page 8: Movie Reviews
page 5: Aftermath of Pakistani Floods
page 16: Chris Wroblewski
oUR iNteRNatioNal coMMUNity page 10
December 1, 010 • Estd. 18 • Vol. 11 • No. • Published Monthly • www.ihstattler.com • Ithaca High School, 1401 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY, 148 0 • FREE
new visions NEW ICSD SuPErINtENDENt ANNOuNCED students Make a diffeRence By KATHERINE HAMBURY
While most seniors spent their vacations doing summer assignments for class, the New Visions Life Sciences students were working on essays to enter in the New York Youth Institute. The New York Youth Institute is an annual event held at Cornell that is open to all New York high school students. The topic for the 2010 New York Youth Institute was “Solutions for the Worlds Smallholders.” In order to compete, each student had to write an essay focusing on how a key factor is affecting food security in a developing country. In addition to being a research paper, the essay must also include solutions to the problems in the country. Two of the four winners were New Visions students Ariana Shapiro and Alyssa Pritts. The two chosen alternates, Annelise Schuepbach and Jordan Stark, are also New Visions students. The New York Youth Institute brings together 26 students from all over the state along with previous World Food Prize winners. At the Youth Institute, students are given the opportunity to break the ice by having a relaxed small group discussion with their peers. Then each student must give a short speech to the whole room explaining his/her findings and proposed solutions. Once everyone has presented, the judges select four students whom they want to represent New York at the Global Youth Institute in Des Moines, Iowa. Ariana’s winning paper focused on reducing the rate of urbanization and population growth in Kenya. The threat to food security in Kenya is becoming more severe because Kenya’s growing population is putting stress on its natural resources and, at the same time, farmers are leaving the area to go live and work in the cities. The result is a potentially detrimental continued on p. 3
Dr. Luvelle C. Brown, ICSD’s new superintendent, was chosen by a long, involved process. By ALLISON MOLLENKAMP
The Board of Education recently announced that Dr. Luvelle C. Brown will be the new superintendent of ICSD schools beginning January 2011. Dr. Brown comes to Ithaca from Albemarle county public schools in Charlottesville, Virginia where he has served as the chief information officer since 2006. Prior to this he held the positions of executive director for division and school improvement, principal, assistant principal and teacher. A long process has led up to this announcement, the cul-
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mination of many hours of work by many dedicated people. This process, which has been the focus of a superintendent search committee, has gone through many stages. The first was the writing of a job description; the district wanted to be very clear on what the position of superintendent entailed. One aspect the district was rather specific about was that they were looking for someone who has experience in a position like this one. The district hired a company which advertised the position both locally and in other areas. This company then narrowed the long list of applicants by looking at their continued on p. 3
Robotics teaM coMpetes at Ruckus
“The Commander,” Code Red Robotics’ competing robot at Ruckus. By REX LEI
On Saturday 23, 2010 at 4:00 AM, 40 half-awake students boarded the bus to Webster, NY, arriving three hours later at Ruckus. Rah Cha Cha Ruckus is a FIRST Robotics Competition that is a warm-up for returning members and serves as an example of a competition for new members. FIRST, described as combining a
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competitive sport with the rigors of science and technology, stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”. Every year a new game is introduced; each game is designed to push the limits of students’ abilities to innovate new robot designs and applications, yet be entertaining to both audiences and those participating. Code Red Robotics is Ithaca High School’s FIRST robotics team.
Last year’s game, named Breakaway, is played by two alliances of three robots each on a 27’ x 54’ carpeted field divided into three sections. Dividing the field into these sections are two one-foot high bumps. The game is played with 12 standard soccer balls, with the objective of the robots being to navigate the field over the bumps while collecting and scoring balls. Points are awarded for each soccer ball scored, as well as bonus points awarded to robots that manage to lift themselves off the ground using two towers placed on the game field during the endgame. Code Red unloaded the robot, and went through the process of making sure it was functional, while the veteran members taught the new members the intricacies of the machine. After most of the twenty teams arrived, qualification matches started. Teams were randomly paired with two other teams to form “alliances” which played each other. Many of the new members got the experience of participating. Each robot played seven games. The robots were individually scored and
continued on p. 3
December 21, 2010
Editorial: Tolerance: Everybody’s Business The recent half dozen suicides of gay teens around the country can be described as nothing short of heartbreaking. With these individuals all close to high-school age or younger, the gravity of the situation truly hits home. The deaths serve as a bitter reminder of the very real consequences of harassment, bigotry, and bullying, revealing our society’s continual struggle. Overcoming this intolerance isn’t something that can be done by one person, movement, or even generation, but there is simply no question that actions need to be taken to do so. According to the 2009 National School Climate Survey from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, nine out of ten lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) middle and high school students reportedly experienced some form of harassment at school based on their sexual orientation. Two-thirds of these teens reported feeling unsafe, with one-third saying they have skipped school due to safety concerns. These statistics are appalling, especially when considering that because of this constant barrage of harassment, gay students are four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. You can’t easily teach someone to accept something that may be against their cultural, religious, or personal beliefs. Acceptance is a long process, something that an individual must be willing to discover on their own. Acceptance is something that needs to be fostered at an early age. Although it may sound harsh, the truth is that not everybody in this generation will learn to accept the LGBT community. But this does not mean that this suicide
epidemic is unpreventable. What is needed from those who do not accept the LGBT community is the decency as moral human beings to have tolerance. As the late John F. Kennedy said, “Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.” Unless someone else’s sexuality is directly harming you in any way, shape, or form, there is absolutely no reason to harass or bully him or her. Yet even those who are accepting and tolerant are still not doing all that they can to prevent tragedies such as those witnessed in the past month. It is everybody’s responsibility to not remain passive when witnessing bullying; those inflicting pain on others need to be stopped. A large part of the problem is subliminal harassment; or when behavior that is insulting to a group of people becomes socially acceptable to a point where people forget that they are being offensive. It is sad to see that words such as “gay” and “fag” are not only being used in an insulting manner, but colloquially as well. When people use these words, they often don’t realize the effect they may have on others, yet these words are certainly hurtful and offensive. This language is especially prevalent in a high school environment, among our peers. We as a generation need to take action to stamp out the use of these words; everybody can help. Simply take the time to point out that this language is wrong. Many people just need to be reminded of this fact.
Editorial: On Censorship
By KELSEY SHANG
History shows numerous accounts in which people’s opinions are censored to maintain the status quo. Such practice is often enforced by editors, film directors, news anchors, and teachers. In extreme cases, dissent is smothered by fear, and self-censorship becomes a survival tactic. A more passive and common form of self-censorship is simply avoiding or ignoring pressing issues. In most cases, agreeing with the majority appears to be encouraged for an individual. However, having complete consensus stifles the development of free thought. What is so immoral about conflicting opinions or positions? If we are taught and encouraged to “think for ourselves“ why does this epidemic continue? In recent news, former NPR news analyst Juan Williams was fired due to his expressed concerns about Muslims during the O’Reilly Factor program. After his termination of contract, Williams stated, “...NPR fired me for telling the truth. The truth is that I worry when I am getting on an airplane and see people dressed in garb that identifies them first and foremost as Muslims.” After NPR formally removed him from their program, they released a statement saying, ‚“Juan has been a valuable contributor to NPR and public radio for many years and we did not make this decision lightly or without regret. However, his remarks on The O’Reilly Factor this past Monday were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.” Although he violated his NPR guidelines of “credibility as a news analyst,” this is a clear example of deliberate censorship of beliefs. NPR clearly expected Juan Williams to adhere to their public image. When an environment restricts individuals from expressing their beliefs, there comes a point when silence must be broken.
Williams later went on to state “This is an outrageous violation of journalistic standards and ethics by management that has no use for a diversity of opinion, ideas or a diversity of staff. This is evidence of one-party rule and one-sided thinking at NPR that leads to enforced ideology, speech and writing. It leads to people, especially journalists, being sent to the gulag for raising the wrong questions and displaying independence of thought.” Censorship of thought is also prevalent here in Ithaca. Ithaca is well recognized for its liberalism and extreme skew to the left. During the 2008 Presidential election, Tompkins county was the only Upstate New York area where Senator Obama defeated Senator Clinton in the Democratic primary. Such strong sentiment drew no surprise. Political propaganda was strewn on all corners: in art, in commercials, and through the words of students. An Obama campaign office even held residence here for some time. The minority that supported Republican nominee John McCain was isolated and heavily outnumbered. As a result, some felt threatened by the overwhelming majority and their passionate stand. Why are there people who belittle conservative opinions as chauvinistic or ignorant? Is it not hypocritical to hold claim to tolerance and acceptance when such a frightening bias exists? This city would rather be remembered for its openmindedness than for pressure on individuals to conform. It is important to recognize censorship. As such bias cannot be completely eliminated from our society, it is one’s choice whether to conform or not. There will always be circumstances which present us with situations to test our priorities and values. Is societal and personal success worth the cost of individual opinions and thoughts? What is lost by choosing to conform or even to remain a bystander? The next time when censoring your own thoughts is tempting, question whether it is worth it.
Editor’s Note: All editorials published in The Tattler are not anonymous and represent the views of the sixteen students on the editorial staff. Editorials are written about topics the Tattler staff deems important. Such issues may be global or specific to IHS.
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December 21, 2010
NEW VISIONS
problem for the food supply. Ariana proposed three solutions to Kenya’s problem: 1) make farming more productive and sustainable, 2) reduce governmental corruption and increase efficiency with an emphasis on providing public policy initiatives that support smallholders, and 3) increase the range of educational and family planning services to all areas of Kenya to slow population growth. Ariana’s winning paper brought the opportunity to go to the Global Youth Institute, which is a part of the World Food Prize. The World Food Prize is the international award recognizing the achievements of an individual who has advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. Norman E. Borlaug, the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, created the World Food Prize in 1986. Norman E. Borlaug wanted to create the award to honor those who have made significant contributions to improving the world’s food supply. RUCKUS
continued from p.1
Ariana Shapiro, Alyssa Pritts, and Ms. Sutton (the New Visions Life Sciences teacher) all made the journey to Des Moines, Iowa for the 2010 Global Youth Institute. The three day event occurred October 14 to 16 and was packed with speeches and activities that had Ariana and Alyssa awake from six in the morning to eleven at night. The lack of sleep was a small price to pay to be in the company of dignitaries, ambassadors, experts, small entrepreneurs, smallhold farmers, and high schoolers from around the world. Ariana found the best part of the experience to be “knowing that we were all gathered because we are passionate about making a difference.” With so many people gathered for one reason, it inspired Ariana and Alyssa to feel that the world had a good chance of succeeding in the battle to end poverty and famine. The trip was life changing and inspiring in a way that Ariana and Alyssa will never forget.
continued from p.1
put on a list in order of points. After the qualification rounds are finished, finals start. The top seven teams (in which Code Red came in 3rd) chose two other teams to join their “alliance,” and be a permanent team to compete in a single elimintion tournament. The winner of each pair of alliances advance, and the other team is eliminated. Code Red was eliminated in the first round due to a severe disqualification as a result of a rules violation. Nevertheless, they were awarded the “restless spirits” award for “The team that best exemplifies the spirit of FIRST.” Although Code Red did not place at Ruckus, it was viewed as an excellent program by newer members. Rah Cha Cha Ruckus showed the new members what competition was like and brought the returning members back into competition.
SUPERINTEDENT
Announcing the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa.
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continued from p.1
initial resumes and picking those they felt would be best suited to the Ithaca district. Once the list was a reasonable length, it was passed on to the search committee, who looked at the applicants and the school districts they had previously worked in. Through this process, a group of twelve semi-finalists was chosen. These semi-finalists were submitted to questions from the ICSD community. These questions, which can be found on the district website, covered many issues critical to the Ithaca community. Candidates were asked about issues of budget, equity, sustainability, arts education, large class sizes, block scheduling, snow days, and standardized test scores. These topics, which present an inside look at our district even to those who reside in it, were used to narrow the semi-finalist group to the group of finalists from which the new superintendent will be picked. These six possible superintendents then visited the district. During their visits, they not only had formal meetings with many district stakeholders, including PTAs and representatives of Ithaca’s colleges and universities, but also did things as simple as sitting down for tea with our current superintendent, Dr. Judith Pastel. In the more formal meetings, the various community groups asked a set of identical questions, from which they filled out a form about the candidate. The Board of Education took all this information into executive session and to make the final decision. Dr. Pastel is still firmly ensconced within our district community. She continues to deal with many district issues and to be a large part of ICSD. She will be retiring at the end of December. The hope is that the new superintendent can fill this position in a way that will be a positive experience for everyone in the district . Beyond simply leading the district, we hope the new superintendent can be truly trusted by the academic and social communities of our district; the new superintendent, in short, should ensure that all students are “achieving their dreams.”
Roasting the Superintendent? It depends on the definition. By GREGORY CHU
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As many students may be aware, our current superintendent Judith Pastel will retire soon, leaving the position to Dr. Luvelle Brown. To honor Dr. Pastel, who was superintendent for over 14 years, and to help raise funds for the Discovery Trial (which organizes educational field trips for grades K-5), she was “roasted.” The common person is surely acquainted with the word “roast” in verb form as a way to cook an item over an open fire or in an oven. However, that very same word can mean “a facetious ceremonial tribute, usually concluding a banquet, in which the guest of honor is both praised and good-naturedly insulted in a succession of speeches by friends and acquaintances.” In other words, a “roast” is also a banquet in which the person of honor is both praised and ridiculed by friends. It is critically important to note that nowhere in the definition does it state that the person being honored would be cooked, therefore out of common sense and the process of elimination, it can be presumed that the “roast” for our superintendent will be the latter definition rather than the former. I attended the roast which took place Sunday, November 21st, 2010 in the DeWitt Middle School auditorium. The opening ceremony was the crowning of Dr. Pastel, the “Queen of Lake Street.” She sat on a chair covered in red cloth for most of the Roast, wearing a tiara and
occasionally waving a wand at the roasters. She was crowned by two students who were in Kindergarten during her first year as superintendent. Gary Stewart, dubbed “Roast Master” by others, was the first of many speakers who had the honor of roasting the superintendent. Jokes and anecdotes ranged from hairstyles, how Dr. Pastel laughs, her relations with the board, the occasional Catholic joke, Dr. Pastel possibly (but most likely not) running for board of education president, a skit about what actually happens during meetings with Dr. Pastel, and even comparing the role of high school superintendent to the role of college president, whose job was to provide “parking for the staff, sports for the alumni, and sex for the students.” Of course, just as colleges and high schools have their differences, the roles and responsibilities of their respective administrations would also be different. But the roast had its serious moments too, as many roasters did state how Dr. Pastel worked for the kids, and managed to last 14 years when the average tenure for superintendents was three to four. I got to talk with the roastee herself about the Roast. She held a very positive attitude towards the roast, stating that out of everyone in Ithaca, she would have the most stuff about which to roast. Overall I would have to say that the two hour long roast was enjoyable and funny without requiring the use of a spit, although food was available during the intermission.
Teacher Feature: Mr. Loomis By ANNELISE RAYMOND
Like all little kids, as Art Loomis grew up, his visions of himself in the future changed from profession to profession. He originally aspired to become either a firefighter or an airline pilot, then entered middle school thinking he wanted to be a plumber. But those were merely phases, and his high school experiences ended up changing his aspired career path. In high school band and choir, Mr. Loomis said he “had such an awesome experience that I wanted to share that joy with other people.” He was inspired to make music his life’s profession. As Mr. Loomis said himself, “Everyone’s entitled to make one mistake in their lives.” His mistake was teaching at MaineEndwell Middle and High Schools for his first two and a half years after graduate school. In June 1984, Mr. Loomis moved to Ithaca. “Don’t tell anyone from the three-cities area,” he says, “but I definitely prefer living in Ithaca.” That’s not hard to believe; Ithaca has much more to offer in terms of natural beauty, and it’s a very nice town to live in. At M-E, Mr. Loomis had a packed schedule, teaching two choirs at the middle school and two at the high school (choirs for 6th, 7th and 8th grades, high school day choir, and after school). This left him no time for sectionals or time to work on higher-level NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) solos. But here at IHS Mr. Loomis has no full-schedule constraints — and with the extra time comes the opportunity to have sectionals and to have more interactions with the students. In the good ol’ days, Swing Chorus was all the fad in IHS’s Music Dept. A jazz choir composed of an elite group of students and Swing Chorus singers could add their own unique
“
flair to stylize their songs. When Mr. Loomis came to teach at IHS, he added his own select choir group: Madrigals, a group that sings upbeat, a cappella songs from the Renaissance era. When selecting students for these groups, Mr. Loomis searches out good voices that have reliable intonation and can blend well with the rest of the group. Madrigals, with a more classical style, is better suited for students with a “more traditional background” in music, while Swing Chorus (now called Vocal Jazz), is more ideal for “students who come from a pop background.” For Mr. Loomis, the best part of teaching choir is the concerts. At performances, the environment abounds with kids’ visible energy, and the excitement is contagious. Music theory classes, which Mr. Loomis also teaches, have been completely revolutionized and modernized with the renovation of Kulp. With 20 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) stations, each student has a new computer with a headset and a microphone. Programs on the computer help students to “brush up on both their oral and aural music theory skills” — students can now sing notes to themselves and listen to music they’ve composed without bothering their classmates. With computer programs such as GarageBand and Finale, students can compose their own printable compositions, and Mr. Loomis can track each student’s progress through his master computer at the front of the room. To talk with the students, there’s a “call” button on the headsets; Mr. Loomis can talk to either the whole class or specific individuals. This kind of teaching method has never before been used at IHS. This just may be the schooling of the future.
Like all other kids, I flip-flopped...
”
The 2010 Nobel Prizes By ARYEH ZAX
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The Nobel Prizes are awards given once a year in six different fields: physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, economic sciences and peace. Each award is the most distinctive in its field. This year, as always, the awards have been given for very impressive works. The Physics Prize was given to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for their work with the graphene compound. This is a sheet of carbon one atom thick with several unique properties due to its conductivity and strength (it is one hundred times stronger than steel). Its near-complete transparency combined with its high conductivity and strength could make for better touch screens in the future. It could also be used to replace silicon in computer chips. The Chemistry Prize went to Richard Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi, and Akira Suzuki. Many of organic chemistry’s recent challenges have been with making and breaking atomic bonds with greater ease, and all three chemists already have chemical reactions of this sort named after them. The Heck, Negishi, and Suzuki reactions have to do with using palladium, a silvery molecule, to create a single bond between two molecules. However, reactions like these
Liu Xiaobo, winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, was the first Chinese man ever to do so.
tend to create unwanted (and sometimes radioactive) byproducts. Heck originally worked on the problem individually in the 1960s into the early 1970s. The first atom in his reaction must contain a carbon atom bonded to an atom in the halogen group, while the second atom must contain a double-carbon bond. In the Negeshi reaction, the double-carbon bond is replaced by a carbon-zinc bond while in the Suzuki reaction, it is replaced by a carbon-boron molecule. These three reactions are staples for organic chemists and have assisted greatly in syn-
thetic organic chemistry. Robert Edwards’ In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) took the crown for the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine. IVF is a process by which egg cells are fertilized outside the body, usually as a treatment for infertility when other methods have failed. There have been nearly 4 million “test tube babies,” already born, due to the success of regulating the fertilization in a laboratory. When Edwards first conceived of the idea in the 1950s, very little was known of the embryology field. Edwards did most of the research, revealing
much of what we know about human reproduction. The scientist made his first demonstration in 1969, but the cells only divided once. He then teamed up with Patrick Steptoe, a gynecologist, and together they used the new method of laparoscopy to remove suitable eggs from a woman’s ovaries; the work resulted in the new embryos dividing several times. Despite losing public funding in 1971, the project survived and the first test tube baby was born in 1978. Mario Vargas Llosa, a man who might be familiar to stucontinued on p. 7
The French Ban on Burqas By Larry Ge and Kelsey Shang
On September 14, French parliament passed a law banning burqas, or the fully covering robes worn by Muslim women. The French Senate nearly unanimously approved the bill with only one vote in opposition. At first glance, this bill appears to be arbitrary and unreasonable to Muslim populations residing in France. This move follows an inevitable trend of Islamophobia rapidly spreading throughout Europe and the U.S. Political action against Islamic clothing is not unprecedented in France. Public schools have reprimanded Muslim schoolgirls who refused to remove their hijab, the traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women. In 1990, three Muslim girls were expelled because they refused to remove their hijab, sparking a teachers’ strike against the Islamic attire. In 2003, President Chirac announced the prohibition of any visible, conspicuous religious symbols in primary and secondary schools in order to promote secularity. Banned symbols included hijabs, yarmulkes (worn by Jewish males), and turbans (worn by Sikh males). A key issue worth considering is the social instability between Muslims and French society. As a result of judgment from both parties, a sense of disunion or distrust is established. In fact, a 2010 study titled “Are French Muslims Discriminated Against in Their Own Country?” revealed that “Muslims sending out resumes in hopes of a job interview had 2.5 times less chance than Christians” with similar credentials “of a positive response to their applications.” Many violent riots have occurred because of resentful disposition and tension among Muslim migrants. In 2005, Muslim youth proceeded to burn cars and buildings. This affected 274 towns, injured approximately 130 civil workers and caused 200 million Euros in damage. These series of revolts shook the French population and amplified their fears. Strained tensions between Muslim and French relations make peaceful integration an incredibly difficult goal to reach. But it is unfair to focus on Islamophobia in one country alone when it is rampant in almost all Western countries. Islamophobia is prominent in our own country, as seen from the controversy with building an Islamic Community Center in lower Manhattan near the destroyed World Trade continued on p. 7
December 21, 2010
The Aftermath of the Floods in Pakistan
Families have been forced to abandon their homes after floods destroyed Pakistani houses and infrastructure. By REHAN DADI
I became aware of the massive floods washing over the most fertile and populated regions of Pakistan, covering an area as large as the whole of England, from reading The New York Times this fall. Pakistan has been in the news because of the U.S.’s ongoing involvement in the region; most of the media reports
cover military affairs. The floods shed light on another aspect of Pakistan by drawing attention to millions of poor farmers whose crops, belongings, and even homes were washed away. The impact of these floods is even greater than that of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Some experts suggest that the floods will create long-term changes, causing many farmers to abandon their
land and their extended families in search for jobs in the already crowded cities, resulting in more instability in the region. Since that first report, the U.S. media has lost interest, but those whose lives have been uprooted will not be able to return to their normal routine as quickly. The immediate problems include resettlement of the displaced
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poor, and assistance in rebuilding their homes, buying livestock, and replanting crops. Infrastructure such as roads, schools, and bridges that have been washed away also require rebuilding. Water-borne diseases usually spread after floods, especially in crowded refugee camps, which is alarming and needs immediate attention. All of this requires continued on p. 7
Highly Biased Politics: The Real American Way By ALEJANDRO YOUNGER
Us vs. Them
I said I would talk about the elections, but I guess I lied. Listen to NPR or watch the news if you want to hear about those, because covering mudslinging is boring and I gave up on that. Instead, I am going to talk about how easy it is to polarize the American populace. The principle involved is that of “Us” versus “Them,” which was covered very well in Combined (at least when I took it. If you are considering taking Combined, just do it. The work load isn’t that bad). Basically, the Us vs. Them principle states that when you can define a group of people, using any sort of criteria, as the “Us,” then by definition anyone not a member of your group is part of “Them.” This is a disturbingly easy task to accomplish. If sworn enemies of the conservatives are radical Islamic fundamentalists, then the next step is to say that ANYONE who is not a conservative is a radical Islamic fundamentalist who hates America, its Constitution, and freedom. While this seems rather ridiculous, it happens. President Obama is frequently accused of being a radical Muslim. If you don’t believe me, google “conservative websites Obama” and read the entries. It is frightening to see how easily this mind set can be induced in a very large populace. Take a modern example: The Tea Party. They are fighting Republicans and Democrats alike, as demonstrated by their incredible results in this year’s primaries. Throwing out incumbent Republicans on their mad rampage to “clean up” Washington, the Tea Party seeks to confront any and all politicians who do not side with them. The ensuing problem is that Republicans in states with a relevant Tea Party electorate are pushed to the far right. Take John McCain for example. Prior to the Tea Party’s rise to power, he was much more moderate, especially on the issue of immigration. But after the movement gained strength, McCain flip-flopped and was completely for Arizona’s controversial immigration law. If you still don’t see the problem, consider one of the most prominent examples of Us vs. Them polarization that has occurred in modern history. In general terms, this one crazy dude decided to blame a group of people (hereafter “Them”) for a loss in some war, and enough people were frustrated enough to jump on the bandwagon and form an “Us” coalition. “Us” just so happened to be better equipped than “Them,” and after a few elections, “Us” decided, “To hell with ‘Them,’ let’s kill ‘em all.” Insert Hitler, WWI, Jews (and others), where appropriate. Hitler’s inspirational oratory skills were able to inflame an entire populace against a group, and man-
Tea Partiers in an act of rebellion.
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aged to precipitate the most blatant violation of human rights the world bothers to remember. It is one of my fears that this great country--defender of freedom that it is--is reduced to following the same path that Germany took. There are a vast number of Americans who hold Hitler-esque hatred for immigrants and Muslims. It is easy to take one’s own rhetoric as the truth, and justify one’s actions with said rhetoric; one crazy person (read: Hitler and/or Terry Jones, our favorite Koran-burning priest) may just single-handedly gain enough of a following to create an international crisis.
December 21, 2010
Literary Linguist: Words to Know in a Globalized World Commonly Used Words of South Asian Origin By REHAN DADI
avatar (from Sanskrit avataar “incarnation”) An incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of a person or idea; an animated icon representing a person in cyberspace graphics. bandana (from Hindi and Urdu bandhna “to tie”) Patterned scarf tied around the head or neck. bungalow (from Hindi and Urdu bangla) Literally, “a type of house built in the Bengal style.” dacoit (from Hindi and Urdu dakait) Meaning a member of a class of criminals who engage in organized robbery and murder. guru (from Sanskrit guru) A teacher, intellectual or spiritual guide or leader; any person who counsels or advises. juggernaut (from Sanskrit jagannatha “lord of the universe”) A form of Vishnu particularly worshipped at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa where during festival thousands of devotees pull huge temple carts weighing hundreds of tons through the streets. Early European visitors witnessed these festivals and the word became a metaphor for something immense or an impending catastrophe, unstoppable because of inertia. loot (from Hindi and Urdu lut) Stolen or plundered money and wealth. pundit (from Sanskrit pundita) Learned scholar or priest; an expert or opinion-leader who analyzes events in an area of expertise in the popular media. pajamas (from Persian and Urdu, payejama) Loose lightweight trousers with drawstrings. Set of shirt and trousers for sleeping in. shampoo (from Hindi champo “head massage with hair tonic just before a bath”) Soapy liquid for washing hair.
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Line2 – When the iPod Touch Becomes an iPhone By MANSI VOHRA even downloaded it onto my iPod Touch to see how the app functions. I created my new Do you own an Apple iPhone or iPod number and caller information in less than touch? If so, you’ll definitely want to read ten seconds, and found that the company this remarkable discovery made by David even lets you use the app for the first month Pogue, a technology columnist of the New entirely free. If you like the way the app efYork Times, for a recent application called ficiently connects calls and texts indoors Line2 by Toktumi. With the iPhone, this app where AT&T’s service is lousy, then you can not only saves you $40 off of your AT&T bill, continue to use the app for $10 a month. If but it also allows you to change your regular you don’t and would rather just use your old iPod Touch into a fully fledged phone. regular phone, than you can delete the app The way Line2 works is that, depending after a month. upon when you have a wireless connection, The catch is, it only functions where there you can call or text anyone through your is a wireless connection. If you don’t have Line2 phone numWi-Fi, then calls ber without getting that are sent to you charged ridicuautomatically go lously high phone to voicemail, and bills. If you have an texts are received iPhone, however, once you’re back in you have the option a wireless connecof either dropping tion. But something AT&T’s service on people don’t realize, your phone, or just however, is that with keeping a 450-minthis app, people can ute plan each month talk on the phone for texting and callfor as long as they ing only when you want in a wireless don’t have a wireless hotspot (in an ofconnection through fice, school, house, your Line2 server. etc), whereas with But wait, it only AT&T’s service, gets better. Assumpeople are charged ing AT&T bills you extra with the num$90 a month for ber of minutes they unlimited texting spend calling. and calling ($70 for Also, Line2 is calling, $20 for texperfect for kids ting); if you have an who’ve been begiPhone and want ging their parents to keep a 450-min- The opening screen of the Line2 app. PHOTO/PROVIDED to buy them a cell ute plan for calling phone, because really and just drop texting entirely, you’re down if you have an iPod Touch, with the permisto $40 of calling through AT&T’s service in sion from your parents you can download addition to the $10 that Line2 charges you this app for $1 and have a cell phone that for texting and calling through Wi-Fi. That won’t cost your parents a dime over $10. gives you a total of $50 each month, which It all makes a lot more sense once you’ve is $40 cheaper than what you would’ve paid downloaded the app and tried it out. Once with AT&T’s unlimited texting and calling you’re receiving and placing calls through bill of $90! But if you choose to drop AT&T’s your iPod touch, then you know that miraservice entirely, you only have to pay $10 for cles really do come true—your days of flingboth calling and texting each month once ing Harry Potter spells at your iPod touch you’re linked into a wireless hot spot. are over, for it is now a perfectly working cell That, to me, is an incredible bargain. I phone.
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Restaurant Review: Sushi O Sake By JULIE STOVER and YUQI YANG
A few weeks ago, the Monday afternoon of our wonderful four-day weekend, our dedicated and hungry group of restaurant reviewers met up at Sushi O Sake, a Japanese restaurant near the Commons. The food was delicious and enticing. The staff were patient and friendly. The decor was distinctive with a theme of red and gold. The restaurant was softly lit with yellow lights and had a calming atmosphere. Sushi O Sake serves a wide variety of Japanese foods. For those who are thirsty, their Iced Green Tea is very light and watery, perfect for quenching thirst. A variety of other drinks are available for purchase like sodas, lemonade and fruit juices. Miso Soup was a
popular order among the group, and can be summed up in a few words: delicious, with silken tofu and perfectly seasoned broth. For those who are not familiar with Japanese food and have difficulty choosing a selection from the menu, the waiters and staff are very patient and are willing to answer any questions you may have about the menu. All main sushi dishes come with a side of ginger to “cleanse the pallet” after the meal, and a side of very spicy wasabi paste (which is meant to complement the sushi). We found out the hard way that it is not meant to be eaten by itself. The Salmon Sushi rolls are served with pieces of raw fish; those who are not accustomed to sashimi should be warned. The California Sunrise Sushi Platter had potato sauce with cooked salmon in
addition to sushi. Although the sauce was good and the salmon cooked to perfection, the sushi was very heavy, with the oil from the salmon detracting from the main flavor of the dish. The Alaskan Sushi Rolls were cooked well, had a smooth texture, and complemented the taste of the sushi. Larger orders of sushi are served in large, wooden, ship-like structures, with the sushi placed like decoration on top. Besides sushi, other entrees are also available. Chicken and beef teriyaki bento are offered, along with dumplings, tempura and seaweed salad. Overall, we would recommend eating at Sushi O Sake. The restaurant has friendly staff, a variety of sushi, and very authentic Japanese food at reasonable prices.
NOBEL
December 21, 2010
continued from p.4
dents who have or are currently studying Latin America, won the Literature Prize. Llosa was born in 1936 in Peru and has written novels, memoirs, essays, plays, and other works. His novels have gained him the most fame. His writings are usually based on historic or current conflicts, such as The Time of the Hero (1963), a novel about strict Peruvian society, and The Conversation in the Cathedral (1969) which criticizes dictatorship through a murder mystery. Llosa unsuccessfully ran for the presidency in Peru in 1990, but is no longer interested in holding office, preferring to influence from the sidelines with his literary works. Peter Diamond, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides won the 2010 Economic Sciences Award for their study of the complexities (frictions) of the economic world, like filling jobs and buying homes. Diamond, Mortensen and Pissarides have converted these topics into mathematical models, which describe the behavior of the market. The DMP model is now the most-used analytical tool in the field. Finally, Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize, the first Chinese man to do so. Xiaobo is a literary critic and poet who is currently serving an eleven-year prison term for leading China’s pro-democracy movement. In 2008, he wrote Charter 08, which called for freedom, democracy, political elections and increased human rights in China, which has now gathered several thousand signatures. Xiaobo’s writing has not been stopped by his arrest. A week after his arrest, he released a statement through a lawyer, saying “I have made sacrifices with no regrets. For an intellectual thirsty for freedom in a dictatorial country, prison is the very first threshold. Now I have stepped over the threshold, and freedom is near.” FLOODS
massive funds and assistance. Because of internal corruption within the Pakistani government, and Pakistan’s poor image in world media as a haven for violence and terrorism, international help has been lacking. Neva Khan, the Pakistani director of the international relief organization Oxfam, has recently noted, “The UN emergency appeal is less than 40 percent funded. Many of the world’s richest countries are failing the flood victims, who are amongst the poorest and most vulnerable in the world.” It is important to realize that the overwhelming number of victims of these floods are neither members of the government nor the elite; they are not involved with violence. They are just small farmers and other rural poor. BURQAS
What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?
continued from p.5
Continued inattention to their desperate circumstances may lead some Pakastanis to resort to any means in order to survive. Those of us who live in Ithaca, far away from these disasters, can and should still remain involved in world affairs. There are a number of websites that provide information and opportunities to donate, such as www.relief4pakistan. com. Ithaca’s Greenstar Coop continues to collect funds at their cash registers. Above all, in all such events, (including the Haiti earthquake earlier this year) one needs to stay informed not only of the immediate impact of the disaster, but also of how the force of these events unfolds over several years, especially in the lives of the poor.
Inquiring Photographer
“No school, meaning watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate all week!” -Holly Mason ‘13 and Rachael Waldrop ‘13
continued from p.4
“Spending quality time with my family” -Nora Abramov ‘12
Women wearing burqas, a controversial religious garment, in Paris, France.
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Center site. In Switzerland, the construction of minarets, a tall tower in Islamic mosques used to call prayer, is currently prohibited. Countries like Belgium and Spain are also considering banning burqas and similar garments. Anti-immigration parties have proposed mandatory Muslim integration into society. One of these parties is expected to win Parliament seats in Sweden, a country traditionally known for its liberal tolerance. Opinion 1: Perhaps there is a silver lining to this ban. If the banishment of burqas can proceed smoothly, Islamophobia will lessen its influence in our world. Racial profiling will no longer be practiced. If successful, the rest of the European world will begin to relax with respect to Islam. If Muslims can integrate themselves into French society without upsetting the civil order, the social unity of France might strengthen. Those who cry bloody murder must remember that the French government has only banned an article of clothing and not the actual religion to which it belongs. France still upholds freedom of religion, as guaranteed in the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Even if a worshipper is denied a symbol of their religion, they can still continue to practice it. The French government has simply chosen to take precautionary steps against further strife. For now, it is best to focus on how an individual chooses to respond. Hopefully, those affected will choose to act rationally for the sake of decreasing tensions in France and contribute to promoting the global image of Islam. Opinion 2: A ban on burqas is not only ineffective, but for its stated intentions, unnecessary. The French Parliament has stated that the ban is less about religion than a need to remove the insulting practice of forcing women to cover their entire bodies. Yet if this is the case, then why must the law specifically ban not only the act of forcing someone to wear a burqa, but simply wearing a burqa even if done voluntarily? If a woman chooses to cover herself in public, it does not necessarily mean she is being forced into doing so. Again, we must draw the conclusion that the banning of burqas is a move that limits religious freedom of expression, not one that promotes women’s rights. Religious tolerance cannot be forced unto society by making certain groups give up aspects of their religious identity.
“On Christmas morning, I absolutely LOVE sorting my presents into piles... It’s way more awesome than it sounds.” -Rina Brand ‘14
“Listening to all the holiday songs” Nitsan Goldstein ‘11
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“Catfish”: What You See is Not What You Get Our Rating:
´´´1/2
By KATHERINE HAMBURY
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The documentary Catfish was one of the most talked-about films at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The film focuses on the story of Nev Schulman, a young photographer in New York City who has a great smile. The story begins when one of Nev’s photographs gets published in the New York Times. Shortly thereafter, Nev receives a painting of his photograph in the mail from a nine-year-old girl named Abby. Nev and Abby begin to have a harmless friendship over letters, emails, photos, and paintings. The online friendship grows to include other members of Abby’s family including Abby’s mom Angela, older sister Megan, father, and brother. The audience learns about the family in the same way as Nev does – through Facebook wall posts, profile pictures, and Google maps. The relationship between Nev and the family becomes more serious when Nev begins to fall for Megan, the 19-year-old sister. Their relationship matures quickly as they begin to text and talk on the phone, calling each other “babe.” They talk about how they long to meet each other, hoping that the connection they feel is existent in person. Nev gets thrown for a loop when he starts to notice inconsistencies in Megan’s actions. Sadly, I cannot reveal the rest of the plot. The reality of the situation begins to unfold and Nev finds himself in the middle of a situation he no longer wants to be a part of. I went into the movie not knowing anything about the film except what I had seen in the trailer. With that said, I did have some expectations for the film from the trailer that weren’t met. The trailer spins the documen-
Despite my conflicting feelings on the trailer, I enjoyed the film. The fact that Nev is such an attractive, personable, real guy probably helps. All the same, I feel that it is a movie to which a lot of people can relate. Just about every person growing up in the 21st century has a Facebook and is connected to people in ways that no other generation has ever been. The film is a wake-up call that a lot of people may need. I know this may not make complete sense to those of you who haven’t seen the film yet, but trust me. The fact that Catfish is a documentary definitely causes the film to make more of an impact because it was true. If the film was fictional, then it probably wouldn’t be worth watching. But as I watched the crude camera shots that depicted the story of a normal young guy, I felt much more connected to the story. A large issue that critics have about Catfish is its authenticity. The film is categorized as a documentary, but many people believe that the film is staged. Some critics question how the whole situation could truly unfold the way that it does (again, you’d probably have to see the movie for this statement to make complete sense). Personally I think Nev really was attached to the situation, and that the movie is real. I don’t think Nev and everyone involved, who seem like genuine, good people, would go through the trouble to create a fake film. Still, movie critics are pretty evenly split about their opinions on the film’s authenticity. Catfish is definitely a film everyone should see, but not as a scary thriller (like the misleading trailer shows the film to be) because that’s not the essence of the film. And do not look up spoilers online because that will simply ruin the experience. Catfish is an enjoyable movie that causes the audience to smile and laugh as well as think twice about what to believe.
“Catfish”, a documentary, surprises moviegoers everywhere.
tary to have a scary, twisted ending that “you won’t be able to shake for days.” And while the ending is twisted, it is not how the trailer portrays it to be. I am a bit angry that the trailer is so unrepresentative of the movie. The trailer appealed to an audience that the movie wouldn’t have otherwise reached.
(Matinee)
Cinemapolis - 607-277-6115 (2:15), (4:30), 7:15, 9:30 The Social Network (4:30), 9:30 Conviction (2:05), 7:05 Tamara Drewe (2:20), (4:35), 7:20, 9:35 127 Hours (1:50), 6:50 Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest (2:25), (4:25), 7:25, 9:25 Fair Game (4:15), 9:15 Inside Job Regal Ithaca Mall Stadium 14 - 607-266-7960
Our Rating:
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By MAIA RODRIGUEZ-SEMP
When “The Social Network” opened in theaters on October 1, 2010, it was already expected to cause controversy. It is unavoidable when the subjects in a film are real, and still living. People who want to know the “real story” of the man with 500 million friends have interviewed Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, on the subject of the movie. According to him, Hollywood took some “artistic license” in the telling of the building of the company. From the first scene of “The Social Network,” the interactions between characters are intriguing. We are introduced to Mark (Jesse Eisenberg) and Erica (Rooney Mara), who speak with the rapid-fire wit of people who are members of the Ivy League. They break up, setting Mark’s failure as the action of the movie. Losing her to unnamed and unknown members of an elite society spurs Mark’s next move of misogyny. First he considers comparing the undergraduate women of Harvard to farm animals, but settles for comparing them with each other. Each new innovation in the process of creating the company is a result of the endless search for a girl. However, this is not a story about the girls and women who surround and apparently drive the men to greater heights. It is about the men. Men who want to prove that they can conquer the world of the moment
with the next big thing that will get them more girls, more prestige, and more fame. Mark’s friends and co-workers repeat the phrase “he doesn’t care about the money,” and he doesn’t. He cares about making sure he doesn’t end his life like the creator of Victoria’s Secret: in the water under the Golden Gate Bridge because of a business mistake that pulled him down. continued on p. 15
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(12:50), (3:40), 6:50, 10:00 Black Swan (3:25), 9:10 Burlesque (2:50), (5:30), 8:10, 10:45 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1:20), (4:00), 7:00, 9:50 The Fighter (3:00), 6:10, 9:30 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (1:00), (3:50), 6:40, 9:40 How Do You Know 12:01 AM Little Fockers (1:45), (4:50), 8:15, 10:50 Love and Other Drugs (1:30), (5:10), 7:40, 10:25 Tangled (2:45), 8:00 The Tourist (1:10), (4:10), 7:20, 10:20 Tron: Legacy 12:01 AM True Grit (12:40), 6:20 Unstoppable (2:00), (4:20), 6:30, 9:00 Yogi Bear
The Social Network
Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg.
December 21, 2010
The Kids Are All Right Our Rating:
´´´´
By KATHERINE HAMBURY
The Kids Are All Right tackles the question of what it really means to be a family. While it is centered on a gay marriage, the heart of the movie is about family virtues. This strange family consists of a gay married couple, two teenagers, and a sperm donor.
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Director Lisa Cholodenko’s quirky comedy portrays unconventional family life in a fresh way.
Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) live with their teenage kids Joni (Mia Wasikowaska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) in a chic L.A. neighborhood. Nic is a doctor and plays the role of the more professional parent. Jules, who is much less grounded, has been floating between careers and decides to maybe start a landscape and design business. Joni and Laser share an anonymous father who donated sperm when Nic and Jules each wanted a child. When Joni turns 18, Laser pesters his parents to track down their father. While Joni is cautious and reluctant to get in touch with the anonymous sperm donor, she makes the call. The sperm donor, Paul (Mark Ruffalo) is the type of father figure any teenager would want. Paul rides a motorcycle, owns a restaurant stocked with fresh produce from his garden, and lives his life without having any true commitments. He has a charm and rugged appearance that has women falling for him left and right, but he avoids settling down with anyone. When he first talks to Joni and hears about his two kids and their life, he awkwardly states “I love lesbians.” Nevertheless, when Joni and Laser meet up with Paul, they are cautious but excited to have a father figure in their life – even if he seems to be a bit full of himself. While the kids quickly befriend Paul, Nic is very disapproving of Paul, who changes the dynamics of their family dramatically. In order to show acceptance, Paul offers Jules her first landscaping job – designing his backyard. The odd job quickly takes a turn for the worst when Jules and Paul begin to have an affair. Just as Nic begins to like and accept Paul, the affair is made known and all hell breaks loose. All through the movie “the moms” struggle with problems in their marriage and disagreements on what’s right for the family. But even as the moms worry and struggle to keep their family functional and together, the kids are all right. The Kids Are All Right is a refreshing movie that is funny, raw and true. While the movie focuses on a gay marriage, the movie could be about any family. It shows that a family is simply the people who know you, love you, and put up with you. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore do a great job of playing the moms who try to do what’s best for their family by reading every self-help book there is. Likewise, Mia Wasikowaska and Josh Hutcherson do a great job playing the kids who fight to figure out their paths in life. Even though the movie focuses on the parents and their struggles, a person of any age can relate to the twisted family dynamics.The Kids Are All Right perfectly presents the characters’ flaws in an honest way. We learn that older people are not always wiser – nevertheless, we are all in it together.
A&
Boardwalk Empire Our Rating:
´´´´1/2
By PETER PILLARDY
To quote The Sopranos quoting the Godfather, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” This Michael Corleone quote from the third Godfather movie was the very first thing that came to mind when I heard about a new HBO television series that was going to premiere in the fall. When The Sopranos ended its eight-year run in the summer of 2007, HBO lost its entire mafia-adoring fan base. With its rather abrupt and ambiguous ending, fans such as myself were left yearning for more after the series’ finale. Luckily, during the summer of 2010, HBO announced a brand new show that appeared to be a glimmer of hope on the horizon for the cinematic mafia world. The show is Boardwalk Empire, a period drama set in the 1920s in Atlantic City, New Jersey right after the passage of the 18th Amendment and the onset of prohibition in the United States. Loosely based on Nelson Johnson’s book, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, Boardwalk Empire documents how prohibition, in the end, lead to many crimes that it intended to prevent and most importantly, lead to the rise and success of the mafia and the organized crime syndicate in America. The series was created by Terence Winters, the ex-
ecutive producer for The Sopranos. In addition, many producers from The Sopranos such as Alan Taylor, Allen Coulter, and Tim Van Patten are involved with the project. Legendary director and filmmaker Martin Scorsese is also involved. Besides directing the pilot episode of the series, he serves as co-executive producer. Boardwalk Empire’s plot mainly revolves around Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (based on historical figure Enoch L. Johnson), the treasurer of Atlantic City, who rules the town with corruption and political power, in a manner befitting of a mafia boss. Nucky, with his tremendous influence, is able to gain the support of various types of people, from members of the Women Suffrage Movement to corrupt politicians, to even the city police (of which his brother, Eli Thompson, is a part). This is a man who can deliver a lie-ridden speech to the Temperance League about how he was orphaned due to his father being an alcoholic, and then, while walking to his car, take a large swig from his concealed flask. Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Bucsemi (Reservoir Dogs, The Sopranos), is brought to life as an incredibly complex and surprisingly human person who is the de facto ruler of Atlantic City. When one sees Buscemi’s character, one inevitably makes the comparison between him and James Gandolfini’s portrayal of Tony Soprano. So far, in the nine episodes since the premiere continued on p. 15
AMC’s Walking Dead
Season 1 cast of The Walking Dead, AMC’s new, dramatic take on a zombie apocalypse.
Our Rating:
´´´1/2
By LEO WINTERS
When the third season of Mad Men on AMC ended, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do between the hours of 10 and 11 pm on Sunday nights to distract me from homework. Soon enough I got everything I had wanted and more with another quality TV show on AMC, called The Walking Dead. Needless to say I was excited for the premier on Halloween night. The show started off with the main character Rick Grimes, a town’s sheriff shot in the arm in a shootout with a group of robbers. His friend calls an ambulance to get him to the hospital. He proceeds to fade in and out of a coma in his hospital bed. Through half-closed eyes he sees his friend and fellow officer Shane telling him to get better then placing a bouquet of flowers next to his bed. Rick begins to reply to Shane, but mid-sentence realizes he’s awoken from his coma. He looks over to see that the flowers his friend had left
him are dead and wilted, indicating time has passed. He then leaves his hospital bed to discover the hospital is abandoned and there’s a big locked door with a ton of zombies behind it down the hall. Now, you may be asking, a guy waking up from a coma to a zombie apocalypse...didn’t they already do that in “28 Days Later?” and you would be very right. Although they pretty much plucked that idea from 28 Days Later, the scene is still very well done and therefore no less affecting. After our hero figures out that the world has been overrun by zombies, he naturally starts to look for his wife and kid to make sure they’re safe. But, unfortunately, rather than finding his loved ones he gets smashed in the face with a shovel by a kid and his dad who are still alive and apparently out hunting zombies. The episode pretty much goes downhill from there, as the rest becomes very predictable, and basically in the end he leaves the father and son to go search for his own family in a zombie refugee camp. You can’t really blame the creators
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of the Walking Dead for making the show a bit predictable, as the story they’re using has been explored in countless movies that follow the same formula. But regardless, the cinematography of director Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile) is by far the show’s strongest point. The show’s character development is hit and miss, as some characters such as Rick, his best friend Shane (who had an affair with Rick’s wife when she thought he was dead), and the two filthy, racist redneck brothers who are among the group of survivors can all be very compelling at times. On the other hand, father Morgan and his son Duane from the first episode, and Rick’s wife and son are all very bland characters, and I usually feel like I could recite their lines before they even say them. But, despite a few weak points, the high quality cinematography of the show is enough to keep me glued to the screen when it’s on. And, while it’s no Mad Men, I’m glad I checked this show out and I suggest you do too.
Our International Community
No, We Don’t Ride Kangaroos By TETA ALIM
When I saw the flyer for Rotary Youth Exchange the fall of my sophomore year, I knew what I wanted to do next year. I was going abroad. It didn’t matter where, (well, preferably somewhere in Europe) but I was going. I went to the info session, took some notes, and showed up at the first round of interviews, which happened to be on the same night as a big soccer game. Even though it felt rushed and I missed a warm-up for the game, it was all worthwhile and I made it to the second round of interviews. Out of more than 70 kids, I was accepted. When I got my acceptance letter, I screamed for ten minutes then shared the news with my best friend. Then I actually read the letter and real-
ized I was going to Australia. I had to admit, I was disappointed at first. My top choice was Belgium, then Taiwan, Japan, Hungary...Australia was my last choice. I wanted to go to a country with a foreign language, and Australia isn’t exactly in that category. After months of stressing out and nervous breakdowns, I finally boarded my flight in the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City and left my home for the land down under. It was a 23 hour flight. I went from New York to Los Angeles to Sydney and finally to Melbourne. When I landed in Melbourne, I met my host mom and a guy from the Rotary Club. I was hugged and fussed over, then driven from Melbourne to a small town named Shepparton. Shepparton is a bit like Ithaca, but
without the college town atmosphere and the extensive bus system that makes it pretty easy to get around. In Shepparton, I have to rely on my host mom - or mum as they say – to drive me around. I live a bit out of town too, near a farm. And I have to stay with a dog. To say the least, I am not a dog person. Never was. But being in Australia has forced me to at least tolerate them somewhat. I still don’t like them, but I don’t hate them anymore, either. After living in Australia for two and a half months, I am getting the swing of things. I go to a private school called Goulburn Valley Grammar School and have to wear a uniform. One for winter, one for summer, and one for gym class. The best part of school are the two breaks: “recess” in the morning and a
big long lunch in the afternoon. There is no cafeteria, so everyone eats outside; if it gets too cold or rainy we eat in an empty classroom. The girls I sit with are pretty nice; they find my American accent very amusing and ask me to say things like “banana” and “mascara.” It took me a few weeks to get used to the Aussie accent and lingo. People here say “toilets” instead of “bathroom” because their toilets are literally separated from their bathrooms. They also say “chips” instead of “fries” and “thongs” are actually “flip-flops.” Imagine my confusion when a friend asked if I wore thongs in the summer. Besides being friends with the Aussie kids at my school, I am also really close friends with the other exchange students in my district. The good thing continued on p. 12
Semester in Singapore: By SEAN AYASH
Auntie, Uncle, Boy, Lah?
With a whoosh of electronically operated doors, I stepped out of Newark Airport. A sunset made hazy by the slightly intoxicating and suffocating mixture of cigarette smoke, city fumes, and exhaust greeted me. I reached into the pocket of my black jeans and pulled out my U.S. passport, my cell phone, my Singapore Airlines boarding pass, and a pair of tangled iPod headphones. In one smooth motion, I slid my backpack off my arm and jammed all of these objects into its shallow outside pocket. Except for one: The Verizon phone. It had not been packed into a drawer for eight months. I flicked the screen up and pressed the power button. The red and white powering-on lights were a gateway to my background. I had just returned after spending eight months of 2010 in Singapore. My parents had visiting professorships at Nanyang Technological University, a top engineering school in Asia. They are not engineers (my mom is a film theorist and my dad a public health researcher), but that’s another story and not about me. I had lived in Singapore when I was nine years old. The difference between being nine and seventeen years old is the difference between having your parents take you to Malaysian temples and Indonesian mosques and going on your own to be immersed in the culture with Malay and Indonesian friends. The majority of my friends in Singapore, however, could not be categorized or placed under a particular nationality. Members of the Swiss club were both Swiss and Malay, members of the Tanglin club were Malay and Dutch, and members of the British club were Italian and British. Singapore has a reputation for strict laws, Big Brother-like surveillance, and extreme punishments. It’s known around the globe as the country where you break the law if you buy gum, spit on the sidewalk, or forget to flush a public toilet. But rather than feeling repressed, I saw Singapore more as an unique playground to explore. Just as you might investigate the creaky swings, plastic whirly bowls and tall towers of a new playground, I began to explore this truly unique country. Exotic new foods replaced cheddar cheese goldfish such as sambal kang kong--a spicy oil sauce infused with 20 years of wok residue on top of long, smooth, dark green leaves with fresh crunchy stalks. Familiar faces were replaced by strange, new ones. The people wore different clothes, more tailored and formal than the tshirts worn in Ithaca. They rose when others entered the room; they had impeccable manners. In the beginning, Singapore was difficult for me. I was upset and unsettled. This was not what my junior year of high school was supposed to be. It was hot and
The bright lights of Singapore can be overwhelming to any new traveler.
humid in this new, private school in Southeast Asia, half a world away from home. The teachers taught in different styles; kids used different dictions. Yet Singapore’s most unique characteristic ended up becoming the most compelling, challenging, and intriguing part of my time living there: Singlish. Singlish presented itself in just about every kind of situation I encountered: in the cabs, in the hawker stalls, in the cafeteria, in the MRT (subway), and on the buses. The colloquialisms of Singlish were difficult for my American tongue. Expletives like “lah” took the place of exclamation points. “Auntie” and “ uncle” replaced ma’am and sir. “Boy” was used in a similar fashion to son. But “boy,” unlike the American term “son,” emitted a playful and beguiling tone. In the hawker stalls of a central Singapore island neighborhood known as Holland Village, the sound of “boy” gently reminded customers to place their orders with precision and speed. It instilled in buyers a sense of responsibility to the people who were working, chopping, stir frying, and serving. The hybrid language of Singapore repositioned me.
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For the first time in my life, I experienced what it was like to be an immigrant. I requested countless sentences to be repeated and slowed down. I communicated for my parents on family excursions. At times, I found myself angered by the incorrect usage and westernized structures with which my parents spoke Singlish. The rigid American dialect my family attempted to speak did not flow in the same way as Singapore’s ever-evolving, dynamic, and alluring hybrid version of the language. Singlish is an unique product of Singapore. It is an imaginative combination of English with bits and pieces of Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Bengali, and Malay. It reflects Singapore’s multicultural social structure, transplanting all of this within you via language. The dirty air and incessant car horns of Newark, New Jersey welcomed me home. I admit, joy came with the realization that I was finally back home. When I left Ithaca in January for Singapore, my head swirled with questions, like what kids at my new school would think of me. As I returned, I wondered if Singlish would ever find its way back to my lips.
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December 21, 2010
Thailand Tales
A Year in Ithaca By ADEL DAVLETGARAEVA
By JENSEN LO
It was a scorching June afternoon when I received word from my mother that we were going to Thailand that summer to visit my grandfather. Though I couldn’t see how traveling to a place even closer to the equator could be relaxing, I still looked forward to the white, sandy beaches and Thai cuisine. But as the trip drew nearer, I realized that I wouldn’t be in the whitewashed, tourist-friendly part of Thailand, but right in the middle of Bangkok. The capital city with almost one-fifth of the nation’s population, Bangkok is perennially hot with terrible air quality. It was a big change from Ithaca, to say the least. I met my grandfather in the newly renovated airport. As soon as I stepped outside of the air-conditioned room, the pollution, heat, and humidity struck me like a wave. I walked completely dazed to our taxi, whose driver drove recklessly through the heavy traffic and almost crashed several times in the weaving. We barely made it to my grandfather’s house in one piece. The tall brick wall, lined with barbed wire, loomed high above the street; the iron gate was equally imposing. After unpacking and lying down on the bed, I still couldn’t sleep because of the heat and humidity. I knew that it was going to be a long summer. The next day, we bought porridge for breakfast from a local stall around the street corner. Though the street
Temples in Thailand.
smelled awful and we were almost hit by a taxi, the porridge was the best I’ve ever had in my life, and it only cost around a dollar. Later, we went to several craft fairs and spent the whole afternoon bartering for finely crafted sculptures and paintings as souvenirs, each only around a few dollars. Then we went to the Paragon, Thailand’s most luxurious shopping mall. I’m not much of a shopper, so instead I pigged out on Thai and Japanese food at cheap prices and had a great time. One interesting thing to note is that in Thailand, respect for elders is very
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valued in its culture. When I visited my relatives, the oldest of whom were over a hundred years old, I had to think carefully about everything I said and did because there is not much of that culture in the U.S. Before I knew it, our trip was over. While it was difficult to overcome some of the barriers presented to an Ithacan, the experience was definitely worth the first few sleepless nights. But more than anything else, the trip made me realize how much I appreciated Ithaca. I would never dream of living anywhere else.
Beef Stew and Potatoes BY GREG CHU
There has been great debate over whether the United States is a mosaic of different cultures, a melting pot, or both. Though certain cultures have melded into the single identity of “American” over the past century, many people still relegate themselves into groups. Since the two identities are not mutually exclusive, this would make our country neither a melting pot nor a mosaic, but rather a beef stew with potatoes. A beef stew contains both the liquid broth and the solid parts such as the potato. Similarly, all groups in the U.S. are melded into the mainstream “broth” while suspended as solid “potatoes.” People with something in common (race, religion, gender, etc.) tend to group together. Throughout history this practice has been common; the separation of cities into ethnic areas like Chinatown and Little Italy is a good example. Entire groups have also established their own towns, like the Pennsylvania Dutch who settled in great numbers in the city of Pittsburgh. Many of these clustered settlements were desired and formed naturally. Not all of these groups were tolerated in history, but the fact that dual identity still holds strong today is proof that people still consider
themselves something else in addition to being American. The chance of cultural interaction between two groups depends on two main factors: the number of different groups in a certain area, and the views of society towards cultural interaction. The first factor is just like collision theory; if there are more particles (in this case Chinatown, New York City.
groups), the chance of interaction increases. The second factor is the tolerance and acceptance of cultural interaction by the vast majority of people in society. Considering these factors, the U.S. would be an ideal place for such diffusion. One rarely hears people use the term “Irish-American” today even though back in the mid-nineteenth cen-
tury the Irish were actively subjected to discrimination. Many Americans today, including many who aren’t from Irish descent, still partake in Irish holidays, such as St. Patrick’s Day. The fact that groups like the Irish are able to maintain their cultural identity while still being considered American makes the nation similar to a beef stew. PHOTO/PROVIDED
Being an exchange student isn’t as easy as it might seem. For some teenagers, the idea of being an ocean away from their parents may sound too good to be true, but it is definitely not for everyone, including me. When I was chosen to go to Ithaca, NY, I had no idea what I would go through. I guess I was a lucky person, because I had an amazing host family who made my experience the best it could be, sharing every bit of their lifestyle with me. I celebrated Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween. My host mom, Marianne Krasny, taught me how to make brownies, apple pies and gingerbread. She also taught me how to cross-country ski. My host dad, Mark Whitmore, cooked the best dinners I’d ever had. We watched so many good movies together. My host brother, Sylvan Whitmore, helped me with school and was the brother I never had. They even took me to the Grand Canyon for a week during Spring Break! Staying with them was something better than I could have hoped for, but I still had some problems. I remember my first day of school at Ithaca High…I was shocked! I got lost all the time, even with the map of school. Funny, isn’t it? I also didn’t know English well, so I had to think long and hard in advance about my answers when answering questions. Of course, I had to make new friends and get used to my life in America. I am not shy; I just didn’t understand what American teenagers were saying. Slang was my enemy; my accent was no friend. Moreover, the mentality of the American students was very different. The way teenagers communicate, dance, and even eat was very different from what I had been used to. I was doing my best to fit in with my classes. Now I can laugh at myself, but at the time it wasn’t easy to understand that my English was the reason why it was difficult for me to make friends for some time. After a month, I was like a fish in the water. I met more and more people, made friends, and life got a lot better. I liked IHS, especially my history and math teachers, Mr. Brown and Mr. Mellander. They really helped through the year. Thanks to them, school life wasn’t a drag. As months were passing I realized how much I missed my family and friends. Sometimes I spent days just talking to them on Skype. It was hard to accept that the closest people to me were thousands of miles away. I missed their love. I was also afraid of losing my friends back home, but in the end, the best ones stuck with me. The hardest part of being far away was my grandma and uncle’s deaths. I regret not being with my family when they died. I hope no one goes through this situation being away from home. I stayed in America until the end of the school year, and the last three to four months were wonderful! I hung out with my friends a lot and things were looking good. It is great that Americans are so hospitable and don’t mind other kids being over at their houses. I left the day before graduation. My friend organized a goodbye party for me which was awesome because so many other friends came that day. Honestly, friends made my whole experience of being an exchange student. During the days we laughed together, at nights we danced together, and other times we simply hung out. When I came to the States I felt I was reborn: a new language, new friends, new school – a new life. In the end, I don’t regret coming to Ithaca, and my time spent here will always be very dear to my heart.
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KANGAROOS
December 21, 2010
continued from p.10
about going on exchange with Rotary is that I am put in a district with other Rotary exchange kids. We are able to meet each other during weekends and orientation days. In my district, there are 15 other exchange students. They don’t all live in Shepparton, but we all meet up by train or bus. It is very exciting to hear stories about Sweden and Brazil, their home countries. We grew very close because we are all going through the same things as exchange students. They are like my family. Whenever I have problems or feel homesick, I just talk to them and always feel better afterwards. The best part of Shepparton is the train to Melbourne. It’s a two-hour ride, but for Melbourne, it’s well worth it. Melbourne is like New York City but less crowded, and cleaner. It is absolutely beautiful and the shopping there is fantastic. I’ve been to Melbourne five or six times now, mostly with friends and once by myself. I’ve also visited small towns around the state of Victoria like Yea and Kilmore. The population in Yea is around 1,000 and its most exciting street has a grocery store and a fish-and-chips shop. So far, it’s been an amazing experience. I consider it one of my best life decisions. I’ve come to realize all my worries did not come true; I have made friends and felt no crippling homesickness, just light nostalgia. I’ve petted a kangaroo, eaten a meat pie, and gotten into Aussie rules football (go Cats!). I’ve made so many new friends from all over the world and even caught on a bit of the Aussie accent. Even though I miss my family and friends, I have to be honest: I don’t want to go back any time soon. When my year is up, I’ll probably be bawling my eyes out and refusing to leave. But I won’t think about that now. I’ll just focus on all the good things to come today and soak in every part of this experience.
South Korea By DANIEL LEE
Hi everyone, I’m Daniel Lee. I’m from South Korea, a very small country. I’m 16 years old. Back home, I live with my parents, an older sister and two cousins. I like to exercise and watch anime. Sometimes I miss Korea. I miss my friends, my school, and Korean food. But, America is good because America’s food and school are cool. I especially like my ESL (English as a Second Language) class and International Club. I came here ten months ago. Everything felt strange that day because lots of things in America are different. At first, I didn’t know how to use the crosswalk because the signal didn’t change. As soon as someone pressed the button, the signal changed! Now I know how to use the crosswalk. Another thing I’ve learned is that it’s always so cold here. When I arrived, I had a hard time finding my host family’s house because so much snow covered the town at night. When I went to school for the first time, I got lost. That was really sad. And I didn’t know that classes change each period. In Korea, we stay in the same classroom for the entire day. We also have no cafeteria. So it was really weird for me to stand in line for the first time and order lunch. But, I like that we don’t need to wear
Kimchi, a traditional Korean dish.
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uniforms. I don’t want to wear a uniform because my school uniform in Korea is pink and that is really sad. If you have the opportunity to visit Korea, I recommend that you visit Kyoung-in City. There are many royal museums and you will see many crowns and ruins. And you must see a taekwondo presentation, the traditional Korean martial arts! 70 percent of kids in South Korea take taekwondo. You must also try Korean food. It can be little spicy but it is so delicious. Try kimchi, bean-paste potage, and others. You should also try wearing a hanbok: traditional Korean clothing. It is beautiful. After coming here, I’ve realized that I want to visit other countries, or go to other places in America. Thank you for learning about my country, South Korea!
Kenya
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By JOSINAH GACHIA
My Home Country, Japan By SATOKO HAGA
My name is Satoko Haga. I am from Japan. I came to Ithaca seven months ago because of my father’s job. I was very excited when I learned that we were going to the United States. It was a rare opportunity: to go to the United States and learn English. I wanted to communicate with people from other countries; that was why I decided to come to the U.S. and meet many different kinds of people. I wanted to broaden my horizon and become stronger mentally. There are so many differences between Japan and the U.S. that I can’t even list one similarity between them. First of all, the high schools are very different. Here, students can choose the subjects they want to study, there are fewer students in a classrooms, the school building is huge, and students are offered more support. In Japan, the student-teacher ratio is 1:40. Students cannot choose which subjects to study and every student has the same schedule. We stay in the classroom for an entire day; a different
teacher comes to our classroom every period. There are many people who are from different countries and continents in the U.S. I think this is the biggest difference from Japan, and it’s one of my favorite parts of America. We don’t have ESL (English as a Second Language) classes in Japan, because there are no foreigners. When I came here, I could not speak English nor understand what people told me, so I decided to be in the ESL class. In the ESL class, the students and teachers are very kind and friendly. This is how I have made many of my friends. Most importantly, they all supported me. I love talking with my friends, and talking about their countries. International Club gives me this opportunity. We share our own cultures, foods, and languages. I miss all of Japan, like my Japanese friends, foods, clothes, magazines, comics and music. However, I have had a good experience in the U.S. I’m happy. Even though we have different mother tongues, we all share a common link that is English.
The morning was kind of hazy. I woke up really early thinking, “What comes after this?” My heart was racing as I walked through the doors that read “Embassy of the United States.” I had been here before, so why was I stressing this time? This time I was older and actually knew what it meant for me to be there. Getting a Visa meant moving to the U.S. and getting my high school education there. My mum had been working on this for four years. Well, I did get my Visa, and I did move, but...so what? Kenya is a beautiful place. Every day at least one person asks me, “So how is school here different than those in Kenya?” Well, there could be a lot of different answers to that question depending on where in Kenya one grows up. I grew up in Nairobi and went to one of the most expensive schools in the country for elementary school. It was a very good school and I loved it. Then, for secondary school, I went to a boarding school. I have to say that was one of the best experiences of my life because it taught me to be independent. At Ithaca High, as you walk through the hallway past your friend, you know they are going to a different class. In my Kenyan high school, everyone had the same schedule. The teacher would come in for a period, then leave, then the next teacher would come in. All seniors were divided almost equally into four different classes, and each class had their own schedule. And these are the same people you had class with in freshman year; four years with the same people! Everyone in school had the same lunch period, which was divided into two sections. This sort of system allowed students to really get to know the other people in their classes and enhance friendships. Another difference would be the school year calendar and the time school started. Our school year went from January to December with breaks in April, August, half of November and all of December. Being in a boarding school, the school day started at 5 a.m. which meant getting up at 4:30 every morning. We went to bed at 11 p.m. every night. There are so many differences between the U.S. and Kenya that I couldn’t possibly get through the entire list. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. I’ve treasured the time I’ve spent in both and look forward to seeing where I’ll go next.
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December 21, 2010
A&
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Our Rating:´´´´´
Despite Flaws, Exceeded Expectations
By ANNELISE RAYMOND
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Expecting huge crowds, I showed up with my crew an hour and ten minutes early to the 6:50 showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the evening of the second day after the release. Packed for a movie-theater picnic dinner, we were turned away by the ticket-rippers who informed us that the previous showing was still running in Theatre #8 and that we would have to wait 25 minutes before the doors opened. As we preferred to not spend that time as the only ones standing in line, we went to the food court balcony seating to enjoy our packed meal. We leisurely munched down our dinner, then headed back to the movie theater, where — alas — we were no longer the first in line. But only one other group was there before us; this meant that when we were let into the theater, we had practically all of the seats in the theater available to us. Before the “real previews” began, the concession lady made some clear efforts to keep the waiting audience entertained, with a knock-knock joke in which the catch line was YouKnow-Who. When the movie began, a hushed excitement spread throughout the theater. Before I say anything else, let me say that the first part of the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows showed a definite effort to stay true to the book. Also, considering the fact that after the ultimate fails in the 6th movie (such as the fire at the Weasleys’ house — what was that?) I didn’t have very high expectations for this movie. Thus, it didn’t take much to one-up its predecessor, and by all accounts the movie largely exceeded my expectations. There were some glitches in the attempts to follow the book, however. The movie directors have an unfortunate tendency to want to add their own little scenes to the plot, and in this movie they managed to put in some romance between Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), including a dance scene, and a scene in which Hermione says that she just wants to stay in the forest and “grow old” with Harry. Not only did I find these scenes completely unnecessary for viewers following the plot of the movie, but there is absolutely nothing romantic between them in the book. For those who may not have read the book, they will find the movie quite difficult to follow. Even though a lot of Polyjuice Potion is left out so viewers can more easily follow the characters (which went a little too far, because it ends up presenting Ron [Rupert Grint]’s family as being careless about being out in the open), scenes skip dozens of pages at a time and leave a lot unexplained. The actors are shown going through the motions of what happens in the book, but nothing is explained about Kreacher, what’s happening with Sirius’s house (or even that it is Sirius’s house), the confusion about the Hallows, what Snatchers are, Potterwatch (which wasn’t portrayed this way, but it was meant to be hilarious, by the way), why Harry is being moved with doubles — really, the movie ends up being complementary to the book. The movie starts dramatically with a very touching scene showing Hermione erasing herself from her parents’ lives and memories, and sending them to Australia to be safe from the Death Eaters in Great Britain. The scene then changes to another goodbye, though one that’s not quite as sad: Harry departing the Dursleys’. As this was one of my favorite scenes in the book (I was sure Vernon’s awkward arm-swinging almost-handshake would be in the movie), I wished more time had been spent on it; also, foreshadowing the way the rest of the movie would be done, nothing is explained. Some of my favorite lines were left out here — actually, many of my favorite lines were skipped: “Blimey, Dudley, did the dementors blow a different personality into you?” “I won’t blast people out of my way just because they’re there. That’s Voldemort’s job.” “Parents shouldn’t leave their kids unless — unless they’ve got to.” “Well, you’ve obviously got a problem. Spit it out, will you?” George (Oliver Phelps) loses an ear early on in a battle in the air, but his wound is not very convincing. Despite the “holey” jokes, it appears as if George still has the majority of his ear attached to his head, and nothing is mentioned regarding Snape (Alan Rickman) and how any lingering trust was lost in the traitorous fight. This fight scene is essential to understanding happenings later in the book, and really should have been better explained. Ron’s character in The Deathly Hallows isn’t as understandable as I thought he should be. As very little in terms of plot is explained, Ron comes across as irrational, getting mad at Harry and Hermione for practically no reason. He isn’t the funny Ron that book fans expect, although his highlight scene — with the Harry and Hermione that are “more horrible and beautiful than life” — is well-pulledoff, helping to explain just a little of why Ron behaves the way he does. Even though the final book in the Harry Potter series is meant to be overwhelmingly dramatic, and clear efforts are made to portray that in the movie, I found that the book was much more dramatic than the movie in the majority of the scenes. One such scene was the break-in at the Ministry of Magic and the escape there (which should have been a grand exodus of many more people than just Harry, Ron, and Hermione). Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes)’s snake, Nagini, was a recurring 3D-movie-type jumping-out-at-the-audience phenomenon, and made me jump right out of my seat. The movie also dramatized the attack scene at the Tottenham Court Road café near the beginning of the movie — unfortunately, the accuracy of the plot in this scene veers away from the book when Hermione
shouts at the waitress there to GO! when she really should have followed Wizarding law and Obliviated the Muggle woman’s memory. As expected, many scenes were left out so that this first half of the movie duo wouldn’t turn into a 30-hour movie (which it easily could have been). To help connect scenes after others were skimmed over, a few lines had to be added to smooth the whole thing over, which wasn’t done altogether successfully, as the plot remained confusing to follow. If I were suggesting scenes that should have been left in and weren’t, I would have proposed keeping the touching scene where Harry wanders into Sirius’s bedroom and finds his mother’s letter and photo. It may not be crucial to the first half of the book, but viewers who try to follow the story through the movies may be confused as the scene is built on later. I could go on for hours about the actors, so I’ll try to keep it relatively short. There were basic, easily avoidable flaws in many of the characters — Voldemort has blue eyes and Harry’s are hazel, Harry’s hair is not nearly long enough to cover his scar and is WAY too tidily sleeked back — but, more than anything, it was clear that the actors were too old for their roles. Ron and Harry, who are shown shirtless in several scenes, have hairy chests. Hello! These people are supposed to be 17; Harry’s 16 at the start of the film, and he’s shown with facial stubble. One actor with whom I found no complaints was Emma Watson: she was great, with the same little Hermione-like looks and quirks as in the other films, and, as an extra plus, she wore very fashionable clothing (including peacoats, stylish belts, and frock shirts). The role of Draco Malfoy, played by Tom Felton, was also a classic success. The end of the movie came as a shock. It ended up covering a good 501 pages of the book (more than I expected, considering the 7th book is 759 pages long), and ended with a complete hanging ending, as no one expected the credits to suddenly appear on the screen. Try as they might to follow the plot, the movie just can’t equal the book. The scenes in the book were much more dramatic and heart-wrenching, because the description can add little witty lines and help the reader really understand what’s going on — movies generally can be more moving than books because they seem more realistic, but our group thought that was not the case here. The Harry Potter books set high stakes and high expectations for the movie that are difficult to match. Think of the movie as an asset to help you imagine some of the scenes... watch the movie, but only after appreciating the book.
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d e d e e n rs e h p a r tog o h p d an s r e t i r w
email edit or@ihstatt l
er.com
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December 21, 2010
A&
IU: Faun Fables
Noise, Waltz, and Folklore Bring Music Back to the Shop By KYLE ROTHMAN
Since Ithaca Underground (IU)’s beginning, The Shop, a local cafe hangout, has been a hub to countless shows by various groups. But fairly recently, the venue decided that it would no longer host “loud” shows, stating that their business wasn’t making enough profit (since customers couldn’t order anything over the blaring music). The last show at The Shop was Giraffes? Giraffes! in August, and since then, IU has been relying primarily on The Haunt. In the run of big shows during September and October, however, IU managed to put together a big show that The Shop agreed to. On October 14th, Faun Fables, why+the+wires and BRIAN! played a semi-acoustic show. The headliner, Faun Fables, is a very well-known folk duet that consists of Nils (the singer of well-known progmetal band Sleepytime Gorilla Museum) and his wife. This show was part of their first East Coast tour in nearly three years, and was highly anticipated in the underground scene. First to play was BRIAN!, an Ithacan duet that gives “noise” a whole new meaning. While the show was advertised as an acoustic event, this group was anything but. BRIAN! consists of Bubba (head-honcho of IU on guitar, bass, and more pedals, effects, and gadgets than a small electronics store) and his friend on bassoon. This intriguing combination produces instrumental experimental music that sounds like David Lynch warping Harry Potter or-
Ithaca Underground presents music group, “Faun Fables.”
chestral music, so you can only hear the deepest of horns and the incessant wail and screech of sounds being slapped together. However, what sounded very interesting and compelling at first got very repetitive. BRIAN! has a very distinct sound, but they rarely escaped their structurally-doomed music’s hold. Following the membrane-blasting sounds of BRIAN!, local folk-punk group why+the+wires set up for their first acoustic show. This act has been one of the most consistently impres-
Wilson Our Rating:
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sive underground outfits, and one of my personal favorites. The group consists of a guitarist, drummer, bassist, violinist, and a saxophonist/accordionist/percussionist, and they play aggressive multi-layered folk pieces that inspire listeners to waltz. For this show, why+the+wires used a stand-up bass and an acoustic guitar, which added whole new elements to their songs. The captivated audience would swing back and forth to songs like “The New Pompeii”, “Field Dressing Manual”, and their big multi-instrumental feat,
“Put a Paper Clip on It” off of their LP, “Lost Lighthouses.” They played a great number of new tracks that have yet to be released. For a first attempt to go completely acoustic, why+the+wires did a fantastic job, and I am highly anticipating their new record, coming out sometime this winter. When Faun Fables stepped up to start, they began to stomp their feet and chant, absorbing their audience in their warped medieval folk style. Nils (the singer, guitarist, bassist and flutist) would change between instruments madly, while his wife would sing, play guitar, or play a standing drumset (consisting of a cauldron-sized drum, two cracked and chipped cymbals, a large, empty, metal tank, and mallet sized drumsticks). Faun Fables’s style was extremely unique, ranging from flamenco-gypsy guitar riffs to Polish traditionals to distorted folklore. From concepts that ranged from detailing the duties of a housekeeper to the return of the children from the “Pied Piper” fairytale, every song stood out as its own story. Faun Fables stated that this was the only show on their tour that their kids could get into, and they pointed to a nanny with two energized toddlers dressed in the same patched, gypsystyle outfits the band flaunted. This image symbolizes IU’s seriousness when they advertise shows as “All Ages.” With this show, IU marked its return to the Shop, making a statement that it is a great venue for shows no matter what.
Record of the Month: Torche – Songs for Singles
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By LEO WINTERS
What pops into your head when you think of comic books? Most people probably think of a bunch of superheroes in spandex flying around the sky, with big block letters that read “ZOOM!” trailing behind them. Or guys in masks and capes swooping down at the last second to save townspeople from the clutches of arch-villainy. The hero in the latest comic book by Daniel Clowes does none of these things. Daniel Clowes is an author of alternative comic books such as Ice Haven, David Boring, the Eightball series, and, probably his most popular comic, “Ghost World,” which was made into a movie. His latest comic is called “Wilson” and its hero is a man of the same name. Wilson is a middle-aged loner who lives with only his dog, and despite how much he tries to convince himself otherwise, he really isn’t a people person. In fact, he tries to strike up conversations with people, usually strangers, but none last very long after he either yells insults at the person or tells them he’s holding a box of dog feces. As for the style of the book, it is written as a series of comic strips, one per page, always ending in Wilson delivering a bitter, foul-mouthed punch line. On occasion, the drawing style will change for one page, from Clowes’s recognizable detailed illustration to a stout, big-nosed cartoon character, and then back. Over the course of these page-long snippets of Wilson’s life, we see Wilson visit his dying father, search for his ex-wife, track down and kidnap his adopted daughter, go to prison, get out of prison, and have countless awkward conversations with strangers on the street, on planes, and in coffee shops. While “Wilson” is far from Daniel Clowe’s best work, the whole thing adds up to an intriguing and pessimistic view of adult life and the connection with other humans for which we all so desperately search.
Our Rating:
´´´1/2
By DYLAN WELLS
The newest release from Floridian group Torche finds them at their poppiest yet, but even longtime fans of the band will find something to love. Songs for Singles is an eight-song, twenty-minute mini-album that sees the band continuing on the path laid out by their previous effort, 2008’s excellent Meanderthal. Their label, Hydra Head Records, and fans have come to expect soaring vocals, power pop melodies, elements of shoegaze, and the monstrous guitar tones. Rising from the ashes of two entirely different bands – the ultraheavy stoner metal band Floor and the aptly-named grindcore band Sh*tstorm – Torche mixes sludge metal heaviness with catchy power pop chord structures to create a sound uniquely their own. They write songs that sound distinctly like Torche, yet many of their songs sound different. The album blasts out of the starting gate with “UFO,” a sub-two-minute assault of guitars and pounding drums, which sets the tone for the rest of the album: heavy without being menacing, blurring the line between “heavy” music and “accessible” music, and all too short. The song sounds happy but the guitars are drop-tuned and are massively distorted. It’s too poppy
to be metal, yet too gritty to be a pop song. Songs for Singles is, in a way, a summary of everything the band has done in its six-year existence. They touch on the double-time sludge of their first album (“Arrowhead”), the regular-time sludge of their following EP (“Lay Low”), and the hooky, riff-heavy pop-metal of Meanderthal (“Hideaway”). The album sounds most like Meanderthal, understandably because it was their most recent record. It wouldn’t make sense for Torche to move backwards, considering that their debut album was released back in 2005. I was impressed when I first heard the album because it showcases what I like most about Torche: catchy sludge-meets-power-pop music with great riffs. That being said, the length still bothers me. It’s in the awkward stage between an EP and an album, and feels like neither. It’s really hard for me to find the reason why Torche released it in this fashion, because if it were shorter (which could easily be done by cutting the last song in half and maybe removing “Shine on My Old Ways”) it would be a great stepping stone in their discography; if it were two or three songs longer it would feel more like an album, and maybe they would take their time on a few more songs. I like Songs for Singles a lot, but I don’t love it the way I love Meanderthal. Anyone interested in this band should start with Song for Singles and work their way backwards.
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BOARDWALK
December 21, 2010
continued from p.9
on September 19th, the plot has evolved and has taken many twists and turns. In the premiere, Nucky makes many new business associates to build a foundation in the alcohol bootlegging trade, and the enactment of Prohibition is seen celebrated on New Year’s Eve with a grand party. Throughout these first episodes, the events progress around Atlantic City and the interactions that occur with mobsters in New York City and Chicago. Even through these few episodes, we are able to see the very essence of the show: true to life. The show doesn’t show characters in a subjective manner but shows them as they were, with their faults and favorable aspects. There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ characters. Take, for example, Nucky Thompson. On one hand, SOCIAL
A&
he deals in the illegal liquor trade and is part of various unlawful activities, yet he also donates his time to organizations such as the Women’s Temperance League and helps out others less fortunate than him, such as the Margaret Schroeder (Kelly MacDonald), a poor Irish widow and single mother. Another interesting aspect of the series is seeing Nucky interaction with many famous historical figures who, at the time, were still starting out (such as Warren Harding on the campaign trial at the Republican National Convention, or Al Capone working as a small time thug in Chicago). Personally, one of the biggest draws of the show is the attention paid to portraying the period accurately. From the publicity surrounding the newly in-
continued from p.8
Napster inventor Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) tells Mark his theory. Parker’s role in the film is the unreliable, irresponsible but alluringly wild mentor. By watching his interactions with Mark, the audience becomes aware that he is the wrong choice over his business associate, the intelligent and practical Eduardo (Andrew Garfield). The use of flashbacks gives the film a pulse and reveals how well the film is thought out. Mark’s wardrobe consists of mainly blue and white: Facebook colors. The beginning of the film is full of words like “face” and “network” and “facebook” so much so that it causes slight contempt. Also, scenes involving the Winklevoss twins (Cameron and Tyler, who sue Zuckerberg for stealing the idea for Facebook from their own site, HarvardConnection) tend to lean on the corny side. The two
vented vacuum cleaner, to period clothing and transportation, this meticulous attention to detail really helps immerse the audience in the feel of the era and brings the time period to life. As the series progresses, I become more and more infatuated with Boardwalk Empire. From its gripping and compelling plot to its great attention to the essence of the era, it has truly gotten me hooked and wanting more. Although there are only three episodes left in the first season, it has already been renewed for a second. When The Sopranos ended its long run, I felt dismal about the future of television. With Boardwalk Empire, I feel a renewed sense of hope. It would be a capital crime to miss out on this new series!
characters are funny, good looking and rich, but when cinematic effects like the ominous approach of storm clouds are used to emphasize coming conflict, the situation is comical rather than dour. In any other film the twins would be the villains out to destroy the dreams of some nerdy child who never got the chance to live. However, Mark is definitely more unlikable. He seems to be allergic to nice people, the only plausible reason for his betrayal of his best and only friend. When the real Mark Zuckerberg is interviewed, the difference between the character in the film and the real person is clear. Real Mark is not openly sullen or hostile. Both are funny in a sarcastic way, but as the real Mark faces question after question about his take on the film, he is probably being as charming as he possibly can be.
Arts & Entertainment Around Town Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Exhibitions American Eyes: Art from the Collection of Gil and Deborah Williams November 6–January 9 End Grain: A History of Wood Engraving October 21–January 9 Trees and Other Ramifications: Branches in Nature and Culture October 28–January 2 Do you have or know of a planned event in the area? Let us know! We’ll post it here. email editor@ihstattler.com
Original Sin, P.D. James – Book Review Our Rating:´´´´´ By MANSI VOHRA
Looking for an intense, gripping novel to sweep you off your feet? Well, lucky for you, I’ve recently discovered the perfect book to satisfy your needs. Published in 1994 by one of the most extraordinary British authors, P.D. James, Original Sin leaves you shaken and hooked until the last few words on the very last page. The novel is set on the Thames River in London, England, and takes place around the late 1900s. The book opens with the death of head chairman, Henry Peverall, who founded a well-known and respected publishing house known as Peverall Press. The publishers and editors at the publishing house, still shaken by the loss of a dear friend and chairman, are even more devastated when one of the editors decides to take up the new position as head chairman of the press. Even I knew that Gerard Etienne was totally wrong for the position when the author had first introduced his character. He’s rude, arrogant, disrespectful, and the kind of person that everyone loves to hate. So, with this person as head chairman, you can probably assume what’s going to happen next. The Peverall Press starts to fall apart. Other publishing houses are trying to buy it, and the publishers are slowly losing authors
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that they desperately need in order to save the sinking of the press. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Why read a book that’s just about a dumb publishing house?” Well, it’s not just about a dumb publishing house, because P.D. James isn’t a New York Times best-selling criminal detective novelist for nothing. She’s merely setting the scene in a very detailed manner, to introduce the body of the new head chairman, Gerard Etienne, cold and dead in the copy room of the publishing house. No one knows who committed the crime, but detective Adam Dalgleish suspects that the crime was committed by one of the workers who was fed up with the way things were going at the press. Adam Dalgleish’s character has actually appeared in more of P.D. James’ books, and in a way, you could argue that this novel is about him and how he and his assistants try to find who the murderer is through clues and a series of investigations. After I had read the first section of the book, I asked myself: that’s okay, right? The murderer probably got what he wanted (for Etienne to be dead) and is now done interrogating the house. Boy, was I wrong! The murderer wasn’t done taking care of business at the press. In fact, mysterious deaths followed, one after the other; it’s up to you to scope out the rest of the mystery.
College Basketball Preview By LUKE MILLAR
As fall and winter come around, I know I become vastly overexcited in anticipation for the start of the college basketball season. This year in particular offers a vastly deep field of teams that could play late into March and find themselves competing for the final four, the holy grail of college basketball. Here’s a quick look at five teams that should be favored to make such a run along with a couple of dark horses. 1. Duke. The returning national champions appear to be greatly improved over the Duke team of the year before, no small feat for the team that finished #1 last year. With incoming freshman phenom Kyrie Irving joining All-American seniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler (the Final Four MOP) Duke’s backcourt is rivaled by none across the country. With the quick Irving running the point guard position, look for Duke to be an up-tempo team using their defense to break out into easy buckets. With the two Plummee brothers inside (Mason and Miles) adding muscle down low and bench players like Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry look for the revamped Duke Blue Devils to repeat as national champs. 2. Ohio State. Losing the #2 pick in last year’s daft in Evan Turner hurts the Buckeyes but they should rebound strongly with Jared Sullinger, the incoming freshman, adding an impactful force in the paint. Add that with strong perimeter from dead-eye Jon Diebler and point guard William Buford Ohio State has a strong chance to compete for a final four bid this year. 3. Michigan State. A super experienced team playing with two NBA caliber guards
in Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers. Lucas represents the hopes of the Spartans as they will go as far as he can carry them. If he can improve upon a stellar junior year and stay healthy, which has been an issue for him late in seasons, then the Spartans are a top five tea. But if he regresses or injuries himself then Michigan State will struggle to maintain as a top 15 team. 4. Kansas. An extremely versatile team with pure athletes starting at every position. Freshman Josh Selby has questions surrounding his eligibility but once he’s cleared very few teams will be able to stay in front of him. Tyshawn Taylor, a Jayhawk guard, has NBA talent that still hasn’t materialized at the college level but if he develops this year the Jayhawks will have the guard play to beat almost anyone on a given night. 5. Kansas State. Jacob Pullen, the Wildcat’s point guard, is an All-American talent but he can’t do it alone. Forwards Wally Judge and Curtis Kelly have to step up, as they did last year during K-State’s Elite Eight run, or else teams will double Pullen effectively shutting down their half court offense. Coach Frank Martin will have this team play at a high level but circle January 29th as the date to see how K-State stack up against in state rival Kansas. Dark Horse Picks -Missouri. High paced team can run with anyone -Temple. Flashy point guard Juan Fernandez can light it up -Murray State. One of the Cinderella’s last March have the experience to return and make another surprising run
Five Questions for Chris Wroblewski Compiled By INGRID SYDENSTRICKER
1. What are you looking forward to? I’m just excited about getting the season under way, and surprising a lot of people. I think some people have written us off this year, and said we were a one hit wonder, but I look forward to this challenge and to keep the success rolling. As for as predictions go, like any other season, our ultimate goal is to win the Ivy League and make it to the dance. 2. How’s the new team? The new team is great. Obviously we’re going through a transition period with the new coaches, a lot of players gone from last year, and a lot of new players getting more opportunities. All we know is winning the Ivy League and being successful, so we know how much work we need to put in this year in order to see the same rewards. We’re ready to do that. 3. And the new coach? Coach Courtney is great. We’re still getting to know him and his style, and the same goes for him. He’s still getting to know us, but he’s an incredibly enthusiastic, upbeat guy that makes it easy to get along with. He’s got a great passion for the game
which makes practices fun and competitive, and I’m confident with him at the helm of our team. 4. You sprained your ankle, fractured your nose... in for the season? The nose is pretty much repaired, although there may be a slight bump I have to live with the rest of my life, but I hope its not too obvious. The ankle however is a process, but it is coming along fine. The trainer seems to think I am ahead of schedule, and I haven’t been ruled out of our first game, so that is promising. I know it is a long season, so by seeing the big picture I know there’s no need to rush it back and risk everything. 5. What’s this love for Miley Cyrus? Hahahaha are you telling me you’re not a fan? Haha. I thought Party in the U.S.A was a very catchy song, so I made it my alarm clock last year. I think I’ve moved on though. First Home Game: vs. University of Delaware at 7pm on November 17, 2010 Best of luck to the Cornell Basketball team! All of Ithaca is on your side Big Red!
Cornell point guard Chris Wroblewski has a not-so-secret love for Miley Cyrus.
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Ping Pong: Sport or No? By ALEKSA BASARA
Is ping pong a sport? This is a question that has puzzled many. Like a ping pong match, the debate goes back and forth. Both sides of the argument present valid points, but in the end what it comes down to is what one believes are the requirements for a sport. Some consider a sport to be anything physical; others consider a sport to be anything that requires a lot of muscle. ESPN shows poker, cheerleading, and sport stacking (also known as cup stacking). Sports sections in mainstream newspapers report on hot dog eating contests. Bass fishing offers million-dollar prizes to winners each year, and some school districts classify chess as a sport. So what exactly is ping pong? Those who say ping pong is not a sport normally argue that it simply does not compare to “real” sports like football or basketball. For many of us, the first things that pop into our minds when a person mentions sports may be activities with a lot of movement involved, and which require large areas for competition. Many of us also think of teams when we think of sports. A game played on a table with a small ball and paddle may not be a part of that vision. Who could possibly imagine a match on a 9 ft x 5 ft table? Ping pong enthusiasts point out that ping pong (also known as table tennis) is a part of the Olympic Games, and therefore it is definitely a competitive sport. Others argue that ping pong is just a recreational sport, nothing formal. “Ping pong is a sport, because it involves some handeye coordination, and it tests the body’s reflexes,” says gym teacher Brian Stone. Many might agree with this statement. With such a short amount of space, it certainly requires lightening-fast reflexes to be able to respond in a very short period of time when the ball comes on your side. Ping pong requires skill to apply certain degrees of spin, and to counter spins against opponents. Plus, many sports don’t require teams, and ping pong isn’t always played without teams. It is generally played one vs. one, but it can also be played two vs. two. Like any other sport, ping pong has rules, similar to those of tennis but, obviously, the game is scaled down to 1/62 of the playing surface. Though the question is still up for debate, it appears that those who think ping pong is a sport have an edge. Ever since ping pong inherited the name “table tennis,” things began to look serious. There is now an organization called the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) dedicated to everything and anything ping pong. It is hard not to take these guys seriously.
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December 21, 2010
How Did We Get Here, And How Do We Get Out? By GEOFF PRESTON
Kelly once conducted the no-huddle, K-Gun offense like a director conducting a symphony, and that Bruce Smith once made the Quarterbacks question their manThe weather was cold, damp, and miserable. In other words, perfect Buffalo Bills hood. It couldn’t have been on this field, in this franchise. football weather. A certain energy diffused out from the stampede of cars and trucks It was impossible to think it could get any worse...until they lost six more games making their way west on the thruway. Despite the fact that traffic entering the Buf- and ended up with a heartbreaking 2-9 season. Bills fans everywhere asked themfalo Bills city limits became increasingly heavy and that these fans were making selves, “When will this end? How can God hate a franchise so much?” The four the long pilgrimage in this awful weather to watch an 0-3 football team, the game straight Super Bowl losses, the “forward lateral” game in 1999, and 50-plus years was still sold out, expectations were still high, and the crowd was still loud and had without a major championship (the back to back AFL titles in 1964 and 1965 notworked itself into a feverish pitch by the time of the opening kickoff. It is too bad that withstanding) forced me to conclude that if I were a believer of sports superstitions, soon after the kickoff the New York Jets dominated, and that by the time the game I would no doubt consider the Bills a cursed team. ended there were more annoying Snooki look-alikes in Mark Sanchez jerseys than That’s right, I am so confounded that I am looking to Harry Potter for the reason Bills fans. The half-empty stadium with ten minutes left in the game was a telling that they haven’t been to the playoffs since ’99, when every other team (except the sign that the state of the Bills hasn’t been this bad since the 2-14 season in 1985. I Detroit Lions) in the NFL got in. I always knew they would be the death of me. Other can’t deny that the Bills have been bad for the majority of their existence, a fact that forces have to be at work here. I mean, the Bills have showed that despite their 2-9 us Bills fans are forced to live with everyday, but what we take pride in is that we record, they have the talent of a playoff team. They lost in overtime to three potential always, always, fill the 73,000 seat stadium in Orchard Park in rain, sleet, or snow. playoff teams, and lost by three points to another. Ryan Fitzpatrick currently has a Even though people have been moving out of Western New York like it is infected higher QB rating than Mark Sanchez, Brett Favre, and Carson Palmer. Steve Johnson with the plague, and the city of Buffalo has been in a 60-year economic downturn, (yeah, the guy who dropped the pass against the Steelers) is emerging as a very reliwe still managed to fill that stadium like it was a church in the Bible belt. It is under- able young receiver. The Bills have not had a good offense in a decade; this year their standable, then, that as I looked out on Ralph Wilson Stadium at the conclusion of offense has shown promise under Chan Gailey, but the question is: can the Bills win the game and saw about 60,000 empty seats, I could not help but feel that this had to with Ryan Fitzpatrick as QB? be the lowest point of the Bills’ ten-plus year playoff history. I couldn’t imagine Jim The Harvard man has proven to be a considerable upgrade over Trent Edwards, but is he what the team needs as QB? This question is more valid than you might think, and if Andrew Luck decides to stay at Stanford, there is no way the Bills should take a Quarterback in the upcoming draft. If only the Bills didn’t have the worst rush defense in football, they would be winning close games against the Ravens, Chiefs, Bears, and Steelers. I know Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown some key interceptions in OT and later in games (against the Chiefs and Patriots), but I honestly don’t think the games would be this close if the Bills had an effective group of linebackers, or a real play-maker on the defensive line to compliment Kyle Williams. In this 2-9 nightmare, it has not been the offense that is causing the problems, but the defense. On the other hand, how can you pass up a guy like Andrew Luck? He is unlike any other QB we have seen in the league today. He can run as well as he can throw, with a powerful run and an accurate aim. This is a smart kid who hasn’t even come close to the peak of his potential. The only reason that the Bills didn’t take a QB in last year’s draft was that they knew Jimmy Clausen wasn’t going to get much better, and Jake Locker, Ryan Mallet, and Luck would all be available for next year. Locker had a bad senior year and Mallet isn’t bounding with the team the way Luck is. If Cam Newton wasn’t in the season Andrew Luck would be the run-away favorite of the Heisman, as he would clearly be the readiest QB in this year’s draft class… if he comes out. This is a pretty big “if,” because Luck has two more years of eligibility. Seeing how staying in school and getting injured doesn’t necessarily hurt your draft stock (think Sam BradBuffalo Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny tackles Washington Redskins wide reciever Santana Moss. PHOTO/PROVIDED ford), Luck may be inclined to continued on p. 18
By AVALON BUNGE
Cheese Rolling
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If you get five hundred people on top of a hill in Britain and inject them with a mixture of the comic insanity of Monty Python, the mud and desperation of rugby, and the fanatic devotion of Manchester United fans, you will have a crowd who is more than ready for an intense round of cheese rolling. The full name of this traditionturned-cult-phenomenon is the Coopers’ Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake, after the steep hill in Gloucestershire where it originated over 200 years ago. It has a devoted fan base in England, and has recently been gaining popularity elsewhere in Europe and the rest of the world. Cheese rolling is a highly codified sport with firm rules, despite its relative anonymity. The cheese must be of the Double Gloucester variety, an unpasteurized semihard yellow cheese which has been made for the past 22 years (at Cooper’s Hill, at least) by Diana Smart, a native of the area. It is produced in a large round and ages 36 weeks before it can arrive, ceremonially wrapped, at the top of Coopers’ Hill. With much fanfare, a well-dressed Master of Ceremonies gives the cheese its initial push down the hill, and the competitors--15 people per run-race immediately after it. The objective, traditionally, is to catch the cheese, but this is nearly impossible to do, as
a large cheese rolling down a steep incline can achieve speeds of up to 70 mph. If the cheese is not caught, the winner is whoever crosses the finish line at the bottom of the hill first, generally a few seconds after the cheese. Arriving at the bottom on your own two feet is regarded as a masterful performance. The rules don’t specify how you must get to the bottom of the hill- which has never been measured with a protractor but must be at best a 45 degree angle- so many people find that the quickest way down is by tumbling end over end. In fact, six-time champion Chris Anderson swears by his trademark barrel-roll finish. Injuries are not only common but expected, and range in severity from scrapes and grass stains to broken legs. Several catchers wait at the bottom of the hill to prevent any out-of-control participants from crashing into the adjacent fence, but even they cannot protect against the injuries sustained en route. Cheese rolling is considered so hazardous, in fact, that it has been legally forbidden at Coopers’ Hill for several years, but people just keep showing up anyway. Cheese rolling fans and competitors like to make a day of the event, so there are typically three to four races: the mens’ race, the costumed race, the ladies’ race, and the all-comers’ race in which any spectators who want to brave the hill are permitted to do so. The win-
A dedicated cheese roller injured himself while competing.
ners are rewarded with eternal glory, a celebration at the nearest pub (The Cheese Rollers) and, of course, the cheese itself as a prize.
D
18 HOW
December 21, 2010
continued from p.17
come back and try to win a National Championship and a Heisman at Stanford. From perhaps the world’s ugliest beard to his never-say-die attitude, I have grown to really like Ryan Fitzpatrick this season. I think he could serve as a good mentor, but I don’t think he has the physical gifts to be the Bills’ QB of the future. Andrew Luck has all those gifts, and if he plays the way Ryan Fitzpatrick does, I think the Bills could be contender in a couple of years. They need defensive help, but the key building block to restoring a franchise is the QB. So though Ryan Fitz-
patrick is certainly a good one, what the Bills need is a great one. Andrew Luck could be great. If he decides to declare himself eligible for the draft in April, I think the Bills need to choose him as their first pick (they are probably going to be the team most in need of a QB), and see if they can start rebuilding the Bills and make them resemble something similar to the 1990’s model we all know and love. What are we without faith? A lot of people tell me, “If you say the Bills are digging your grave, why do you still root for them?” My answer: because I will sit and
watch my grave being dug before my eyes for the chance to see the Bills win just one Super Bowl. Just. One. The Bills were down big-time in two straight weeks against Cincinnati (21 points) and Pittsburgh (13 points against the 5th ranked defense in the league), but fought back to win one of those games and lose the other in a heartbreaking fashion. These players care. These players hate to lose. That alone renews my faith in this team. The record may say 2-9 but the Bills are not doomed. Sure, we will need a lot of faith to continue our support for the Bills, but us Bills fans are more than ready.
When $210 Million Isn’t Enough... By GEOFF PRESTON
Not many franchises can come within two games of a second straight pennant in their season, and still be deemed a failure. But, when you spend $210 million and play for the most demanding group of fans in all of sports, anything less than a World Series is considered a lost season. This is universally acknowledged by Yankees fans, and explains why it is so hard for them to accept that the Texas Rangers, not the Yankees, went to the World Series. It was enough for Rangers fans to have their team win a playoff series; they do not deserve the taste of the glorious fruit that is the World Series. We are the real fans! You know what though? I am over it. As a Yankees fan, I now need to be proactive and focus on what it will take to get us back to the World Series in the off season. It looks like it’s going to be the most important off season for the Yankees in a long time. Of course, everyone is expecting me to say “Sign Cliff Lee! Give him the Statue of Liberty or whatever works as an incentive; just sign Cliff Lee!” Now I obviously am not opposed to having Lee in pinstripes. But the thing is, the Yankees have a lot more in-house issues than people think. It isn’t an issue of “If you can’t beat ‘em, sign ‘em!” because Cliff Lee has only beaten the Yankees once in the ALCS. The Yankees really got trounced; they were only one good inning away from being swept, so it wasn’t as if in the World Series last year the Yankees would have swept the Phillies had it not been for Cliff Lee. The Rangers were clearly a better team. They outscored the Yankees 40-20; Cliff Lee had nothing to do with that. The Yankees have a lot of problems to fix with their pitching staff before they can afford to go after Cliff Lee. For example, Andy Pettite is contemplating retirement, again. He was the Yankees’ best pitcher before he got hurt, but if he returns are we going to see the signs of old age on the old lefty? In the NFL teams try to part ways with players before they have the “I’m uncomfortably old” season in which their numbers dip dramatically and they look so old and slow that it is uncomfortable to watch. I think the Yankees have to bring Andy back, but if they do, they run the risk of watching him have the “I’m uncomfortably old” season and we will be forced to watch a player we all love go through a David-Cone-in- 2000 type of season. On top of that issue, PHOTO/PROVIDED A.J Burnett is looking like an $85 million dollars mistake. He can’t pitch New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was told by Yanks to test free agency. in the playoffs, he can’t get lefties out, and he lost 15 games for the team. thing runs deeper in Jeter’s veins than his pinstripes: his pride. This is the same You take Burnett out of the rotation and we are looking at a division title. Sabathia guy that let a magazine article from 2000 turn into a giant feud between the two was also awful in two of his three postseason starts; he may be starting to feel the biggest stars in the game, A-Rod and Jeter. If you insult Derek Jeter, don’t expect pressure of being the only reliable starter on the Yankees. And if Hughes didn’t get him to take you seriously. I can totally see the Yankees trying to slip a three year, $30 million deal under the table and expect Jeter to sign it with a smile. The probten runs a game of support, he wouldn’t have won 18 games. Then there is the issue of the Core Four. Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettite, Jorge lem is that Jeter will pull a Joe Torre and before we know what happened, Derek Posada, and Derek Jeter all have question marks next to their names going into Jeter will become a Los Angeles Angel. the 2011 season. Pettite could retire; Posada is likely to see more of a DH role with Ok, now that we have that settled, the issue of Cliff Lee needs to be addressed. two catchers of the future tearing up the minors. That leaves us with the two most Do the Yankees commit seven years and maybe $161 million to a 33 year old important members of the Core Four: Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter. The first pitcher whose performance was pedestrian at times this season? Now, I undercase is obvious: I don’t care if Mariano Rivera asks for a 20 year deal at the age of stand he was battling injuries and all, but again I go back to the fact that he is 33 40, you still sign that contract with a smile on your face if you are Brian Cashman. years old. This is baseball law and common sense working in harmony: the older The Derek Jeter situation is a little harder to figure out. Money isn’t the issue; the you get, the more nagging injuries you will get. We have seen how nagging injuYankees are made of money and can certainly afford to give Jeter a $20 million a ries make Cliff Lee play like A.J Burnett. This brings me to another reason why I year lifetime achievement award. The problem is the number of years. Reports say think Hank and Hal need to think long and hard before investing a lot of daddy’s the Yankees are thinking three years, which would take him past his 39th birth- money in a pitcher like Lee: it has been proven that a free agent starting pitcher is day, but Jeter wants four years. It is a sensitive issue for everyone involved. Jeter a horrible investment. By the time a free agent pitcher has reached the point in his had the “I’m uncomfortably old” season this year at the age of 36, but was that career when he is ready to test the free agent market, he is usually in his late twensimply a slump or will it become a trend? Is .270 the new .315 for Jeter? Maybe it ties or early thirties and will see more bad years than good during the period of is because I am naming my first born son after him, but I don’t think it is a trend. his new and expensive contract. The examples of bad free agent investments made I believe it is just a combination of him playing while injured, hustling on every by the Yankees are haunting: Javy Vazquez (twice), Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, play, and experiencing the 1940’s fundamentals that have rubbed off on guys like Jared Wright, and Carl Pavano top the list of bad free agent signings in the past Robinson Cano and Francisco Cervelli. What Jeter needs is a little R and R in the decade. I’m even willing to put A.J. Burnett on that list after only two years. These offseason, and still be in pinstripes come spring training. pitchers break down. Mike Hampton broke down after signing a huge deal for But what if I’m wrong? What if the great defense and constant .300-plus batting Colorado, Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez gave the Mets two good years, and averages are a thing of the past? They still need to re-sign him. Who do you think now one is fading into obscurity and the other is out of baseball entirely. Is Cliff helped most with the Robinson Cano breakout? It wasn’t Kevin Long, it wasn’t Joe Lee the next Mike Hampton? Or is he the next C.C. Sabathia? Imagine a rotation Girardi; it was Derek Jeter who finally said: “How can you be the most naturally in which Cliff Lee and C.C Sabathia anchor the top. If Cliff Lee is the Cliff Lee of gifted second basemen in the league and not play like it?” Soon after, the funda- game three of the ALCS, then the Yankees will win multiple World Series. If he mentals from the 1940’s took over; now Cano does things on the diamond the isn’t...Mike Hampton went 14-13 with a 5.12 ERA the year after signing the most right way, and just had a MVP-type season. This is why you bring Jeter back. That, expensive contract in history. That is all I am going to say about that. and the fact that he is the most beloved Yankee since Mickey Mantle. The new The Steinbrenner headquarters in Tampa will be the center of one of the Steinbrenner-Cashman hierarchy already had a hard enough time explaining why most interesting drama happenings in baseball this offseason. Among the topthey felt the need to give Joe Torres a bogus contract offer; letting the best Yankee ics on “All My Pinstripes” will be Derek Jeter, Cliff Lee, and the rest of the Core in 40 years go will not go over well with a fan base that is liking Cashman less and Four, along with the future of role players who were supposed to help the Yankees less with every botched signing. The Yankees may think the ball is in their court, capture their 28th championship. While a one-year absence may be excused, two and at first glance they may be right, since New Jersey born, Yankee-bred Jeter has in a row will surely lead to impatient Yankees fans. And when fans are impatient, always wanted to play shortstop for the Yankees. They probably think they can roll people lose jobs. The lesson here is: with the wrong people, even $210 million isn’t out another Joe Torre offer and Jeter will be theirs, but the problem is, only one enough.
PENULTIMATE Quiz: Which Christmas Character Are You? By ANNELISE RAYMOND
1) You’re spending the day at a local ski hill. Where do you choose to spend your time? a. Hanging out in the ski lodge, drinking hot cocoa in front of the fire b. Having the ultimate experience attempting the Black Diamond slopes with some buddies c. Having a jolly time joking around with the skiing instructors, who are encouraging little kids not to slide down the hill on their butts d. You’ve gotten a job there to check people’s ski passes before they get on the ski lift e. Off exploring the woods on the other side of the hill, where you can’t see any people on the busy slopes 2) On Christmas Eve night, what do you leave out for Santa? a. The traditional milk and cookies b. Some marshmallow snowmen you made with mini-carrot-sticks and M&Ms. c. A generous amount of treats, so Santa won’t go hungry — hot chocolate with marshmallows, Christmas-tree-shaped cookies with frosting and sprinkles, and ½ gallon of peppermint stick ice cream, as well as hay for the reindeer d. Some candy canes. You’ve been too busy preparing for Christmas to make something yourself. e. Nothing. Santa’s too fat already, and eating goodies at every house he stops at couldn’t be good for his diet plan 3) When choosing a Christmas tree cart at the Christmas tree farm, which cart do you choose? a. The one labeled, “Cupid” b. The one labeled, “Rudolph” c. The one labeled, “Donner” d. You’re too busy to bother choosing a specific cart, and take whatever cart is available. e. Why go to a Christmas tree farm? It’s more convenient to cut down a tall evergreen tree behind your house, and chop off the top eight feet for your Christmas tree. 4) You’re going sledding at the Cornell Plantations with some cousins. What do you do? a. Volunteer to toboggan down the gentler area with your five-year-old cousin, who doesn’t want to go by herself b. Make a tube chain with all of your cousins, and try
to get as far as possible while all sticking together c. Give everyone a big push, enjoying just watching everyone from the top of the slope. The sled ride down is fun, but it’s too exhausting to climb all the way up the hill anyway. d. Make a big ski jump on the steepest part of the hill, so everyone can have fun flying off of it for the rest of the day e. Little kids on the sledding hill can really get on your nerves, so you spend your time making snow angels 5) Which Christmas songs are the best? a. “(There’s No Place Like) Home For the Holidays” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” b. “Frosty the Snowman” and “Marshmallow World” c. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)” d. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” e. “Nuttin’ for Christmas” and “The Twelve Pains of Christmas” 6) What would be the perfect holiday present? a. Homemade brownies and a heartfelt card b. An igloo-making set, complete with brick-building molds and icebox tools and a precise hose for freezing the igloo overnight c. To have no more lives be torn apart, to have no more wars ever start, for everyone to have a friend, and to have never-ending love in the world d. An art or science kit — something with which you can make something e. I don’t need anything. Modern Christmas traditions are silly, and all Christmas does is “pick-pocket” people annually. 7) You’re making a gingerbread house. How do you decorate it? a. With a log cabin look — including a gumdrop fireplace for winter family gatherings — evoking fond memories of past childhood holidays at Grandma’s house in the woods b. With dramatic zigzags to create the illusion of snow, and frosting icicles hanging from the eaves. c. Typically — you copy the image from the front of the box d. You cram in as much as you can, and go the extra mile to create a convincing little cottage complete with a cute pretzel fence and a colorful candy wafer walkway e. In a completely un-winterlike fashion — perhaps
an Italian villa, with green sprinkles for vines and red sugar wafers for the roof 8) What’s the best dish at Christmas dinner? a. Warm and comforting foods, such as gingerbread and roasted chestnuts b. Something appropriately white and chilly for winter, such as eggnog c. Dessert! Pecan pie and chocolate pudding are the best. d. Things always taste better if you make it yourself: thus, the best food on the table is clearly the popcorn balls that you made Christmas Eve morning. e. Foods that remind you of warmer times of year, such as Brussels sprouts and fruitcake 9) What’s the most delightful kind of spirit to see during Christmas season? a. Bustling shoppers getting gifts, arms laden with boxes of presents and wrapping paper and bows b. Igloos and snow forts constructed in front yards c. Wish-list letters addressed to the North Pole d. Carol-singers going from door to door asking for donations for charities e. Christmas spirit is sickening — humankind is greedy, and as for giving to the poor and needy, the world is better off without them anyway. Without the poor, the world’s surplus population would be decreased. 10) What are you most likely to get your mother for Christmas? a. A “family tree” with dangling picture frames and some personalized pillows and throws b. A Christmas Sing-Along CD with all the old-time favorites, including Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, and Over the River And Through the Woods c. A mug with a handle that looks like a donut half and an “essential grilling accessories” kit d. A Family Planner calendar and a tool kit to help with do-it-yourself home repairs e. What? You’re supposed to give your mother a gift for Christmas? Maybe a Christmas hug will suffice. Your results: Mostly A –- Mrs. Claus Mostly B –- Frosty the Snowman Mostly C –- Santa Mostly D –- An elf Mostly E -– The Grinch
Did You Know... (Holiday Edition) “Jingle Bells” was originally a Thanksgiving song! Would you believe it? One of the most popular Christmas carols was written for a DIFFERENT holiday?? Well, it’s the truth. James Pierpont composed “Jingle Bells” in 1857 for a Thanksgiving program at a church in Boston! There, Pierpont taught Sunday school and this tune was easy for his students to memorize and perform. The tune was such a hit that the children were requested again at Christmas, the holiday with which it would be forever associated.
Sudoku Solution (Puzzle on Backpage)
It’s in the Mail ... 1.9 Billion Yes, that’s almost 2 BILLION pieces of mail the U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. The busiest mailing day is set for December 17.
PHOTO/PROVIDED
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has NOTHING to do with Christmas. A department store literally made him up. The department store Montgomery Ward commissioned Robert May to write the story of Rudolph so that they could sell a line of coloring books back in 1939. May wrote the story as a poem in a similar style to “The Night Before Christmas.” May’s brother-in-law Johnny Marks wrote the famous “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” song ten years later. Despite being Jewish, Marks wrote many well-known Christmas songs including “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
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Tim Burton did not direct The Nightmare Before Christmas. The reason for the confusion is due to the fact that the STORY was written by Burton, who also served as a producer. The movie was actually directed by Henry Selick. Selick also directed James and the Giant Peach (which Burton also produced) and Coraline (which Burton had NOTHING to do with).
By Janice Jinx
Horriblescopes
Sagittarius (November 23 to December 21): Want to cover more surface area while cleaning your teeth? Use a toilet brush. Capricorn (December 22 to January 19): This year, Santa will be making two lists. You are not on either. The opposite of love is indifference. Aquarius (January 20 to February 19): It’s time to join the hit TV show Dancing With The Pregnant Daughters of Ex-Politicians. Pisces (February 20 to March 20): Ever wonder why your life is so terrible? It’s because your socks hate you.
Dear Addison,
Aries (March 21 to April 19): Please reconsider your actions. However, covering yourself with chili powder will not make people reconsider your stench.
Taurus (April 20 to May 20): The stars have predicted an increase in your happiness. You are adopted. Sleep easy knowing that you aren’t actually related to them. Gemini (May 21 to June 20): You will help someone this month. In response, they will steal your pancake mix. You ain’t got no pancake mix! Cancer (June 21 to July 22): Over your dead body, there will be a terrible stench. Leo (July 23 to August 22): The stars look to Antoine Dodson for a few words
Ask Addison...
The holidays are approaching us, and I have so many things to do. With so many gifts to give, and so little time, how do you survive the holiday season?
-I Hate Holidays Dear I Hate Holidays,
of wisdom: “The cookie monster’s climbing in yo windows, He’ s snatch’ your cookies up, trying to eat ‘ em. So y’all need to hide yo Oreos, hide yo Thin Mints, hide yo Chips Ahoy, cause he’s eatin’ errthing out there.” Virgo (August 23 to September 22): Time to get in the habit of a rigorous exercise routine. How about golf? Libra (September 23 to October 23): Don’t cry over spilt milk, they have an app for that. Scorpio (October 24 to November 22): You will be contacted by a professional Sumo Wrestler; he needs help removing a lodged diaper.
line at shifty stores, and click on the advertisements showing semiclad women (they give presents to your computer!). Make sure you enter your credit card number, your home address, telephone number, full name, social security number and, of course, your PIN number and access to all your future savings. 3. Make Gifts Make your mother a present, and while you’re at it, make sure it’s as hideous as possible. Be sure to record her initial expression as she gathers the right words to compliment you on your art. For an extra kick, throw into the conversation that you have been working on it for months. It’s amazing what crayons, macaroni, and dried-up cat poop can do.
I must agree that the holidays do, in fact, suck. However, it’ll be worth it when you open your presents, find out you don’t like them, ask for the receipt, and get free cash. I’ve included some tips to help you through your holiday.
4. Send Cookies To Friends/Family Everyone loves an old fashioned, fattening, sugary treat to fatten them and raise their blood sugar. Don’t have time to bake? Weekold cookies or a quick run to the store can solve that problem.
1. Regift Since you lack time, this tip is a must. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That present your second cousin (twice removed) gave you last year was probably re-gifted as well. This can also apply to things you’ve bought for yourself. If those socks don’t really smell that great after a few weeks, they’re a great present for your uncle.
5. Downsize your Decorations Everybody will be wondering where your annual reindeer, candles and tree went. Tell them you are in a bit of a financial crisis. You will be flooded with better, more expensive gifts than last year. Cha-ching! Hello Cancun! ;) Happy Holidays,
2. The Internet is Your Friend If you’ve run out of old gifts, try the good ol’ Internet. Shop on-
Addison
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