWI FYX WLI GSYPH WII LMW PMTW QSZMRK MR XLI JEQMPMEV WLETIW SJ TVE]IV 8LMW VITIXMXMSYW QER ERH XLI GPSYH SJ WYVVIEPMWQ XLEX LI GYPXMZEXIH QEHI LIV JIIP WEJI 7LI ORI[ XLI QSWUYI [IPP WLI LEH WXYHMIH MR MXW GSVRIVW JSV ]IEVW 7LI LEH QIQSVM^IH LIV WQEPP XSVR 5YV´ER [LMPI WMXXMRK SR XLI WSJX [SZIR QEXW 8LMW [EW E TPEGI JSV %PPEL 8LMW [EW E TPEGI JSV PSZI 0SZI EPSRI HSIW RSX EP[E]W WLMIPH XLI TISTPI ]SY GEVI JSV though. It did not take long for the knocks to come, loud and LEVH 8LI] LEH NYWX ½RMWLIH E WQEPP QIEP SJ JVYMX [LIR XLI pounding began. Her father pushed her and her sister in the HMVIGXMSR SJ XLI FEXLVSSQW 7LI MRWXERXP] KVEFFIH JSV LIV WMWXIV´W LERH FYX JIPX MX WPMT SYX NYWX EW WLI VER MRXS XLI ½VWX WXEPP and huddled up on top of the toilet seat. She rocked back and forth, like the man who still bobbed his head in the middle of XLI TVE]IV VSSQ ;LIR XLI HSSV WQEWLIH STIR WLI TVIWWIH LIV LERHW SZIV LIV IEVW PIEZMRK XLIQ HEQTIRIH FYX ZYPRIVEFPI 7LI LIEVH E QER´W ZSMGI YRJEQMPMEV ERH EKIH ]IPP WSQIthing inaudible and then explode in a chilling bang. She began to hum, still rocking in her arms. She sang the PYPPEFMIW SJ LIV ]SYXL E ]SYXL XLEX WIIQIH XS LEZI ZERMWLIH in an instant. She clung to the lilting words as if off in a distant PERH *VSQ [LEX WIIQIH PMOI E [SVPH E[E] WLI LIEVH XLI QYJ¾IH WLVMIOW SJ E [SQER´W ZSMGI ,IV QSXLIV GVMIH SYX LIV REQI ±*MHE´ *MHE´ *MHE´ ² &YX WLI [EW WS JEV E[E] %PP XLIVI was were the songs in her head and the warm, rocking of her FSH] 8LIVI [EW E PSYH GVEWL XLEX WSYRHIH PMOI XLI WTPMXXMRK SJ E [SSHIR GLEMV JSPPS[IH F] E TS[IVJYP GV] XLEX GER SRP] FI FSVR JVSQ ]SYRK LIEPXL] PYRKW ERH XLIR RSXLMRK

A Pure Medley &] %HIPMRI 2MIXS 8LMW MW RSX EFSYX XLI HIFEXIH GPEWL SJ GMZMPM^EXMSRW &YX EFSYX XLI ZMFVERX GSRXMRYSYW FPIIHMRK SJ GYPXYVIW

8LMW MW JSV XLI %QIVMGERM^IH EWWMQMPEXIH MQQMKVERXW´ GLMPHVIR 8LI IZSPZMRK IGPIGXMG KIRIVEXMSR ;LS RIZIV TYVTSWIP] PIJX FILMRH ER MHIRXMX] ;LS RIZIV TYVTSWIP] HIGMHIH XS TPS[ JSV[EVH ERH ;LS RIZIV TYVTSWIP] WXSTTIH VI¾IGXMRK FEGO This is for those who inhale the desire to recount histories %RH I\LEPI XLI HIWMVI XS HMWGSYRX XLIQ

8LMW MW RSX JSV Q] KVERHTEVIRXW SV IZIR JSV Q] QSXLIV SV JSV Q] JEXLIV .SVKI 8LMW MW JSV Q] WMWXIV ERH JSV Q] FVSXLIV +ISVKI ;LS IEX PYQTME ERH OEVI OEVI ERH TSPPS WEPXEHS ERH EVITE MR XLI WEQI [IIO ;LS WE] %] REOY TS ERH %]] E]] E]] ERH 8MXE ERH 8uE ;LS XER ERH JVIGOPI HVE[MRK GSRWXIPPEXMSRW SR I\TSWIH ¾IWL %XXIQTXMRK XS GSRRIGX ¾IIXMRK WLSSXMRK WXEVW ;LS WMX WMHI F] WMHI ERH EVI QMWXEOIR JSV 2SX FVSXLIV ERH WMWXIV SV IZIR GSYWMRW But friends

This is for those of us who are the artifacts of a marriage Of two humans that originated on opposite sides of the world ;LS GLSSWI XS VIQIQFIV VSSXW JSV XLI WEOI SJ HMZIVWMX] %RH XS JSVKIX XLIQ JSV XLI NS]SYW WEOI SJ WMQTPMGMX]

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

8LMW MW JSV XLSWI SJ YW [LS PSRK JSV WXVSRK JEQMP] VIYRMSRW 8LEX ¾S[IV JVSQ SYV FVERGL SR XLI GEGXYW (IPMGEXIP] WIXXPIH EXST WTMRIW *SV XLSWI [LS LEZI RIZIV [MXRIWWIH XLIMV QSXLIV´W VIPEXMZIW ERH XLIMV JEXLIV´W VIPEXMZIW Relate %RH [LS GSRWIUYIRXP] JSVJIMXIH [SVPH TIEGI EX E ]SYRK EKI This is for the ones who pump tangoing mixed blood 3J IRXMXMIW RSX UYMXI [LMXI ERH RSX UYMXI FPEGO 2SX UYMXI MRHMKIRSYW ERH RSX UYMXI MRZEWMZI For the dancers who mirror twisting kaleidoscopes 1SVTLMRK MRXS FIEYXMJYP WIIQMRKP] KVEGIJYP TEXXIVRW SJ GSPSVJYP FIEHW *SV XLI GLEQIPISRW MR XLMW [SVPH SGGYT]MRK Q]VMEH FSHMIW SJ PERH -RUYMWMXMZI XS PMZI FI]SRH ERH XLIVIJSVI PIEZI XLI JEQMPMEV

44

8LMW MW JSV Q] NSYVRI]W XS E QSXLIVPERH ERH XS Q] MQTIVMEPMWX JSVIJEXLIV 8LEX SRP] VIWYPXIH MR QSVI I\GPYWMSR ERH GSRJYWMSR 8LMW MW JSV ½KLXMRK EKEMRWX FIMRK GSQQSHM½IH ERH I\SXM½IH *SV SZIVGSQMRK XVMTPI XLI WXIVISX]TIW Triple the ignorant remarks %RH XVMTPI XLI GEVMGEXYVIW This is for educating schoolmates that Filipino is spelled with an F %RH GEJq S[RIVW XLEX 'SPSQFME MW WTIPPIH [MXL ER 3 8LMW MW JSV XLI YRHIVWXERHMRK XLEX E LEPJ SV E UYEVXIV SJ E REXMSREPMX] More often eliminates me from the group rather than adding me in 8LMW MW JSV XLI EFMPMX] XS GLSSWI [LMGL JEGIX XS MHIRXMJ] [MXL 3RP] EJXIV - LEZI EREP]^IH [LMGL [SYPH FI QSWX GSRZIRMIRX *SV GEPGYPEXMRK E [MXX] VIWTSRWI XS ±;LIVI EVI ]SY JVSQ#² %RH JSV FIGSQMRK WS HEQR GSRJYWIH [LIR 3JJIVMRK E PMXIVEP VIWTSRWI XS XLI TLMPSWSTLMGEP UYIWXMSR ±;LEX EVI ]SY#² 8LMW MW JSV XLSWI SJ YW [LS LEZI MRIZMXEFP] FIGSQI EGGITXMRK SJ EPP [EPOW SJ PMJI %JXIV SYV S[R [EPO MR PMJI *SV XLSWI [LSWI LEPJ PMJI ERH IZIR UYEVXIV PMJI GVMWMW 2IZIV UYMXI PIEZIW WLSVI FIGEYWI XLI MHIRXMX] GVMWMW MW WXMPP SYX EX FE] Running the length of the marathon

8LMW MW JSV XLSWI SJ YW [LS LEZI XLI ORS[PIHKI SJ RSQEHW Thumb tacking regurgitations and hegemonic spiels Learning to hate 8LI FSVHIVW ERH GEXIKSVMIW ERH YRJSVKMZMRK HI½RMXMSRW 7SGMIX] [SVOW WS LEVH XS GVIEXI ERH YTLSPH The ethnocentricism and xenophobia That scares and scars

Prose & Cons

%RH PIEVRMRK XS PSZI 8LI XVERWGIRHIRGI ERH EQFMKYMX] 8LEX GSQIW [MXL XLI GSQTPI\MX] MR MRXIVWIGXMSREPMX] 8LI WIPJ HMWGSZIV] ERH WIPJ EGGITXERGI Initiating genuine engagement =IX XLMW MW TVMQEVMP] JSV XLSWI SJ YW [LS ;LMPI [I QE] LEZI WEGVM½GIH [SVPH TIEGI 7XMPP ½RH XLI IRIVK] XS RYVXYVI MRRIV TIEGI &IGEYWI [I ORS[ XLEX [MXL HIIT VSSXIH HMWGSZIVMIW ;I QE] I\XVETSPEXI SYV ½RHMRKW ERH SYV EQIRHW *VSQ E WEQTPI SJ WIPJ XS E TSTYPEXMSR SJ TPIRX] Inspiration: Linda Christensen’s “For My People” poems

45

Apple Tree &] %RSR]QSYW

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

±;LSWI TERXW EVI XLSWI#² “Mine.” - PSSOIH HS[R EW - WEMH MX XLI [SVH QYJ¾IH MR XLI FIRH SJ Q] XLVSEX - TYPPIH YT XLI NIERW - LEH WPITX MR F] Q] FIPX PSSTW &IXL HMH RSX PSSO GSRZMRGIH 7LI WGS[PIH ±8LI]´VI LYKI ² - EPQSWX WQMPIH [LIR WLI WEMH MX Q] JEGI WXMPP XYVRIH HS[R XS[EVH Q] NYXXMRK LMT FSRIW ±2SX VIEPP] ² She snorted in disgust. Her coat was on, scarf dangling in XLI WTEGI FIX[IIR XLI PETIPW 1] FEVI JIIX [IVI GSPH SR XLI OMXGLIR PMRSPIYQ 7LI PSSOIH EW MJ WLI [ERXIH XS WE] WSQIthing, her lips pursed, words almost bursting through pink lip KPSWW &YX WLI XYVRIH E[E] MRWXIEH WPEQQMRK XLI HSSV SJ SYV apartment behind her. &IXL ERH - [IVI JVMIRHW TVMQEVMP] FIGEYWI - YWIH GSVVIGX KVEQQEV MR XI\X QIWWEKIW ERH WLI EP[E]W LEH WTEVI GLERKI JSV XLI TEVOMRK QIXIVW ;I QIX EX XLI GEQTYW LIEPXL GIRXIV HYVMRK GSPPIKI - [EW XLIVI XS PMI EFSYX Q] [IMKLX ERH XS QEOI WYVI Q] FPSSH TVIWWYVI I\MWXIH &IXL LEH GSQI EJXIV E GVSWW GSYRXV] QIIX FEKW SJ MGI XMIH XS LIV WLMR WTPMRXW -X´W E [SRHIV [I JSYRH ER]XLMRK XS XEPO EFSYX EX EPP I opened the cabinet and pulled out the box of cereal I [EW WYTTSWIH XS IEX JSV FVIEOJEWX IZIV] QSVRMRK - XSSO SYX XLVII XMR] GSVR TYJJW ERH GVYWLIH XLIQ MRXS HYWX - WTVMROPIH XLIQ SZIV XLI XEFPIWTSSR SJ QMPO MR XLI FSXXSQ SJ E GPIER bowl. I placed it in the sink with a spoon. I poured a cup of black coffee and drank it while I dressed for work. *** I ignored the turning heads at the tinkle from the bell SR XLI HSSV - [SVOIH MR XLI YTWXEMVW SJ½GI SJ 'MX] 0MKLXW &SSOWXSVI ERH 4YFPMWLMRK 'SQTER] FEWIH MR 7ER *VERGMWGS - [EPOIH WXEVMRK EX XLI [SSHIR ¾SSV [EZMRK XS XLI GEWLMIV FIJSVI EWGIRHMRK XLI WXEMVW XS XLI WIGSRH PIZIP TSIXV] ERH LMWXSV] ERH XLIR EKEMR XS XLI XLMVH ¾SSV IQTPS]IIW SRP] - RIEVP] XVMTTIH SZIV XLI RI[ FSSO SVHIV SR XLI SXLIV WMHI SJ the door. ±2EXLER ;L] LEWR´X ER]SRI QSZIH XLIWI#² - GEYKLX Q]WIPJ FEVIP] ERH HVSTTIH Q] FEK XS FEPERGI Q]WIPJ 2EXLER ETTIEVIH MR LMW SJ½GI HSSV[E] ±7SVV] ² ,I LEH E WTSSR HERKPMRK JVSQ LMW QSYXL E ]SKYVX GYT in one hand and a pen in the other. The pen had exploded. It [EW HVMTTMRK XLMGO FPEGO MRO MRXS E TSSP SR XLI ¾SSV - WXEVIH EX MX [LMPI 2EXLER PSSOIH WSQI[LIVI SZIV Q] WLSYPHIV - OMGOIH XLI FS\IW MRXS E GSVRIV ERH WLSSO Q] LIEH EPP XLI [E] XS Q] HIWO ±8LIVI´W E RI[ QERYWGVMTX SR ]SYV HIWO - [ERXIH ]SY XS take a look at.”

46

2EXLER LEH JSPPS[IH QI WXMPP IEXMRK SYX SJ XLI GYT 1] WXSQEGL KVS[PIH [LIR - WE[ XLI ¾YJJ] TMRO ]SKYVX - TPYKKIH MR Q] GSJJII TSX ±(MH ]SY VIEH MX EPVIEH]#² ±=IEL - XLMRO GLETXIV WIZIR ERH RMRIXIIR RIIH WSQI [SVO FYX - XSPH XLI KY] ]SY GSYPH IHMX MX JSV RI\X [IIO ² ±8LEX [EW RMGI SJ ]SY ² ±'EPQ HS[R .EGO - GER XIPP LMQ ]SY GER´X MJ ]SY GER´X ² 2EXLER GEPPIH QI .EGO “I can.” 2EXLER ERH - KVEHYEXIH GSPPIKI XLI WEQI ]IEV - XSSO XLVII ]IEVW PSRKIV KIXXMRK XS XLI GSQTER] SYX SJ WGLSSP 2EXLER WXEVXIH [SVOMRK ERH - [IRX GVE^] ;LMPI LI EGUYMVIH VIEP PMJI I\TIVMence, I went to prison treatment. I wandered into San Francisco [MXL E JVIWL PE]IV SJ JEX ERH SRI TEMV SJ NIERW *** 1] GIPP TLSRI ZMFVEXIH LEPJ[E] XLVSYKL XLI ½VWX GLETXIV SJ the manuscript. I glanced at it. Beth. ±,IPPS#² ±'LIPWIE MX´W QI -´Q LEZMRK TISTPI SZIV PEXIV ² ±3OE] ² ±%VI ]SY [SVOMRK PEXI#² “Yes.” ±-W MX FIGEYWI TISTPI EVI GSQMRK SZIV#² “No.” ±8V] XS KIX SYX E PMXXPI IEVP]#² ±&]I &IXL ² I hung up the phone, turned it off, and set it in a drawer. I opened the portfolio again and read the next few chapters. It [EW EFSYX E XVII KMVP E JERXEW] RSZIP EFSYX XLI WXVYKKPI FIX[IIR XLI IEVXL ERH LYQERMX] FIMRK XVETTIH FIX[IIR X[S [SVPHW It fascinated me. The beautiful images in the folder brought the author’s world to life, a woman reaching out into the air, cracking through bark and roots, desperate to escape the plant QEXXIV XLEX MW LIV FSH] - VSPPIH Q] GLEMV XS XLI [MRHS[ MRXS E TEXGL SJ WYRWLMRI - GPSWIH Q] I]IW ERH [MPPIH Q] JVII^MRK WOMR XS TLSXSW]RXLIWM^I 8LIVI [EWR´X ER] WYRWLMRI MR TVMWSR XVIEXQIRX - GSYPHR´X XEOI Q] IRIVK] JVSQ XLI REXYVEP WXEV SJ FYVRMRK KEW QMPPMSRW SJ QMPIW E[E] -RWXIEH XLI] JIH QI 8LI] OITX QI YRXMP - [EW JEX ERH bloated from weeks of eating pasta with sauce so thick it was EPQSWX WSPMH XLI] PIJX QI XS JIIP Q] MRWMHIW GSRKIEP [EXGLMRK XLI HVMTHVMTHVMT SJ -:´W ½PPIH [MXL TSMWSR WSHMYQ GLPSVMHI 8LI] told me I was anorexic. I told them I was an angel.

Part II ;LIR - [EW MR GSPPIKI - [SYPH TMGO YT &IXL SR Q] HVMZI XS WGLSSP 7LI PMZIH NYWX SYXWMHI SJ 4SVXPERH [I [IRX XS 6IIH XSKIXLIV 3RI XVMT &IXL LERKW SZIV Q] LIEH [LIRIZIV WLI GEXGLIW

'MX] 0MKLXW EJXIV - VER MRXS 2EXLER EX &SVHIVPERHW XLI JERXEW] bookstore on Valencia St. He recognized me before I noticed LMQ WMXXMRK MR E GSVRIV TMPIW SJ 2IMP +EMQER ERH 8IVV] 4VEXGLett stacked around me in a moat circle. ±'LIPWIE#² I looked up from The Science of Discworld and stared at pleated khaki pant legs. I knew who it was before I looked up EX LMQ ,I [EW XEPPIV MJ TSWWMFPI ERH LMW FPEGO LEMV [EZIH MR renounced care down to his blazer lapels. He was a San FranGMWGS LMTWXIV MJ - LEH IZIV WIIR SRI ,I PSSOIH EX XLI NEGOIX SJ Q] FSSO ±.EGO 'SLIR JER#² “Huge.” ±;IPP .EGO [SYPH ]SY PMOI XS NSMR QI JSV MGI GVIEQ EJXIV ]SY´ZI WSVXIH XLVSYKL ]SYV GSPPIGXMSR#² No. )QTEXL] 'LIPWIE ±,S[ EFSYX GSJJII#² *** - WIX XLI QERYWGVMTX HS[R EKEMR [LIR Q] GSJJII QEGLMRI FIITIH EX QI XS XEOI E[E] XLI WXIEQMRK KPEWW TSX - XSSO E mug and the portfolio with me down to the main store and sat at a cafe table, people watching out the storefront. I read XLI EYXLSV´W FVMIJ FMS SR XLI GSZIV TEKI &SVR MR 2I[ =SVO 'MX] &VERHSR /IPPIV EXXIRHIH 1EVUYIXXI 9RMZIVWMX] ERH VIGIMZIH E 1EWXIVW (IKVII MR [VMXMRK ERH PMXIVEXYVI ,I PMZIW MR 7ER *VERGMWGS [MXL LMW HSK (YXGL] ERH LMW ½ERGII %TTPI 8VII MW LMW ½VWX RSZIPPE Boring. ±,S[ HS ]SY PMOI MX#² Nathan materialized in the faux wrought iron chair across from me. “It’s wonderful.” “Don’t be a bitch.” ±-´Q RSX - PMOI MX EGXYEPP] ² I stood up and snatched the pile from Nathan’s outWXVIXGLIH LERHW - [EW ORS[R XS FI E LEVWL GVMXMG ERH YWYEPP] HIWIVZIH [LEX LI LEH WEMH FYX JSV SRGI - [EWR´X FIMRK WEVGEWtic. ±7SVV] XLIR (SR´X PIEZI GSQI SR ² 2EXLER PSSOIH YT EX QI LMW FVS[R I]IW [MHI ERH GSQTPEGIRX 0MOI E HIIV 1] LEMV WXSSH YT SR XLI FEGO SJ Q] RIGO ERH - TMZSXIH WS JEWX - EPQSWX LMX E WLIPJ [MXL Q] IPFS[ ±- LEZI E PSX SJ IHMXMRK XS HS ² - LEPJ VER LEPJ XVMTTIH YT XLI WXEMVW XLI WSJX XMTW SJ Q] FEPPIX ¾EXW SJJIVMRK RS GYWLMSR EW Q] XSIW WQEWLIH EKEMRWX XLI wood. *** ±&IXL#² 1] ETEVXQIRX [EW HEVO XLI LYQ SJ XLI VIJVMKIVEXSV FVIEOMRK XLI WMPIRGI - WPMTTIH SJJ Q] WLSIW ERH GVITX TEWX XLI ½VWX FIHVSSQ - GSYPH LIEV %RXSRMS .SFMQI TPE]MRK &IXL QYWX LEZI WSQISRI SZIV - WQMPIH XS Q]WIPJ TVSNIGXMRK E PMWX SJ GSQMGEPP] E[O[EVH FVIEOJEWX WGIRIW EW - FVYWLIH Q] XIIXL ERH TYPPIH

47

Prose & Cons

QI WOMTTMRK QIEPW ±,S[ QYGL PSRKIV HS ]SY XLMRO#² Beth pressed her bare painted toes on the lip of the passenger side window. Sun-baked air blew against her red WYRKPEWWIW 7LI PSSOIH PMOI %YHVI] ,ITFYVR ±-´Q RSX WYVI QE]FI ER LSYV ² - TMGOIH E TEGI ZILMGPI E GEV XS JSPPS[ WS - GSYPH PIX Q] [LMXI ORYGOPIW LEZI E VIWX - TMGOIH E HVMZIV [MXL E WIZIVI GEWI SJ -´Q E HSYGLI FEK [LS HVMZIW E WLMXX] 2MWWER ERH HSIWR´X YWI FPMROIVW W]RHVSQI - HSR´X ORS[ MJ XLI EGGMHIRX EGXYEPP] LEH ER]XLMRK XS HS [MXL LMQ SV LMW FPMROIVW FYX - VIGEPP XLEX 'EPMJSVRME PMGIRWI TPEXI [MXL E XEWXI SJ FMPI MR Q] throat. I remember seeing him slip into the next lane and [SRHIVMRK FVMI¾] MJ - LEH JIH Q] GEX FIJSVI - PIJX LSQI - XSPH Q]WIPJ - HMHR´X LEZI E GEX - LEH RIZIV LEH E GEX - LEXIH GEXW %RH XLIR IZIV]XLMRK [IRX HEVO Beth’s screaming brought me back into consciousness. - XYVRIH Q] LIEH EKEMRWX XLI LIEHVIWX XS PSSO EX LIV ,IV WQSSXL WQSSXL PIKW [IVI FPIIHMRK GSZIVIH MR XMR] GYXW ERH ¾EOIW SJ FVSOIR [MRHWLMIPH KPEWW XLEX KPMXXIVIH MR XLI WYRWLMRI 8LI VIH WYRKPEWWIW [IVI SR XLI ¾SSV GVEGOIH ERH GSZIVIH MR FPYI WLEVHW ,IV I]IW [IVI FPEGO [MXL VYRRMRK QEOIYT ERH [LIR WLI PSSOIH EX QI Q] WXSQEGL GPIRGLIH MR EKSR] 8LI EMVFEK [EW WXMPP TVIWWYVM^IH EKEMRWX Q] GLIWX - GSYPH JIIP XLI FPSSH JVSQ Q] RSWI HVMTTMRK SRXS Q] RI[ FYXXSR YT - XSPH Q] QSXLIV RSX XS FY] [LMXI “Chelsea.” ,IV ZSMGI WSYRHIH JEV E[E] GSZIVIH MR E FY^^MRK JVSQ XLI VYWLMRK TVIWWYVI MR Q] IEVW - VIEH LIV PMTW QSVI XLER - LIEVH LIV 1] I]I PMHW [IVI LIEZ] WS - PIX XLIQ GPSWI WIEPMRK [MXL XLI QSMWXYVI Q] XIEV HYGXW QEHI XS VIQSZI HYWX TEVXMGPIW 8LI WYR JIPX WS [EVQ SR Q] JEGI IZIR XLVSYKL XLI WXMRKMRK - WSEOIH XLI LIEX YT ERH WXSVIH MX MR Q] FSRIW 1E]be I could take it out later, when I needed it in wintertime. I GSYPHR´X LIEV &IXL ER]QSVI 8LMW QYWX FI [LEX &IIXLSZIR felt like. *** ;LIR - QSZIH MRXS &IXL´W 7ER *VERGMWGS ETEVXQIRX EJXIV treatment, she told me she had one rule. I assumed it would be that I had to maintain some kind of diet and when she XSPH QI [LEX MX [EW - VIKVIXXIH Q] EWWYQTXMSR XLEX XLI IRXMVIX] SJ XLI YRMZIVWI VIZSPZIH EVSYRH Q] MRWERMX] IEXMRK disorder. ±;LEX MW MX#² ±2S P]MRK 'LIPWIE ² ±8LEX´W MX#² &IXL PSSOIH EX QI [MXL E VITVSEGLJYP WXEVI 'PIEVP] XLIVI was some intense scene she had planned out in her head QSRXLW IEVPMIV 'PIEVP] Q] VIWTSRWI [EW RSX JSPPS[MRK XLI script. ±- TVSQMWI &IXL 2S P]MRK ² ±8LERO ]SY ² “Yeah, whate -. You’re welcome.” 1] WLVMRO XLIVETMWX XSPH QI XS FI QSVI IQTEXLIXMG XS[EVHW Q] JVMIRHW - VIQIQFIVIH XS EWO LMQ [LEX IQTEXL] QIERX - JSVKSX XS EWO LMQ LS[ XS HS MX - KSX Q] NSF EX

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

SR W[IEXTERXW FIJSVI FSSXMRK YT Q] ERGMIRX HIPP - WXE]IH EX Q] HIWO IHMXMRK %TTPI 8VII YRXMP X[S MR XLI QSVRMRK [LIR - VSPPIH Q]WIPJ YT MR HS[R GSQJSVXIV ERH HVMJXIH SJJ XS WPIIT Q] HVIEQW ½PPIH [MXL XVII [SQIR ERH GEKIW “Chelsea.” - GVEGOIH ER I]IPMH &IXL WXSSH MR Q] HSSV[E] LEMV HEQT and shoulders stiff in a blue robe. ±.EWSR QEHI IKKW [ERX WSQI#² Ew. “Sure, I’ll be out in a minute.” - WLYJ¾IH EVSYRH XLI ETEVXQIRX YRXMP - JSYRH Q]WIPJ EGGITXEFPI IRSYKL XS QEOI E OMXGLIR ETTIEVERGI .EWSR &IXL´W SZIVRMKLX GSQTERMSR [EW WXERHMRK MR JVSRX SJ E JV]MRK TER oil hissing like a gas leak. He put a pile of eggs on a plate and offered them to me in a silent greeting. I waited until he left the kitchen to dump half of them back in the pan, the other LEPJ MR XYTTIV[EVI KVEF E XVEZIP QYK SJ GEJJIMRI ERH VYR SYX the door. I threw the ancient container in the dumpster on XLI [E] XS [SVO ±,I] ² I dropped the edited manuscript on Nathan’s desk withSYX PSSOMRK EX LMQ - [EWR´X I\TIGXMRK LMQ XS FI MR WS IEVP] ERH MX MVOIH QI XLEX LI LEH EVVMZIH ½VWX - XLMRO ER]XLMRK LI did irked me. ±8LEROW .EGO -´PP XIPP LMQ MX´W HSRI ]SY HMHR´X LEZI XS HS XLMW MR SRI RMKLX ]SY ORS[ ² “I got into it.” ±- XLMRO ]SY HVMRO XSS QYGL GSJJII ² ±1MRH ]SYV S[R FYWMRIWW ² “Ouch.” *** &VERHSR /IPPIV FVSYKLX LMW RSZIPPE FEGO E [IIO PEXIV MR person, to meet his editor. I was not pleased. ±=SY´VI FIMRK MVVEXMSREP .EGO ,S[ HS ]SY IHMX [MXLSYX XLI EYXLSV#² ±) QEMP ;I PMZI MR ER EKI SJ XIGLRSPSK] - WLSYPHR´X LEZI XS WII ER]SRI ² “You’re weird.” “Shut up.” &VERHSR /IPPIV STIRIH XLI HSSV XS 2EXLER´W SJ½GI - OITX Q] FEGO XS XLI HSSV XV]MRK XS TPIEH [MXL 2EXLER XLVSYKL WSQI OMRH SJ TW]GLMG I]I PERKYEKI ,I [EWR´X LEZMRK MX ±1V /IPPIV ]SYV IHMXSV 1W 'LIPWIE 7EVZIV ² ±4PIEWIH XS QIIX ]SY 1V 7EVZIV² &VERHSR LIPH LMW LERH SYX - WIPJ GSRWGMSYWP] WLSSO MX [EXGLMRK LMW I]IW GVMRKI WPMKLXP] EX XLI XIQTIVEXYVI SJ Q] WOMR - QYWX LEZI JIPX PMOI E GEHEZIV “Please, call me Chelsea.” ;I [IRX SZIV Q] RSXIW QSWX SJ XLI HE] FVIEOMRK SRP] JSV coffee and the restroom. Brandon was pleasant to work with, UYMIX VIWIVZIH IZIV]XLMRK LMW [VMXMRK [EW ,I [EW SPHIV XLER QI QE]FI F] XIR SV ½JXIIR ]IEVW ERH LMW I]IW [IVI WPMKLXP] ]IPPS[IH EVSYRH LMW KVIIR MVMWIW PMOI TEVGLQIRX TETIV ,I VIQMRHIH QI SJ Q] KVERHJEXLIV - WPITX SR XLI JYXSR MR Q] SJ½GI XLEX RMKLX ±8LERO ]SY WS QYGL JSV IZIV]XLMRK -´PP FI MR XSYGL ² &VERHSR WLSSO Q] LERH XLI RI\X QSVRMRK [EVQ JVSQ

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LSPHMRK Q] GIVEQMG QYK - WQMPIH EX LMQ IZIR XLSYKL - LEH E WXVERKI WMROMRK JIIPMRK SJ HIWTEMV 8LI %TTPI 8VII [EW PIEZMRK - LEH KVS[R MVVEXMSREPP] EXXEGLIH XS XLI QERYWGVMTX SZIV XLI TEWX [IIO ERH WIIMRK MX PIEZI IZIR [MXL Q] IHMXMRK [EW E WEH EJJEMV - W[MZIPIH Q] HIWO GLEMV FEGO ERH JSVXL WPS[P] MR JVSRX SJ Q] [MRHS[ GPSWMRK Q] I]IW ERH [MWLMRK - [EW MR Q] FIH - JIPX [IEO ERH PIXLEVKMG Q] FSRIW EGLMRK JVSQ XLI JYXSR ERH XSS QYGL GSJJII - TVIWWIH Q] TEPQW ¾EX SR Q] LMTW WQMPMRK NYWX E PMXXPI EX LS[ QYGL XLI] WXYGO SYX - NYQTIH [LIR 2EXLER WTSOI JVSQ XLI HSSV[E] ±;IPP .EGO PSSOW PMOI ]SY KIX XS PIEZI IEVP] XSHE] ² ±;LEX#² ±;I KSX SJJ IEVP] XSHE] ² ±3L - JSVKSX -X´W 1MOI´W FMVXLHE] MWR´X MX#² 1MOI [EW SYV QEREKIV ,MW [MJI EP[E]W QEHI LMQ TEVXMGMTEXI MR WSQI SZIVP] JIWXMZI FMVXLHE] GIPIFVEXMSR XLEX LI GEQI MR GSQTPEMRMRK EFSYX XLI RI\X HE] ,I FVSYKLX PIJXSZIVW MR XS XLI SJ½GI RS SRI JIPX WSVV] JSV LMQ ±-GI GVIEQ#² “Coffee.” *** ±=SY HMHR´X IEX XSHE] ² ±-W XLEX VLIXSVMGEP#² “Chelsea.” ±3OE] SOE] -´PP IEX WSQIXLMRK ² I scowled as I reached up for the box of fat-free saltines

SR XLI LMKLIWX WLIPJ MR XLI TERXV] &IXL GVSWWIH LIV EVQW ERH WGVYXMRM^IH QI GSZIVMRK IEGL GVEGOIV [MXL E XEFPIWTSSR SJ TIERYX FYXXIV - JSVGIH Q] QSYXL around each one. Beth disappeared and returned with an index card. ±+S XS XLMW EHHVIWW EJXIV [SVO ² ±;LEX# ;LEX MW MX#² ±.YWX KS ² ±;LEX EVI [I MR XLI QE½E# ;LEX MW XLMW &IXL#² ±.YWX +S ² - JSPPS[IH LIV MRWXVYGXMSRW JIIPMRK QMPHP] VMHMGYPSYW JSV HSMRK WS ERH IRHIH YT EX /EXLIVMRI &VSSOW 4W]GLSPSKMWX 1 ( - WXEVIH FPEROP] EX XLI GSRZIVXIH ZMGXSVMER XS[RLSYWI FYMPHMRK - GLI[IH XLI MRWMHI SJ Q] GLIIO JSV EPQSWX ½JXIIR minutes until I looked back down at the index card. Beth’s [VMXMRK [EW PSST] EPQSWX GYVWMZI FYX RSX UYMXI -X [EW FYFFP] MR TPEGIW EPQSWX PMOI MX WLSYPH FI MR TMRO TIR [MXL LIEVXW EW HSXW 2SVQEPP] - [SYPH FI JYVMSYW EX LIV EXXIQTX to force me into something like this. But right now, looking up at the faded pink shutters and off-white paint job, I HMHR´X JIIP ER]XLMRK 7LI HMHR´X XVMGO QI MRXS KIXXMRK MRXS LIV GEV SV HVEK QI F] Q] [VMWX HS[R XLI WMHI[EPO - [EPOIH LIVI %RH - GER KS MRWMHI SV XYVR EVSYRH - JSPHIH XLI GEVH MRXS UYEVXIVW TPEGMRK MX MR XLI QMHHPI SJ Q] GPEQQ] TEPQ - walked up the path and into the waiting room in an adrenaPMRI VYWLIH LE^I Q] LIEVX FIEXMRK WS JEWX - [EW WYVI MX GSYPH FI LIEVH TSYRHMRK EKEMRWX Q] VMF FSRIW - WMKRIH Q] name on the waiting list, sat on a smooth plastic chair, and WIPIGXIH E XVEWL] XEFPSMH

7))7%; 46)7)287 ReUsed The Finger Lakes ReUse Cen-­ ter in Triphammer Mall strives to bring new life to things that would usually be considered trash. Samantha Mason docu-­ mented the groundbreaking organization to excentuate the meaningful history that comes with each reused item. There is no energy required in reusing, but there is energy required for recycling. The background of this image is wallpaper that was found at the Finger Lakes ReUse Center in the Triphammer Mall and the subject is Blanche Wil-­ liams’ former bowling materials. 6DPDQWKD 0DVRQ LV D 'RFXPHQ-­ WDU\ 6WXGLHV DQG 3URGXFWLRQ PD-­ MRU ZKR KDV DQ XQKHDOWK\ REVHV-­ VLRQ ZLWK SXUFKDVLQJ PXJV IURP WKH 5H8VH &HQWHU¡V FROOHFWLRQ

Where do all of the cell phones, computers, TVs, and iPods go when they are thrown out? How do they feel about being trashed? The new media project 3HRSOH )RU WKH (WKLFDO 7UHDWPHQW RI (OHFWURQLFV exposes the abuse that electronics experience for corporate gain. The realities of technologicide are explored in depth through videos, photos, and reports. '\ODQ /RZU\ (PPD .QLJKWRQ &KDUOLH %U\DQ DQG (OLWVD 6WR\DQRYD FUHDWHG WKLV GLJLWDO DUW SURMHFW IRU WKHLU 'LJLWDO &XOWXUH VHPLQDU LQ )DOO

Throwing Us Away Missed Communication Whether romantic or just friends, people struggle to decide who stays and who goes. Through the eyes of high school and college students, “Throwing Us Awayâ€? explores why certain relationships become toxic in our lives, while others improve lives RXU VLJQLĂ€FDQWO\ 0HJDQ %XWWHUĂ€HOG DQG .DOH\ %HOYDO DUH WZR IUHVKPDQ 'RFXPHQWDU\ 6WXGLHV DQG 3URGXFWLRQ PDMRUV ZKR GLGQ¡W WUDVK DQ\ UHODWLRQ-­ VKLSV GXULQJ WKH PDNLQJ RI WKLV Ă€OP

In this digital age, old forms of com-­ munication are nearly obsolete. “Missed Communicationâ€? artistically explores how the speed and inten-­ sity of technological production are detracting from interpersonal com-­ munication. 0ROO\ 6FKQHLGHU LV D &LQHPD DQG 3KRWRJUDSK\ PDMRU ZKR DFFLGHQWDOO\ WKUHZ DZD\ WKLV Ă€OP EHIRUH UHOHDVH DQG KDG WR UHGR LW IURP VFUDWFK

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Prose & Cons

“PETE�

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DUST. SAWDUST. SAWDU

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

REVIEW

That’s F***ked Up! Battle for America’s New Obsession By Katie Talay

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ove them or hate them, real-­ had to bump it up to a 6.5. ity shows are becoming a tent pole of American television. 2. Extreme Home Makeover: Home-­ The growing presence of reality pro-­ less Edition gramming is what inspired veteran Ty and the gang take their home producer, Lance Roan, to develop dĂŠcor magic to America’s street dwell-­ his revolutionary new show, That’s ers. In the season premier they visit F***ked Up: Battle for America’s New a 72-­year-­old Vietnam veteran who Obsession. The show will be a com-­ has been living in a cardboard petition, but instead of seeing box for two years. The design which contestant can stuff the team brightens up his sleep-­ most cockroaches down his ing quarters with a skylight or her pants or which pros-­ and help improve the struc-­ titute has the nicest singing tural integrity of the box by voice it will be to deter-­ adding crown molding. The mine which producer team, however, encounters can create the most some issues when the morally depraved box can’t support the reality show. The crystal chandelier type of show that they install. you can’t turn off, The Octa-­mom even though it’s Factor: 4 making you hopeful -­-­-­This show that the Mayans were actually does a right and this horrible great job portraying the planet we call home homeless with dignity and will be destroyed soon. respect. Because of this I The producers will can only give them a 4. e Pik work on their respec-­ nifer n e J e by tive series and compete in 3. Fight Dads Imag challenges to win celebrity cam-­ From the producers of Dance Moms eos and crazy shooting locations with comes a show that lets the boys in on one of their shows premiering each the action. Fight Dads follows fathers week. This will really be shows within who enter their sons into underground a show; reality show-­ception, if you Ă€JKW FOXEV LQ RUGHU WR SD\ RII WKHLU RZQ will. gambling debts. All six producers will live in a man-­ The Octa-­mom Factor: 7 sion together as they compete. They -­-­-­Fight Dads is almost like a real have no access to the internet, cell world Hunger Games. But instead of phones or the mass media. Only al-­ the games being over when only one cohol. competitor is left, they’re over when Bellow are reviews of each reality the boys sustain bruises and cuts show that is featured on That’s F**ked that would raise suspicion from their Up! teachers.

5. Real Life: Rich, Hot, White Kids This daring new show catalogs the struggles and issues of wealthy, white adolescenct teens living in Newport, Rhode Island. Producers Mya Riely and Steven Roberts said that they felt that shows like My Super Sweet 16, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, The O.C., The Hills, The City, Real World, 90210, Melrose Place and Greek didn’t adequately or accurately document the plight of well off white kids. RHWK will focus on problems like deciding between an SAT class or private tutoring, the awkwardness of driving the same car as superintendant of your high school DQG KDYLQJ \RXU Ă€UVW PDOH PRGHOLQJ shoot on the same weekend of your la-­ crosse tournament. The Octa-­mom Factor: 6 -­-­-­Once again, I was going to give this show a lower rating; then half way into WKH Ă€UVW HSLVRGH &KDG UHIHUUHG WR his maid as “the help.â€? Also, his name LV &KDG

6. Can you handle Arizona? First time producer Nina Westbrook takes advantage of the fact that Ari-­ zona lawmakers have lost their minds. ,Q WKLV VKRZ Ă€YH FRQWHVWDQWV PRYH to the state of Arizona to see who can ´VWDQG WKH KHDW Âľ &RQWHVWDQWV LQFOXGH a young Mexican-­American boy who is unable to study his people’s history in school; a female college student who is denied a legal abortion because she was determined to have been pregnant 4. It Looks Better Inspired by the, “It Gets Better,â€? 2 weeks before she had sex; and an Af-­ campaign, It Looks Better also aims rican American man who is pulled over to aid the lives of gay teens dealing everyday on his way to work. Who ever with discrimination and hate. Except, is able to deal with life in Arizona the instead of focusing on getting kids to longest wins 5 million dollars. love themselves because of who they The Octa-­ mom Factor: 8 are as people, it allows them to love -­-­-­Forcing people to live in Arizona is WKHPVHOYHV EHFDXVH WKH\ Ă€QDOO\ ORRN just plain wrong. Ă€HUFH $V SURGXFHU &KDUOLH %RKVH GH-­ _____________________________________ scribes, “A lot of these kids are cast Katie Talay is a sophomore TV-­R ma-­ out by their parents and looked down jor who has not missed an episode of on by their entire schools. But maybe Tots in Tiaras. Email her at katalay1@ if we give them fabulous make-­overs ithaca.edu.

Sawdust

1. America’s Sexiest Teen Mom Prom queen? More like expecting mom queen! This show will aim to see who is the hottest mom under 20. It will highlight all the glitz and glam-­ our of dropping out of high school and working part time at Target. The winner will win a scholarship to the beauty school of her choice. The Octa-­mom Factor: 6.5 -­-­-­I planned to give this show a 5 but after I heard that producers convinced a seven-­month pregnant Mandy to wear a tube top to a job interview, I

things won’t seem so bad.â€? The Octa-­mom Factor: 6 -­-­-­Not only does this show do a great job of trivializing the issue of bullying in schools, Brandon, 16, delivers some super bitchy, super awesome catch SKUDVHV IURP VWDUW WR Ă€QLVK

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Dumpster Baby Raised as Muppet by Street Gang By Mariana Garces

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Image by Kieu Anh

ast Monday at approximately 10 a.m. the New York Adminis-­ WUDWLRQ IRU &KLOGUHQ DQG )DP-­ LO\ 6HUYLFHV ZHUH VXUSULVHG WR Ă€QG D IXUU\ GLVRULHQWHG Ă€YH \HDU ROG GLJJLQJ through the trash outside a school for cookies and singing the alphabet to himself. When asked where he came from, the boy replied, ‘Sesame Street’ and led police to an alley to his foster dad, Oscar the Grouch. The disgruntled homeless local admitted that he had found the boy as a baby abandoned in his trashcan, but was not his legal guard-­

ian, citing neighbors Bert and Ernie as his real fathers. “While we may not have given birth to him, we still consider ourselves the boy’s fathers,â€? Ernie said. “It’s cruel, what they say about muppets not be-­ ing suitable parents or having some kind of “muppet agendaâ€? these days. That’s just not true. And while our son may not identify as muppet right now, we still love him for who he is.â€? &KLOG 6HUYLFHV GLVFRYHUHG WKDW ZLWK Big Bird (the assumed leader of the JDQJ &RRNLH 0RQVWHU DQG DQ HFFHQ-­ tric eastern European immigrant who FDOOV KLPVHOI 7KH &RXQW %HUW DQG (U-­ nie attempted to raise the boy as a muppet. Aside from his initial social awkwardness, the boy has an exten-­ sive knowledge of spelling, reading, math and music that far surpasses an DYHUDJH Ă€YH \HDU ROG 'DLO\ *DQJ DF-­ tivities consist of singing together and learning valuable lessons. “The boy has been surrounded by this environment every day for his en-­ WLUH OLIH Âľ D &KLOG 6HUYLFH UHSUHVHQWD-­ tive said. “It’s enough brainwashing to make a human boy think he’s a mup-­ pet. This may take years of therapy to reverse.â€? Kindergarden teachers say the boy

is often seen teaching the other chil-­ dren songs on the piano, a skill he learned from Elmo, another member of the gang. The boy even attempted to indoctrinate the other students with muppet beliefs on equality and an un-­ dying love for learning. Though muppets and police have come to an understanding (they stay on their side of town and police will turn their head from the international FRRNLH WUDIĂ€FNLQJ YDULRXV PRWKHUV from the PTA have expressed concern recently about the discovery of the “muppet boy.â€? “I don’t want my kids getting mixed up with his kind,â€? local mother Patri-­ cia Marsh said. “The next thing I know they’re gonna get my kid singing about love and diversity and crap.â€? /DZ RIĂ€FLDOV VD\ WKH\ ZLOO EH NHHS-­ ing an eye on the gang that calls itself a “family,â€? by monitoring its connec-­ tions outside of the city limits. As of yesterday, there was a lead to a power-­ ful muppet mob boss couple that go by Kermit and Miss Piggy. Mariana Garces is a junior TV-­R major ZKRVH *RGIDWKHU LV 0U 6QXIĂ HXSDJXV Email her at mgarces1@ithaca.edu

Psychologists Discover Early Signs of Hoarding Coin and silly band collectors at serious risk

By Rachel Maus

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

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eading psychologists have just announced that seemingly in-­ QRFXRXV EHKDYLRUV VXFK DV Ă LS-­ ping through old photo albums once a GD\ FRXOG EH HDUO\ VWDJHV RI &ROOHFWLQ-­ gum Uselesscraposis, better known as hoarding. Research Psychologist Mick Webster said, “We have found many warning V\PSWRPV RI &ROOHQJXP 8VHOHVVFUD-­ posis occuring all around us, without anyone noticing,â€? Webster said. “And by the time you do, you’re swimming in a world of cat feces and used tis-­ sues.â€? Reported symtoms include: “savingâ€? up coins to cash at TD Bank, making playlists on your iPod, having a stamp collection, owning a series of related movies (like the Rogers and Hammer-­ stein boxed set you just had to have), compulsive “likingâ€? on Facebook, hav-­ ing a Platinum membership to DSW, waiting until your garbage bin over-­ Ă RZV WR WDNH RXW WKH WUDVK DQG WKH OLVW goes on). These totally legit psychologists be-­ OLHYH WKDW &ROOHQJXP V\PSWRPV FRXOG appear as early as six years old. Psy-­

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chologists studied a handful of chil-­ dren coming out of a local Dollar Store in order to see if the silly band epidemic LV VWLOO JRLQJ VWURQJ )LYH \HDU ROG &LQG\ was taken aside and asked about the 50 or so silly bands on her arm, and if she would like to own all these animals for real someday. ´<HV Âľ &LQG\ VDLG ´, OLNH DQLPDOV DQG I wanna have a pony and a kitty and a monkey and a birdie and a dinosaur!â€? Research shows that children who collect silly bands are 34 percent more likely to hoard animals than children who don’t (there is no evidence that this applies to children who collect %DUELH GROOV RU DFWLRQV Ă€JXUHV WKRXJK studies have shown that these kids do have a tendency to surround them-­ VHOYHV ZLWK VXSHUĂ€FLDO DQG VKDOORZ people later in life). There have been multiple studies that report other cases of these so called “collectors.â€? Scientists worry that the Pokemon epidemic of 1999 spawned grounds for countless un-­ WUHDWDEOH IXWXUH KRDUGHUV $QG LI &LQ-­ dy’s intentions weren’t clear enough, we sat down with leading psychologist,

Dr. L. Otto Stufz to get his opinion. “We must teach children to let go of their memories and possessions so we can rid the world of this disgust-­ ing disease. Parents can start in the home. I for one sat my children down and threw their Beanie Babies into a Ă€UH SLW DQG ZDWFKHG WKHP EXUQ 7KDW¡V the example we should be setting for our children.â€? Stufz also weighed in that even VHHPLQJO\ LQQRFHQW FKLOGKRRG Ă€OPV FDQ LQĂ XHQFH WKH KRDUGLQJ SKHQRP-­ enon, citing the Disney classic The Little Mermaid as evidence. After all, what are her “treasures untoldâ€? but a collection of useless garbage taking up valuable space and sabotaging her chance of a normal life? “So send in your saved up coins and save yourself. Otherwise, you may wind up confused and alone, except for the 30 cats, 17 dogs, 24 parakeets, 57 gerbils, and God knows how many mice,â€? Stifz said. Rachel Maus is a freshman cinema & photography major who doesn’t care what anyone says, she’s keeping her souvenir shot glass collection. Email her at rmaus1@ithaca.edu

There and Back Again: A Receipts Tale By Mitchell Cohen

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t’s about time I let you in on a lit-­ tle secret: putting me in the trash doesn’t make me go away. Though it’s pretty obvious once you think about it, we receipts have all of your information tattooed on our bodies. We know more than your diary and don’t even come with a lock. Really, it doesn’t matter if you have a crush on Steven Whogivesashit, but you prob-­ ably don’t want anybody knowing about that Mole Season 2 DVD, the gas station hot dogs for breakfast or the fact that you haven’t bought any condoms in eight months. The point is this: we have a very short life because of you and that has got to stop. Look, I get it, the cashier throws us in the bag, and you forget we are in there after you remove what-­ ever gem you just brought home. And I’m not suggesting you become one of those people who save all of their re-­ ceipts and neatly sort us into folders, or pin us together against the wall. Those people are the freaks who enjoy vegetables and spring cleaning. Trust me, we would much rather be thrown away than be stuck with them. Here’s the thing though. We know how to talk. When we are thrown away, we don’t simply bury our heads in the dirt and give up. No, we talk to each other, compare notes on who bought the stupidest or most embarrassing item. & D Q you think of a better drink-­

want to be your friends. Every good receipt knows that they must emulate the feelings of their buy-­ er. There’s no better feel-­ ing than recording the prom dress or the Superbowl tickets. We too, can’t wait for the new Taylor Swift album. But everybody has to take a stand sometime. All receipts really want is to be re-­ cycled. We’re not asking to be framed next to your kid’s yearbook photo, we just want to have some respect. To be allowed a little time with our item and then to be given new life. Midnight trips to Wendy’s are only so satisfy-­ ing, and too many Apple products just make us feel like an asshole. We want to accompany new shoes, that candy bar you’ve been craving and once in a while, a family vacation. For some, there’s no bigger thrill than accompa-­ nying the Star Trek box set. We’ve got nerds too and that’s exactly the point. We receipts are a diverse bunch, but we have begun to stand together. Just give us a long enough life to help you buy what we both enjoy. And don’t fuck with us anymore, I don’t think you want your friends to know about that One Direction post-­ er. No matter how cute Harry is. Mitchell Cohen is a senior writing and politics major who has a Josh Groban Tribute album receipt who wants to have a word with him. Email him at mcohen3@ithaca.edu.

Images by Daniel Sitts

53

Sawdust

ing game? And the quicker you throw one of us away, the more ea-­ ger we are to gossip. You should have heard this Apple re-­ ceipt I met last week. Poor guy was worth nearly a thousand dollars and didn’t last ÀYH PLQXWHV RQFH KH JRW KRPH He was brutal; said the old bastard didn’t even know what an iPad was, must have been confused after buying a stand and a keyboard. He called his buyer, “easier to convince than a Taco Bell receipt after midnight.” And he’s not the only one who is get-­ ting upset. Others are drinking their sorrows away, even some of the classy receipts are getting out of hand. Last week there was a big conference down in Boca, and my cousin says he saw a Panera receipt do a line of coke off the belly of a McDonald’s one. The NFL Shop receipts have gotten scary too, WDONLQJ DERXW JRLQJ DIWHU WKH $&/·V RI their buyers and knocking their heads sideways. Not all angry receipts have lost con-­ trol. Many of us are organizing. There are several of us, I hope myself in-­ cluded, who are wise and patient and have been working on a way to get our point across. We have been inspired by Julian Assange and are soon go-­ ing to launch Wikiceipts where we’ll publish what you buy the second we are discarded. Sure, maybe you won’t mind if you are caught shopping at Gucci or buying vegetables from the grocery store, but trust me, we’ve got all the bells and whistles. There is a pint calculator that tracks how much ice cream you have consumed, and a label counter which shows how many sizes you’ve gone up. I am telling you all of this out of respect. I don’t want to be the bad guy, but drastic times call for drastic measures. Our average lifespan has gone down to nineteen min-­ utes, and electronic receipts do nothing but mock us all. We

BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

The water FSXXPI VI½PP stations are so selective? Ithaca College (with the help of REMP) recently installed new, groundbreaking waXIV FSXXPI VI½PP WXEXMSRW SR GEQTYW ERH PIX me say, it’s about fucking time. For too long I’ve had to tilt my water bottle and hold the FYXXSR XS ½PP Q] IGS JVMIRHP] [EXIV FSXXPI *MREPP] E HIZMGI XLEX PIX´W QI ½PP XLEX WLMX YT to the brim. Sarcasm aside, the water stations are kind of cool. What would make them cooler though, is if they weren’t at remote locations SR GEQTYW 4EVO ERH XLI VH žSSV SJ 'EQpus Center. I can understand Park (also I’m a little biased) but when am I ever going to go XS XLI VH žSSV SJ 'EQTYW 'IRXIV# ;LIR I’m picking up that care package my parents RIZIV WIRX QI# ;LEX MJ -´Q MR XLI TYF ERH get struck by a serious case of cottonmouth, [MXL RS FSRYW FYGOW XS FEMP QI SYX# *SV E device that’s supposed to help the campus be more eco-friendly I ask, why so selective [MXL MXW TPEGIQIRX# Why not put one in Textor so REMP can EGXYEPP] WII XLIMV EGGSQTPMWLQIRX# 3V [EW the plan to alienate the water stations even more than OSCAR (the little closet that’s used for‌I really don’t know what). Or— here’s a crazy idea—but did anyone think XS TYX E [EXIV WXEXMSR MR XLI K]Q# 1E]FI I’m missing something, but I’m pretty sure if you’re looking for people using water botXPIW XLI ½XRIWW GIRXIV MW E TVMQI XEVKIX Not that I don’t appreciate the convenience of having one in my school, but I’ve never been in Park and thought, “I need a gallon of water stat, or I am going to shrivel and die.â€? After an hour on the elliptical though‌ that’s a different story. I don’t know, maybe students like taking an excessive detour to save the environment. Personally though, if I’m in Smiddy and feeling super thirsty – I’ll probably just go for a vending machine. - Catherine Fisher

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Population Mistakes Free Real-Estate Give-Away for Nigerian Spam Mail By Catherine Fisher

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ast Wednesday the government made a leg-­ islative decision completely out of charac-­ WHU ZKHQ &RQJUHVV UHDFKHG D ELSDUWLVDQ agreement to give away free real estate with absolutely no strings attached. “We have all these foreclosures piling up: storefronts, houses, they’re really just becom-­ ing clutter at this point,â€? White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. “Not to mention the Dakotas are practically deserted.â€? 7KH VZHHSVWDNHV ZKLFK RIĂ€FLDOV WKRXJKW would be their most popular give-­away since food stamps, was emailed on Thursday. What the government didn’t forsee, was that practically the entire population trashed the nation-­wide email without opening it, believing it to be Nigerian spam mail. In response to the unanimous rejection of the freebies, Secretary of State Hillary &OLQWRQ VSRNH RQ EHKDOI RI &RQJUHVV ´, GRQ¡W JHW LW :H FRXOGQ¡W KDYH EHHQ PRUH FOHDU LQ WKH HPDLO Âľ &OLQWRQ VDLG ´6R IDU WKH RQO\ UHVSRQVHV KDYH MXVW EHHQ DQJU\ HPDLOV telling us to go to hell. I just don’t understandâ€? A copy of the email is printed below: Image by Kieu Anh

?

Buzzsaw Asks Why...

FREE HOUSES!!! Whitehouse@awesome.gov Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 9:20 AM To: [U-S-A Citizens] CC: [Our Cheap Labor] Subject: FREE HOUSES!!! Dear Sir or Madame, , DP :KLWH +RXVH UHSUHVHQWDWLYH DQG , ZRXOG OLNH WR RIIHU \RX D KRXVH <HS D KRXVH RQH Ă RRU maybe two. Completely yours. Free of charge. All we need, just for governmental measures, are a few bank particulars: 1.) Bank name 2.) Account name 3.) Account number 4.) Social Security number Thank you and hope to see you in your new home. Love, White House Reps ´$QG VRPH RI WKH DWWDFKPHQWV DUH MXVW YXOJDU Âľ &OLQWRQ VDLG “Yea I sent them a picture of my dick,â€? New York resident Pete Gianivanni said. “Those fuckers stole three grand from me. They can do just what the picture says, suck it.â€? 2IĂ€FLDOV UHSRUW WKDW QRW HYHQ WKH GHVLJQDWHG JURXS RI XQGRFXPHQWHG ZRUNHUV WKH\ &&¡HG WRRN WKHP XS RQ WKH RIIHU UHSO\LQJ ZLWK DQJU\ WLUDGHV LQ 6SDQLVKÂłRU DW OHDVW ZKDW RIĂ€FLDOV DVVXPH DUH DQJU\ DOO RI WKHP WRRN /DWLQ LQ KLJK VFKRRO Aside from domestic uprising, the government’s act of valor has also created con-­ troversy with Nigerian spammer, Kamara Abass, who claims that the White House’s sketchy-­yet-­legit offer is interfering with his sketchy-­yet-­clearly-­a-­scam one. “Those Yankee bastards scooped me!â€? Abass claimed. “How am I supposed to get anyone to invest in my made-­up tree fort empire with this going on?â€? Since the government’s email on Thursday, only one man has responded with VLQFHUH LQWHUHVWÂłD GLDJQRVHG VFKL]RSKUHQLF ZKR JRHV E\ WKH QDPH 7RGG “I knew I was special,â€? Todd said. “I hope it’s okay I gave them a fake bank account QXPEHU WKRXJKÂł,¡P QRW FUD]\ Âľ In a recent interview Gibbs said, “I mean, worse comes to worse, we keep the houses, jack up the price and make money once this whole recession thing blows over. It’s really just the Dakotas I want to get rid of.â€?

The Adventures of Indiebitch and Artbitch 3.3 By Darby Jones

Sawdust

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BUZZSAW: The Throw-Away Issue

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.