Pipe Dream Spring 2013 Issue 10

Pipe Dream and the student body shares their love with ehart filled valentines. See Page 2

Shake it out The Harlem Shake...what does that even mean? See page 7

PIPE DREAM Friday, March 1, 2013 | Binghamton University | www.bupipedream.com | Vol. LXXXIII, Issue 10

Mandela Room turns "Run's House"

Michael Contegni/Staff Photographer

Joseph Simmons, known as Rev Run, of RUN-D.M.C., spoke to a packed audience Thursday evening in the Mandela Room.

Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons left his house — Run’s house, that is — Thursday evening to come to Binghamton University, wearing his clerical collar and withholding little.

Upon his entrance to the Mandela Room, Simmons was met with cheers from an ecstatic audience as he took his place in an armchair onstage. To Simmons’s right was Black Student Union Vice President Jamila Adams, who asked questions ranging from today’s hip-hop, to his home life, to the “birth of the Reverend.”

“Preacher on a Sunday, rapper on a Monday, y’all do what Run say … just because Rev. Run rock a collar, don’t mean I can’t make a dolla, y’all holla,” Simmons

rapped to begin the evening.

BSU brought Simmons, one of the founding members of hiphop group Run-D.M.C. and a practicing minister, to BU as their keynote speaker to round out Black History Month.

Simmons offered a glimpse into his home life during the 2005 MTV reality series “Run’s House.”

According to Simmons, the show displayed to viewers the truth of his transformation into a minister, allowing viewers to “see my walk, instead of hearing my talk.”

Simmons said his beginnings as a minister stemmed from his entrance into fame, as the lifestyle in which he indulged came to overwhelm him.

“We were creating rap music … As we was doing it, we was

Cuomo shakes hands with SUNY union

A change to the way SUNY awards financial aid could make the process of weighing college costs more transparent for prospective students in the upcoming 2013-14 academic year.

— Juliana Girard Junior majoring in sociology

SUNY announced Feb. 20 that all of its 64 campuses will implement a standard financial aid award letter to simplify financial costs and aid offerings.

According to state officials, the letter will include campusspecific information detailing

Binghamton University may soon be feeling the effect of state spending cuts, albeit indirectly, as a result of a tentative deal struck between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the union that represents 35,000 SUNY employees.

Under the tentative contract, the state would save $87 million in wages and $99 million by increasing employees’ health benefit contributions over the course of the deal, according to a statement by the governor.

But employees represented

by United University Professions would have to stomach a retroactive pay freeze from 2011 through July 2013, and minimal salary increases after that through 2016, as well as substantial increases to health care coverage costs. “[The deal is] the best we could do given the constraints that the

state put on us,” said James Dix, president of the Binghamton chapter of the UUP. UUP has been locked in negotiations with the state since their previous contract expired in July 2011.

In the coming weeks SUNY professors will have the opportunity to reject or accept the proposal. Dix expects the deal to be accepted.

“I have predicted that the vote will be in big favor of it,” he said.

“I mean I’m convinced that we have gotten the best possible deal with the state, and if we go back we won’t get anything more.”

A strange clause in the contract would reduce the wages of employees by the equivalent of nine days during the course of the contract period, and require they take a two-day unpaid leave during the same period. The remaining seven days’ salary will be repaid to the employees in the final pay periods of the contract.

For local children who may not otherwise have an opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy weekend outings in the Binghamton area, SUNY Kids provides free activities and lunch every Saturday.

Last weekend, 22 children from the Binghamton area, accompanied by 13 students from Binghamton University, took a day trip to the movies

for the first SUNY Kids field trip of the semester. Most of the children come from foster homes and are appointed to the organization through the Broome County Department of Social Services.

“We help provide a fun, safe environment for the children to enjoy as well as to learn,” said Yana Kryvokhyzha, SUNY Kids president and a senior double-majoring in biology and Spanish.

Funded by the Student Association, the organization aims to give back to the

“The package provides a rate of compensation, when you add the furloughs, which effectively means that the faculty has a compensation rate that doesn’t keep up with the rate of inflation,” said Ricardo Laremont, a political science and sociology professor.

Each university’s president would decide how his or her school would enact the furloughs.

Dix said the sluggish negotiation process was partly the result of making it clear that UUP has different needs than other large state unions that have already agreed to contracts with the state.

“UUP argued that its members had unique needs that were different from CSEA (Civil Service Employees Union) and PEF (Public Employees Federation),” Dix said.

“It took about a year to convince the state that we were indeed different

community by keeping children off the streets and offering student role models.

Between 30 and 40 children, who are between the ages of 5 and 13, attend the trip each week, accompanied by 10 to 15 BU student volunteers called “counselors.”

Last weekend the counselors took the children to see the movie “Wreck-It Ralph,” which left many of the kids quoting the movie’s main character throughout lunch and during the bus ride home.

“I think every trip we go

—James Dix President of the Binghamton chapter of the UUP

on is an adventure and I can’t imagine my life without SUNY Kids,” Kryvokhyzha said. “I remember there was this one boy and it was his last year because he was turning 13. He wrote us a letter saying that when he grows up, he wants to be just like us. He wants to attend BU and become one of the counselors for SUNY Kids.

It was very sweet and it truly touched my heart.”

Past trips included visits to Chuck E. Cheese, the Ross

Binghamton’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade will yield some changes this year — specifically, it will be shorter in length and will not feature any floats.

— Steve Moss BU sophomore

Floats will not be allowed in this year’s parade because of the newly constructed roundabout Downtown, according to News Channel 34. The full parade will also only run for an hour and a

Simmons "Runs" the show

half as opposed to its previous two-hour run time.

Regardless of the changes, many Binghamton University students said they are looking forward to Parade Day 2013.

“Even though the parade will be cut short this year, I’m sure the students will still enjoy the energy of the crowd,” said Montana Ortel, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering.

“Parade seems to be the only day on campus other than Spring Fling where the whole student body enjoys each other.”

Soud Twal, a junior

majoring in economics who transferred to BU last year, said he is looking forward to his first Parade Day. “I’m excited to experience my first parade and even without the floats, I’m positive that I will have an amazing time with my friends and family that are with me,” Twal said.

Steve Moss, a sophomore majoring in accounting, said he was sure the day would be a success regardless of the changes to this year’s parade.

“Parade Day isn’t really about the parade,” Moss said.

“It’s about 24 hours of having fun with your friends and forgetting your problems.”

Michael Contegni/Staff Photographer

Joseph Simmons, known as Rev Run, of RUN-D.M.C., spoke to a packed audience Thursday evening in the Mandela Room.

smoking weed, and drinking 40’s, and doing all the stuff that the hood does,” Simmons said. “As things got bigger and better for me, I wanted more of the good life.”

Upon realizing his lavish living in excess, Simmons said, he was brought to tears.

“The reason why I started to cry was because my top had become my bottom,” Simmons said. “It was too much … I didn’t have things; things had me.”

Simmons said his interview with Rolling Stone marked the moment the “Reverend was being born.”

“I’m still swag, but for me, swag now means ‘Saved With Amazing Grace,’ so I’m saved,” Simmons said.

Adams asked Simmons for his

the cost of attendance and financial aid options at each SUNY school. In addition to the financial statistics of each school, the new award letter will also feature information regarding graduation rates, median borrowing, total grants and scholarships offered, estimated costs after grants and scholarships, federal loans and work study.

“Currently award letters from various institutions may not include all the information available to students in the SUNY Smart Track award letter,” said David Doyle, director of communications for SUNY. “The award letter will enable students to compare costs easily and inform them of their options for funding their education.”

The standard financial aid award letter will be the newest addition to the SUNY Smart Track campaign, an effort to clarify the costs for college and decrease student debt. SUNY students average $22,575 in debt by the time they graduate, below the national average of $26,600.

“While college students across the country are taking on more loan debt than ever before, SUNY Smart Track gives our prospective students

opinion on a controversial word used with growing frequency in hip-hop music.

“My view on the word nigga, and don’t take this wrong …

When we say it, it’s a term of endearment,” Simmons said. “We own that word, we can do what we want with that word … when we use it, it doesn’t have a negative vibe on it … that’s my view. It’s my opinion, my nigga.”

Adams also asked Simmons about the role music has in uplifting the black race.

“When done right, and then looked at in a correct perspective, rap music and black America has a lot to do with seeing how we move forward,” Simmons said.

“And I believe that at the end of the day, hip-hop even put Barack Obama in the White House.”

With young rappers emerging quickly by way of today’s social

the most comprehensive and transparent financial aid information available so that they can make informed decisions about how to pay for their college education,” Doyle said.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher announced in the 2013 State of the University Address that SUNY Smart Track would contribute to the overall goal of reducing the loan default rate of SUNY students by at least 5 percent over the next five years.

SUNY will be the first and largest public system of higher education to offer the standard financial award letter to its students and families, Doyle said.

According to Doyle, the award letter was developed by a committee of campus financial aid directors with the purpose of creating a federal Financial Aid Shopping Sheet unique for SUNY. Juliana Girard, a junior majoring in sociology, said that she wished she had access a similar letter when deciding on colleges.

“Having that comparison would’ve been awesome to help me gauge the numbers,” she said.

media outlets, Simmons stressed that their passion should not be stifled or ignored. Society should not be down on today’s rap music, Simmons said, as new artists need their chance to grow.

“I don’t sit in a judgment seat when I see a young rapper,” Simmons said. “You have to give a ‘Run’ a chance to become a ‘Reverend Run.’” “Yes I’ve transformed, yes I know the Bible inside and out, yes I’m fully saved, yes I love God, no I do not like the degrading of women, no I do not like the way certain things are happening … but I do have mercy in my heart knowing that [young rappers] have a chance to become a ‘Reverend Run,’” Simmons said.

Questions were opened up to audience members, who quickly filed behind a microphone in the center of the aisle. One student

requested Simmons’s advice for young college students.

“The same advice that I give to everyone, and that is to find what you love,” Simmons said.

“When you find what you love, everything else falls into place.

Don’t just do a thing because it’s popular.”

Adams admitted to feeling nervous while onstage with Simmons.

“At the end of the day, though, he made it fun,” Adams said. “I was nervous, but he was laid back and I think that’s what made it work.”

Dena Wilson, a junior majoring in accounting, described the event as one of her most memorable at Binghamton.

“I felt like he was speaking to everyone, truly engaging students with his anecdote and wit,” Wilson said.

School Name

Below is a sample of what the new SUNY Financial Aid sheets will look like

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

Broome County Celtic Pipes and Drums march down Main Street during the 2012 Parade held on March 3, 2012.

Parade Details The Parade begins at 1:30.

The Parade begins at St. Mary’s of Assumption Church It will head down Court and Main Streets to Arthur Street.

It will take about an hour and a half

Smart Track

SM

Empowered Financial Aid Planning

Award Letter ESTIMATED COST OF ATTENDANCE IN THE 2013/14 ACADEMIC YEAR

COLLEGE OVERVIEW

(Subject to legislative changes)

$23,243 per year

Estimated Cost of Attendance

Tuition Breakdown

Costs*

Direct Costs

Tuition and fees Housing and meals Estimated books and supplies Estimated transportation Estimated other educational costs

Indirect Costs

6,593 14,400

0 1,200 600 450

Graduation Rate Percentage of full-time students who graduate 71% within 6 years LOW

MEDIUM

Graduation Rate

HIGH

*Costs will vary based on enrollment status

GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED — ESTIMATED GIFT AID

(Aid is subject to change based upon verification, enrollment confirmation, and legislative changes)

Total Grants and Scholarships (No payment required)

Grants and Aid Breakdown Cost Loan Breakdown

Institutional (SUNY School) Grant TAP PELL SEOG SUNY Tuition Credit Other scholarships

$7,600 per year Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Total

500 1,000 1,725 250 75 100

500 1,000 1,725 250 75 100

50 50 50 50 50 50

1,050 2,050 3,500 550 200 250

ESTIMATED REMAINING COST AFTER GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS $15,643 per year

$5,500 per year

Total Loans (Repayment Required) Federal Direct Subsidized Loan Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Total

1,550 1,000

1,250 950

700 50

3,500 2,000

NOTE: You can borrow less than the recommended loan offer

Work Study

FEDERAL WORK-STUDY (FWS) FEDERAL WORK-STUDY

FAFSA Calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Options to Replace Expected Family Contribution or Net Cost

Students at (school name) typically borrow $xx,xxx in Federal loans over xx years.

Eg^kViZ eVnbZci eaVc d[[ZgZY Wn i]Z XdaaZ\Z B^a^iVgn VcY$dg CVi^dcVa HZgk^XZ 7ZcZ[^ih ;ZYZgVa 9^gZXi EAJH$EVgZci adVc Eg^kViZ ZYjXVi^dc adVch# ;dg bdgZ ^c[d/ 8a^X` H;6 a^c`

Your borrowing may be different.

REPAYING YOUR LOANS To learn more about loan repayment choices and work out your Federal Loan monthly payment, go to: http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/ understand/plans

$1,203 per year

STUDENT AND FAMILY OPTIONS

Family Contribution

12% Comparable Institutions

The Federal loan payment for this amount is approximately $xxx.xx per month.

LOANS OFFERED Loan Type

6% SUNY School

B:9>6C 7DGGDL>C<

(Cost of attendance minus total grants and scholarships)

Net Cost

LOAN DEFAULT RATE Percentage of borrowers entering repayment and defaulting on their loan

FOR MORE INFORMATION $2,030 per year

Name of College Office Street Address City, State Zip Telephone # Email

Loan Information

Pipe Line

Art Talk

Student group budgets posted in SA office Initial budget allocation decisions have been posted in the Student Association office by the mailboxes. Student groups interested in requesting an appeal are required to fill out a hearing request with the SA receptionist by March 4. The budget will be sent to the assembly after appeals. Questions may be directed to the vice president for finances at vpf@ binghamtonsa.org.

SA now accepting letters of intent for Executive Board The Elections Committee is now accepting letters of intent for SA Executive Board elections. The available positions on the ballot include president, executive vice president, vice president for finance, vice president for academic affairs, vice president for programming and vice president for multicultural affairs. Letters must be sent to Elections Chair Teddy Gyamfi at elections@binghamtonsa. org no later Thursday, March 7, and elections will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 20.

Opponents of N.Y. gun law rally in Albany National Rifle Association President David Keene told a rally of thousands of opponents of New York’s new gun control law Thursday that his group will help them ensure that the Second Amendment rights passed down to them will be passed on to future generations. He was cheered by the throng that filled the Albany park west of the Capitol, many arriving on buses from across the state and advocating repeal of one of the toughest gun-control laws in the U.S. The law enacted Jan. 15, pushed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, sets a seven-bullet limit on magazines, tightens the definition of illegal “assault weapons” and requires owners of formerly legal semi-automatic guns to register them.

GI pleads guilty in WikiLeaks case, faces 20 years Bradley Manning, the Army private arrested in the biggest leak of classified material in U.S. history, pleaded guilty Thursday to 10 charges that could send him to prison for 20 years, saying he was trying to expose the American military’s “bloodlust” and disregard for human life in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military prosecutors said they plan to move forward with a court martial on the 12 remaining charges against him, including aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence. It was the first time Manning directly admitted leaking the material to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and detailed the frustrations that led him to do it.

Help Wanted Writers wanted!

Pipe Dream is looking for writers for our news, opinion, and sports sections.

If interested, come by the office, or email manager@ bupipedream.com

Tyler Constance/Staff Photographer

Mrinalini Rajagopala, an assistant professor in the department of art and architecture at the University of Pittsburgh, spoke about the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 on Wednesday. The lecture was part of the Harpur College Dean’s Speaker Series.

Police Watch We didn't start the fire.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 12:06 a.m. — Officers on patrol were called to Newing College’s Endicott Hall for a report of arson on the building’s fourth floor, said Investigator Patrick Reilly of Binghamton’s New York State University Police. The officers found that the bottom of a flyer on the floor’s bulletin board titled, “safe zone training” had been burnt. Two students had noticed the fire while walking down the hall and put it out with a water bottle.

However, the students did not see who had started the fire, and there were no witnesses at the time. Upon further investigation, the ResLife staff informed University police that two students had been talking about the fire, and a name had come up in relation to it. The suspect, a 19-year-old male student, was called in to the station, and he freely admitted to setting fire to the flyer, saying he did it because he was bored while waiting for a friend. The case was referred to the Office of Student Affairs.

Here today, bong tomorrow WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 10:02 a.m. — Officers investigating a fire alarm in Hillside Community’s Jones Hall detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from one of the building’s suites, Reilly said. The officers spoke to one of the suite’s residents, a 20-year-old male student, who claimed that he had been smoking at a house off campus, and the smell from his clothes probably caused the smell. The officers’ consent to search request was declined by the student, but as they were

leaving they noticed a plastic bottle converted to smoke marijuana outside the building. The officers asked the suspect where the pipe for the bottle was, and he said he had thrown it out. He also admitted he had taken his marijuana and put it inside a piece of white tissue paper, which the officers found outside as well. The suspect was given a ticket to the Vestal Town Court for unlawful possession of marijuana. #SociallyAwkwardStalkerProblems WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 3:00 p.m.— A 19-year-old female student reported to University police that she was being followed around by a 20-year-old male student and had received unwanted advances from him, Reilly said. The victim said that for the past year the suspect had been trying to engage her in conversation, and when he did the victim found it odd. The suspect had also approached a number of the victim’s friends, claiming he knew certain things about her and he had gone places with her. The victim did not want to take any action, but wanted a report on file.

Overreaction?

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 3:40 p.m. — A 20-year-old male student reported to University police that his Binghamton University hangtag had been stolen from his car in Parking Lot M, Reilly said. The victim had left his car in the lot at 5 p.m. on Feb. 26, and when he came back the following day he found the hangtag missing.

The victim wanted criminal action taken, and the University issued him a new hangtag. There are no suspects or witnesses.

This Day in History

Brain Teaser

March 1st 1585 The city of Rio de Janeiro is founded.

You have a fox, a chicken and a sack of grain. You must cross a river with only one of them at a time. If you leave the fox with the chicken he will eat it; if you leave the chicken with the grain he will eat it. How can you get all three across safely?

March 1st 1987 Ke$ha is born in a cloud of glitter

Take the chicken over first. Go back and bring the grain next, but instead of leaving the chicken with the grain, come back with the chicken. Leave the chicken on the first side and take the fox with you. Leave it on the other side with the grain.

Finally, go back over and get the chicken and bring it over.

Six arrested in meth lab bust in Tioga State police said they’ve arrested six people after a raid at a rural upstate New York home where they uncovered an active methamphetamine lab. Officials say local, state and federal law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation into meth production at the home in the Tioga County town of Newark Valley, 10 miles northwest of Binghamton. On Tuesday, the state police Special Operations Response Team executed a search warrant at the home and arrested three men and three women, including the man and woman who live at the residence. Police say they seized processed meth, hypodermic needles and numerous items associated with the manufacture of the drug. All six people are being held in the county jail without bail.

Students sample Korean cuisine On Thursday, 130 students filed into the Undergrounds Coffeehouse for an opportunity to try Korean dishes selected by the Korean American Student Association (KASA).

“Cabbage, pepper, salt, sugar, fish sauce, fermented shrimp, onions, garlic, and Korean LOVE,” read one of six posters, which gave the ingredients and description of the side dish Kimchi.

Jun Park, treasurer of KASA and a junior majoring in accounting, explained the purpose of the event.

“It’s a food workshop — basically it’s an opportunity for students to see and taste different types of cultural Korean foods that are really popular in our country and all over the world,” Park said. “We were brainstorming events, what kind of events do college students like to come to, and who doesn’t like to eat? And the whole point is to get some cultural education across, and in order to do that serving food is the best incentive because students are always going to come out.”

Food was provided by Man Nam, a Korean restaurant on Vestal Parkway. Sung Kim, a member of KASA and a junior majoring in management, explained why he bought the food the food from a local restaurant: “We all know how to cook, it’s just obviously a lot

of time and effort. This is our first step as a club to present our food and the ingredients, maybe if this event is a success in the future we’ll present a workshop.”

Members of KASA expected a strong showing by the Asian Student Union, but they encouraged a more diverse audience, too.

“You’ll see that a lot people like Korean food whether you’re Korean, whether you’re Chinese, whether you’re Japanese,” Kim said. “Whether you’re white, Italian, German.

I have plenty of friends back home who always go to Korean barbecue with me, and it’s really an acquired taste, but once you get into it, you wanna try it all the time.”

Gabriella Yannotti, an undeclared freshman, talked about her favorite dishes, including Bibimbap and Kimchi, as she sang along to a popular Korean movie playing in the background.

“This has inspired me to learn to make Korean food, because this food is all so awesome,” she said.

Johanna Schwarzer, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, spoke about her excitement at trying more Korean food.

“Definitely something more spicy, more extreme,” she said.

“We should try this more in the dining hall!”

Recipes Mandoo: Dumplings 1 lb. ground beef or pork 1 cup finely chopped cabbage cup tofu, chopped 4 oz. mung bean 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon pepper Japchae: Korean Stir Fry noodles Usually served at Korean parties and special occasions Sesame seeds Sesame oil Sugar Beef Mushrooms Dangmyun (clear sweet potatoes noodles) Various vegetables (carrots, spinach, garlic, onions) Bulgogi: Thinly sliced 1 kg Crush 5 cloves of garlic 1 medium sized onion peeled 1 nashi/Asian pear, peeled 1 sweet apple, such as fuji, sliced 2/3 cup Korean soy sauce, but you can use Japanese or Chinese soy sauce 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seed oil 2-4 tablespoons of caster sugar 2 spring onions (wash and finely slice) Freshly cracked black pepper Kimchi: It is rated a top 5 super-food and rich in anti-oxidants Cabagge Pepper Salt Sugar Fish Sauce Fermented Shrimp Onions Garlic Korean LOVE

Park Zoo, the Discovery Center children’s museum, bowling alleys and apple orchards.

Many children said they enjoy these activities and that they look forward to the outings each Saturday.

“My favorite trip was when we went roller blading earlier in the year,” one 9-year-old girl said.

Aimee Munn, a junior doublemajoring in economics and mathematics, has volunteered for one trip and said she had a great experience.

“I got involved with SUNY Kids because I love working with youth and wanted to work more with the community,” Munn said.

Annie Zhao, co-director and a sophomore double-majoring in human development and biology, said that SUNY Kids has approached different organizations for funding after being denied a funding increase from the Student Association this semester.

“The quality of trips depends on funding, so more funding gives a more quality experience to the children and can allow more children to attend,” Zhao said.

SUNY Kids also buys children presents around the holidays, since many of their parents or guardians cannot afford them.

Emily DeTomaso, co-

director of the club and a junior majoring in mathematics, said the children that attend the trips tend to look up to their counselors.

“The children look forward to the trips every weekend, and really cherish their time with the counselors,” DeTomaso said. “Emotional bonds are formed between the children and counselors in a big-brother, big-sister capacity.”

— Yana Kryvokhyzha SUNY Kids president

Kryvokhyzha said that SUNY Kids has grown over time and is looking to recruit volunteers.

“The social worker that we work with has done an amazing job with advertising the program and it has grown,” Kryvokhyzha said. “We also try to advertise SUNY Kids throughout Binghamton University and we are very grateful to the students that volunteer their time to be a part of SUNY Kids.”

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NEW YORK (AP) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The dark twists at the cannibalism trial of a New York police officer will continue if prosecutors succeed in showing jurors pictures of dead and dismembered people as they wrap up their case.

Defense lawyers are opposing the presentation Friday of as many as 34 ghastly exhibits of images the government says it took from Officer Gilberto Valle's computer.

U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe said he'll decide when the time comes whether jurors will see pictures of dead and mutilated women that defense lawyers say may have been saved on the 28-year-old officer's computer automatically without him ever seeing them when he went on certain web sites.

The government says the exhibits include a picture of a dead body whose feet were not attached that Valle's wife testified she saw when she went to one of his favorite Internet sites as she discovered why he stayed up late at night on the Internet.

The photographs were discussed out of the presence of jurors. They did hear an FBI agent testify that Valle's New York Police Department supervisor was among women the officer considered a potential target for a kidnap and torture.

Developments Thursday were not limited to the courtroom.

It was reported that a man considered to be one of Valle's

co-conspirators, identified in the U.S. case by the online name Moody Blues, had been detained but released in a separate case in Great Britain.

In Manhattan federal court, FBI agent Corey Walsh told jurors that a search of Valle's computer turned up a file with multiple photos of a woman the agent identified as an NYPD officer who supervised Valle. The government had previously introduced a transcript of a February 2012 email exchange in which Valle offered a co-conspirator a menu of women he could abduct for rape and torture.

"The second girl listed is a cop â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Evelyn, 33 years old," Valle wrote.

"No I want a reg girl," the man responded.

The revelation came as the defense sought to discredit allegations that Valle conspired with Internet friends to kidnap, kill and eat women, pressing Walsh on why some communications were deemed proof of a crime while others were deemed fantasies.

Defense attorney Robert Baum directed Walsh to obvious falsehoods in communications that the government has used as evidence Valle was a threat. In one, Moody Blues insisted he and Valle would need a secluded place to cook a woman alive.

"I have a place on the mountains," Valle wrote.

"Nobody's around for three quarters of a mile."

Asked if that was true, Walsh testified that authorities "are not

aware of a place he had in the mountains."

Valle has been held without bail since October, when he was arrested on charges of conspiring to kidnap women in a cannibalism plot born on the Internet.

Throughout the trial, which began Monday, Valle's lawyers have attacked government evidence as nothing more than the reflection of a man engaging in extreme sexual fantasies with like-minded people around the world. The government has conceded that Valle never met the purported Internet co-conspirators and no women were harmed.

Even the judge Thursday as he issued a legal ruling said "there is almost no evidence of action

by Valle beyond computer-based activity."

Jurors have heard testimony from Valle's estranged wife and from former classmates and other women who testified they knew Valle on a casual basis and never considered him dangerous.

Their testimony was followed by evidence that all of them were the subjects of emails and chats describing how they could be snatched away and eaten.

One of the women, special education teacher Alisa Friscia, appeared angry and agitated as she testified Thursday that she had worked with Valle's wife but wasn't close to her.

As for Valle, she snapped: "No, he's never been a friend!"

She was followed to the stand by police Officer Robin Martinez, a police academy instructor, who

said there were severe penalties for unauthorized searches of the national police database that Valle was accused of abusing to collect information about targeted women.

"You are going to face serious trouble, including being prosecuted, being arrested, being fired," she said.

Prosecutors allege Valle's cyber co-conspirator Moody Blues told the officer he had killed and eaten at least two women. The New York Post reported Thursday that two men had been arrested in a child porn case in Britain and that one was Moody Blues.

When asked Thursday whether there had been any arrests related to the Valle prosecution in New York, local police in the southern England county of Kent said they had briefly detained two men from the area around Canterbury, the famous cathedral city about 60 miles (96 kilometers) southeast of London.

Kent police identified the men only as a 57-year-old and a 30-year-old, saying that they had been arrested a week ago on suspicion of conspiracy, child grooming and possession of child abuse images.

No charges had been filed, and police said the men have since been released on bail.

The statement said Kent police had "been in contact with U.S. law enforcement agencies in relation to this investigation" but did not go into any further detail.

Pipe Dream News

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RELEASE DATE– Monday, April 6, 2009

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Narrow-necked pear 5 James who robbed trains 10 Wine glass part 14 Pasty-faced 15 Laud, as virtues 16 Drive-__ window 17 “Pow!” relative 18 Immune system agent 19 Litter’s littlest 20 *Shari Lewis puppet 22 ’50s first lady 23 50-and-over org.

24 Open-bodied truck 26 Moon mission name 29 Photo enlargement 30 No-goodnik 31 Really punch 32 Hosp. scanners 35 Extinguish, with “out” 36 “Shh!” (and a hint to the feature shared by the answers to starred clues) 39 Legal Lance 40 __ away: hide on a ship 42 Hit, in billiards 43 Paquin and Nicole Smith 45 Jeff Gordon was its 1993 Rookie of the Year 47 Cavern 48 Sold for a big profit, as tickets 50 Gucci of fashion 51 Brit’s boob tube 52 *Act all innocent 56 Miscellany 57 Soft-tipped pen brand 59 Civil War color 60 Dole’s 1996 running mate 61 Give up 62 This, in Tegucigalpa 63 Draws away from shore 64 Force units 65 Swedish auto

DOWN 1 Cry loudly 2 On-the-job protection org.

3 Pillow covering 4 Drummer’s crashers 5 Rockers __ Tull 6 Many a security guard 7 One of AA’s twelve 8 Sun, in Spain 9 Building addition 10 Layer 11 *Duster’s find at a crime scene 12 Tennessee-born country singer Ford 13 Like a subdued trumpet 21 Biblical spy 22 Paw’s mate?

24 Transmission stuff 25 Opera box 26 Mont Blanc’s range 27 Protruded-lip expression

28 *Precariously situated 29 More azure 31 Cheerleading unit 33 “Let’s leave __ that” 34 Mediocre 37 Pilate’s “Behold!”

38 Late 41 Trounces 44 Annoying people 46 James Bond, e.g.

47 Piercing looks

48 Stir the fire 49 Paparazzi target 50 __ and kicking 52 It can be chronic or shooting 53 Bear among the stars 54 __ Hari 55 “We’re not serving liquor,” briefly 57 Bk. introduction 58 Make, as a wager

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

By Elizabeth A. Long (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

04/06/09

04/06/09

Our take on the real Harlem Shake Daniel O'Connor/Staff Photographer

Katie Kravat and Katie Shafsky | Release The “Harlem Shake,” the viral craze that has swept the nation, has attracted passionate followers as well as confused spectators. With such excited and perplexed voices chiming in on the conversation, it begs the question: what is the real “Harlem Shake?”

The original “Harlem Shake” was known as the “albee,” named after “Al B,” a resident of Harlem in 1981. Al B introduced and popularized the dance, which was renamed the “Harlem Shake” as it spread throughout the Harlem community. Al B referred to it as “a drunken shake” that everyone has come to appreciate. Prior to its popularity in Harlem, however, the albee was derived from ancient Egyptian mummies,

Nathan Partridge | Release When you walk past a recycling bin, glance inside it and count how many plastic bottles you see.

Or count how many you pass by left on tables, discarded on the ground or otherwise thrown away.

Then, just think: this is only the Binghamton University campus, so how much waste must be piling up in the cities of Binghamton and Vestal, in New York and in the country?

The answer is a lot of waste.

Waste that IDEAS is aiming to put a stop to.

IDEAS, or Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions, is an on-

the strange motions emulating their discombobulated and disjointed movements. As the mummies were tightly wrapped in their gauze, it was difficult for them to move. What they could do, however, was shake.

The albee also drew inspiration from an Ethiopian dance called the “Eskista” which has been performed widely across America and has been made prominent by artists including Beyoncé, who features the “Eskista” in the beginning of her music video for “Run the World (Girls).”

While popular among residents of Harlem and the hiphop scene that was prevalent in New York City, the “Harlem Shake” didn’t receive big-time mainstream recognition until its appearance in G-Dep’s video for his hit “Let’s Get It” in 2001.

The video features young dancers

performing the rhythmic and seemingly uncontrolled dance with great precision, which made the “Harlem Shake” a must-learn dance for many rap and hiphop performers. Soon after, the dance was known everywhere.

In Jadakiss’ 2001 “Put Ya Hands Up” video, it was perfected. Bow Wow, then still Lil’, became one of the biggest “Harlem Shake” fans, performing the dance in his 2002 “Basketball” video and continuously throughout his career. The “Harlem Shake” was brought back to prominence in 2006 through another famous dance craze, DJ Webstar’s “Chicken Noodle Soup.” Since then, a whole knew generation of hip-hop fans have been able to enjoy the dance, even if they can’t quite do it.

Today, however, the “Harlem Shake” is another entity entirely,

with no ties to the original. In early February, DJ-producer Baauer launched his techno track titled “Harlem Shake,” which has been reproduced and replicated

by YouTube users all over the nation, featuring regular office workers, bored groups of friends with nothing better to do and university students longing to become part of the trend. In the neo-“Harlem Shake,” one person sporting a crazy costume is positioned in the center of the video, flailing around, often doing pelvic thrusts. When the beat drops, the casual office workers or the studying students break out into crazy moves, similarly dressed in outlandish outfits.

Even Binghamton University has created its own version.

Now that the “Harlem Shake” has become such an institution, it is confusing to some hip-hop

fans and Harlem residents alike why there is a new viral craze with the same name. With such wildly different versions of what people call the “Harlem Shake,” it is clear why this confusion exists and why some may not have reacted in kind to the new fad. Across the Internet, people have expressed their reactions to this new “Shake,” some feeling slightly offended. Harlem residents especially feel that the random dancing done to a song with the same title as their beloved dance makes a mockery of the creation that represents an art form for those who appreciated it in its original form.

There are others, however, who enjoy its new image.

“I think the ‘Harlem Shake’ is just another viral video phenomenon and that it was fun to jump on the bandwagon,”

said Spenser Carrion, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, upon filming with the Binghamtonics. “It was hilarious to see how everybody dressed up and what crazy thing they chose to do during the video.”

So, what is the real “Harlem Shake?” Well, the YouTube era, which did not exist when the original “Harlem Shake” was created, has allowed the new version to reach great heights.

While this has led to competing views over the authenticity of this shake, it may be best to leave this question unanswered. It is clear that the dance that originated in Harlem is still prevalent and has its own merit; however, we can also appreciate today’s “Harlem Shake” without forgetting the past.

campus environmental activism club responsible for many of the most exciting environmental campaigns at Binghamton University. They have devised “Meatless Mondays,” advocating for a day of the week in which at least one dining hall goes completely vegetarian, as well as encouraging more transparent and all-encompassing breakfasts, which have few vegetarian options.

IDEAS has already made waves within the student body with their pursuit of a BU bike share program.

But now, Take Back the Tap, an initiative led by Devan Tracy, chapter president and a senior majoring in mechanical

and sustainable engineering, is campaigning to encourage the use of reusable water bottles in order to curb the waste caused by sales of Dasani and other pre-bottled brands.

This Friday, IDEAS will be hosting a concert to raise awareness on this issue. “Take Back The Tap presents Take Back The Music!” will feature Psyman Spine and Sweatpants Money. It will serve as a method of mobilizing students who are passionate about making Binghamton a greener campus and gaining real recognition from the administration, pressuring it to add more water bottle filling stations, as well as the eventual goal of a total ban on selling non-

reusable water bottles on campus.

Mike Rulli, a freshman doublemajoring in philosophy, politics

within a month we already had over 500 signatures on our petition fighting the usage of nonreusable water bottles on campus, so we knew there was student support,” Rulli said, speaking about the concert. “But we felt that we needed one big kickoff event to really mobilize and educate students.”

Along with the show, there will also be trivia, rewarding students coming in with prior knowledge and educating those who have more to learn on the subject, water and law and environmental pong and the pièce de resistance, studies, is leading the concert and piñatas made from plastic refuse, Take Back the Tap’s social media “washed, of course,” Rulli said. division.

Skeptics and students hoping “At the end of the fall semester, to learn more are welcome, and

for those who do not wish to relinquish their Dasani water bottles just yet, they need not fear. “We want people to know that the initiative does not aim to immediately get rid of bottled water,” Rulli said, “but we want there to be more alternatives.”

With enough support from the student body, IDEAS hopes to make Binghamton a more sustainable university. By coming to the concert at Late Nite this Friday, students can help make the goal of a greener campus a reality.

And I said what about breakfast at Rolando's

Kathryn Shafsky | Release

Being sick can be tough, and being sick without your mom catering to your every whim can be even tougher. But don’t fret!

Here is a four-point plan to help you get and stay healthy, and even have a bit of fun along the way.

1. Whine. A lot. Because let’s be real, what fun is being sick if you’re not telling everyone who comes within five feet of you about it? People might get a little confused and think you’re annoying, but don’t worry about it, because you’re doing them a favor. Whining about the illness you’ll never recover from lets people know that you’re someone to stay away from, even if you continuously whine about the fact that no one wants to be near you. Try to throw in an “I want my mommy” every once in a while, and people might actually have a small shred of sympathy for you.

2. Cough and sneeze on everyone. Your mother may have told you to cover your mouth, but it’s best not to listen to her. When you’re sick, it’s almost guaranteed that you’re going to be miserable, and since misery loves company, you might as well get your whole floor (and maybe even your whole building) sick too. Plus, if you’re all sick at once, you won’t have to worry about relapsing, and you may even be able to get away with not getting blamed for getting

everyone sick. Also, you guys can split the cost for all that NyQuil you’ll need.

3. Make everyone as miserable as you. The best way to do this? Make them do absolutely everything for you, of course!

Send your healthiest friend on a dining hall run and give them specific instructions. When they come back with exactly what you asked for, tell them that you can’t eat what they brought you because, duh, you’re too sick. This should add to their misery and give you, and all of your other sick friends, a good laugh.

4. Laugh. All the laughing from #3 may distract you, and just like that, you’ll be restored to your full health! Since you’ve succeeding in getting most people around you sick, make sure not to forget to act disgusted with their germs anytime they’re in close proximity. It is imperative that you make them aware that you’ve recovered by scoffing at their loud nose-blowing and locking yourself in your room to make sure that you avoid getting sick again.

Maybe even throw in a passiveaggressive “Oh, you’re still sick?”

Even if they think you’re being a jerk, they’ll understand once they’re not disgusting anymore.

Lastly, when you’re feeling your worst, never forget that you’ll get better eventually. And remember, if you get sick, you’re not in it alone, mostly because you will make sure of it.

A good hand in "House of Cards" Rich Kersting | Release

“House of Cards” is provocative and compelling from the very first scene. The show, produced by Netflix, is only available through their digital streaming services.

The show is centered around Francis “Frank” Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a South Carolina Democratic Congressman and current Majority Whip as he exacts his clever, manipulative, meticulous revenge on those who cross him. The show begins with the election of a new President, who had promised Underwood the position of Secretary of State. However, after backing the president though the campaign, Underwood is informed by the president’s chief of staff, Linda Valquez (Sakina Jaffrey), that the position will be going to another person and that the administration needs him in Congress.

The show is remarkably intricate, with each episode revealing segments of a complex plot. Every episode reveals more of Frank’s plan to get back at the president for denying him the position he was promised. Using his influence as Majority Whip, Frank forces people into submissions and gets people fired, hired and elected. While not a bad man per se, Frank shows just how political Washington is. Every episode leaves the viewer wondering when Frank will get caught up in his web of manipulation.

While the show follows the realized machinations of Frank Underwood, which involves several intertwining story lines, Underwood also breaks the fourth wall to deliver his insight on the situation at hand. This technique is clever in characterizing the many politicians Frank comes into

contact with and demonstrating Frank’s political skill. He knows how to play people. He doesn’t always break the fourth wall to speak, but sometimes he’ll look directly into the camera to deliver facial expressions when someone he’s meeting with says something stupid.

“House of Cards” gives a dark, political and no doubt accurate portrayal of the life of a congressman in D.C. In fact, the only unbelievable part of the show is that in a place where people love to get angry and throw stuff, nobody seems to have a case on their new iPhones. In a town where everyone has their quirks and secrets, Frank seems to know them all. Frank keeps his own life a tad more private and well-guarded than everyone else, trusting only his caring wife, Claire, at the end of the day. Claire, who runs “Clean Water Initiative,” a fictional non-profit, is often at a loss with her group when she gets mixed up in Frank’s political schemes.

However, it’s clear from the first episode that what the two do, they do together, supporting each other in all of their endeavors.

Judging from the positive reception of this show among critics and fans alike, it seems very plausible that “House of Cards” will start a new trend of online-only shows. A second season of 13 episodes is currently in production. In a technological age where TV is dominated by a few major networks, producers, directors, writers and actors alike might start taking to the Internet with their ideas and abilities. With the growing popularity of watching shows on one’s own time (see DVR, HBO Go, On Demand options) rather than scheduled television slots, it’s safe to say that “House of Cards” won’t be the last of its kind.

Kendall Loh/Assistant Photo Editor

Photo illustration

Emily Mancini | Release

It’s hard to get a decent weekend breakfast on campus.

The lines tend to take forever, and chances are you’ll buy more food than normal to make up for all that waiting, which you most likely can’t afford after all those crazy late-night trips to the Nite Owl. And let’s be honest, how long can you put up with the same old Sodexo pancakes and scrambled eggs? Luckily, Binghamton has a hidden gem that can ease all your breakfast woes. Rolando’s Diner at 140 Court Street is one of Binghamton’s greatest breakfast spots, whether you’re looking for a delicious diner-style meal or a morning-after feast to ease your stomach from a long night.

A Binghamton mainstay since

Cameron Wade | Release

In a press conference on Feb. 20, Sony revealed the next iteration of its flagship gaming console: the PlayStation 4. Along with the PS4 itself, a number of details, features and games were also announced for the new console.

According to Mark Cerny, the PS4’s lead system architect, the team designing the console spoke to a number of developers in order to create a console “by game creators, for game creators.” After acknowledging the difficulties many developers had in creating games on the PS3’s unique cell processor, Cerny compared the new console to a PC for its more familiar system architecture.

A number of features were implemented in the console to reduce the time it takes for players to access their content.

The PS4 will feature a sleep mode so that games can be suspended or resumed instantly, at any point, without having to wait for the console to boot up.

Downloadable content and game updates can be downloaded in the background while other games are played or even with the console turned off. Games downloaded off of the PlayStation Network can be played even while being downloaded.

The PS4 will not be backwards compatible with any previous PlayStation games but Sony hopes to remedy the issue through cloud services. Sony is

1971, Rolando’s has a charming, low-key atmosphere and is a favorite haunt of both locals and students. One of the restaurant’s biggest draws is that it’s amazingly cheap for the amount of food you get: two eggs, two pieces of toast and two cups of coffee will cost you a mere $3.14 (don’t forget to tip your waitress, though). For those of you who are used to paying upwards of $11 for an omelet, you’ll rejoice at the selection of omelets that all fall around the $4 range. Just an important heads up: Rolando’s takes cash only, presumably due to how inexpensive it is.

In addition to their incredibly reasonable prices, the service at Rolando’s is amazingly fast and the food is genuinely good. The waitresses are competent and the cooks are efficient, so you

can expect to get your meal less than 10 minutes after ordering.

The portions are large especially considering the price, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to leave with a full stomach.

“The food was really delicious and cheap, and I got so much that I couldn’t even finish my plate,” said Michael Fortuna, a sophomore majoring in biology.

Rolando’s specializes in standard diner fare with some Greek influence, so the breakfast menu covers all the basics like eggs, sausage, ham, bacon, home fries, pancakes, french toast, etc., all cooked to order.

For the exceptionally hungry or indecisive, the menu offers various fixed-price breakfast combos; for example, you can get a plate of home fries, two pancakes, sausage, two eggs and

coffee for around $6.

Rolando’s opens at 6 a.m. on Saturdays and 7 a.m. on Sundays, so you don’t have to wait around until lunchtime to get a decent breakfast. The restaurant is usually pretty busy on weekend mornings, but the table turnover is so quick that getting a seat isn’t an issue. Another perk is that the waitresses offer to split your checks individually if you go with friends so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of figuring out who pays what.

“Our breakfast was really good,” said Patrick Marin, a sophomore majoring in biology.

“We’re definitely going back.”

If you’re fed up with the weekend dining hall situation or are just looking for a delicious, cheap breakfast in Binghamton, Rolando’s is a must visit.

bar on the top of the controller which can be tracked in 3D space via a camera, a small touchpad in the center of the controller for more input options and a “share” button that will allow players to upload or live stream gameplay to the PlayStation Network for others to view and comment on.

A headphone jack and a small speaker have also been added to the controller.

Other minor complaints with the DualShock 3 have also been addressed in designing the new controller. Its analog sticks are further apart and now have raised edges, making them easier to grip.

The trigger buttons are curved slightly to keep fingers from slipping off, a small annoyance with the DualShock 3’s convex triggers.

But hardware doesn’t matter if there aren’t any games to play on it. Five new games were revealed, and a number of other developers came on stage to announce PS4 exclusive content.

Cerny’s own game “Knack” was the first PS4 game to be revealed. It’s an action-platformer starring a small robot who can control dozens of small pieces of metal in order to change his size or composition. Next came Guerrilla Games’s “Killzone: Shadow Fall.” The third sequel in the popular first-person shooter The PS4 comes with a new series looks to contain all the sciiteration of the PlayStation fi gunplay and explosive action DualShock controller.

The that fans of the series have come DualShock 4 is laid out very to expect. similarly to the PS3’s DualShock The new game “Drive Club” 3. The biggest changes are a light from Evolution Studios uses new

technology to take advantage of the PS4’s social functions with team-based racing, online player-created challenges and a smartphone app to manage it all. Sucker Punch’s “Infamous” series gets a next-gen sequel in “Infamous: Second Son.” Set in a modern dystopia, it stars a young man with the ability to teleport and throw fire balls.

Indie developer Jonathan Blow showed off more of his mysterious puzzle game “The Witness” and also announced that Sony would be allowing developers to self-publish their games on PSN. Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono premiered a trailer for the company’s new “Deep Down,” a medieval fantasy game, but not much else was revealed.

Chris Metzen from Blizzard revealed that the previously PCexclusive “Diablo III” would be coming to PS3 and PS4. While not a lot is known about Bungie’s MMO-esque first-person shooter “Destiny,” parent company Activision did reveal that the PS3 and PS4 versions of the game would be getting exclusive content.

Sony still has more that they’re waiting to reveal about the console. The actual device itself wasn’t even shown at the conference. Gamers still have a lot to look forward to from Sony and PlayStation, but they’ll have to wait until this year’s holiday season to get their hands on the PlayStation 4.

exploring the possibility of having all PlayStation games, including PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita games, available through PlayStation Network.

Stressing the PS4’s social network viability, real names and profile pictures can be used for PlayStation Network profiles instead of the typical anonymous profiles. Players will be able to pull their information and photos from the social network site of their choice. Players will also be able to spectate while others play, make comments on their videos and streams and even take over playing for others.

JHeisler Photography Event. Architecture. Journalism Contact: Flickr.com/JHeisler 516.456.3702

Alyssa Bossio | Release

It’s time. Binghamton is ready.

You’re ready. The Rat is ready.

It’s our greatest school holiday, families on State Street, a lot of alcohol and a lot of green. With the exception of Bar Crawl, St. Patrick’s Parade Day is the only day in Binghamton that makes it socially acceptable to wake up at 8 in the morning and just start drinking. It’s the day where everyone gets to be Irish — or at least pretend to be.

But there’s more to it than just inebriation. Parade Day has some historical significance to the Binghamton area. This is the 47th annual St. Patrick’s Parade Day,

and it’s occurring nearly three weeks before St. Patrick’s Day. So what’s the rush? The Binghamton community has requested that some of the bands playing in the New York City parade later this month perform for the town, and wanted to ensure that there were no scheduling conflicts.

Therefore, we should expect to have our stereotypes about this cultural event heavily fulfilled with some fancy Irish bagpipes and a bunch of guys marching in kilts down State Street.

Parade Day is a day of unity that brings people together and makes Binghamton University stand out from other colleges.

At least that’s the case for Neil Khoury, a sophomore majoring in

neuroscience.

“At a university that many would agree lacks school spirit, Parade Day acts as a day of unification,” Khoury said. “Parade Day gives students the opportunity to spend an entire day making memories with their closest friends, classmates and alumni.”

Other students feel that Parade Day is a great way to portray Binghamton as an exciting place to be, despite its reputation in its poverty-stricken areas.

“With all the negative publicity that the city has received in recent years, it is great to have something that brings the people of Binghamton together,” said Casey Gilbert, a senior majoring in biology.

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

Parade Day is not only a day of unification, but also provides a great economic boost for the town. Hotels Downtown, such as the Holiday Inn on Hawley Street, are almost fully booked for the weekend, and restaurants have been quickly filling up their reservation spots for hungry Parade Day customers. For those people 21 and older, the bars on State Street will be offering special all-day deals on drinks and food as well.

“Similar to Bar Crawl, Parade Day is something that provides Binghamton with a sense of business revival,” said Vlad Roytman, a junior majoring in chemistry. “Binghamton usually looks like a ghost town during the day, and the parade gives the town a sense of life.”

This year, the parade starts Downtown at 1:30 p.m., and will follow its usual same route on Court Street down to the intersection between Main and Arthur. The organizers of the parade, Ancient Order of Hibernians, has reported that the parade is guaranteed to be quicker than last year’s due to improved organization of the events. Unfortunately, the parade will also be much smaller than last year’s due to the ban of large floats and trucks riding on the new roundabout. Regardless, this year’s Parade Day is guaranteed to be a great time. For those of you ready to indulge in this crazy Irish experience, be responsible, be safe and, of course, try and have some fun.

The 2013 Oscars in retrospect Becca Porath and Katie Kravat | Release A year of extraordinary accomplishments and fierce competition in film climaxed with the most anticipated evening of the year: the 85th Academy Awards. This year, the producers tried to infuse the crowd-pleasing excitement of the Grammys into the classically glamorous appeal of the Oscars, leading to occasionally off-key results. Nonetheless, the Seth MacFarlane-hosted Oscars was one of the most combative in years.

MacFarlane charmed some audiences and offended others. He began the show with a parade of jokes, on a “quest to make Tommy Lee Jones laugh,” saying that it was an honor for him to host after everyone else said no “from Whoopi all the way down to Ron Jeremy.” At his best, MacFarlane is multi-talented, witty and satirical.

He has a wonderful, old-school singing voice, which one would think would be perfect for musical numbers. Yet somehow, many of his songs came off too immature for Oscar audiences (e.g. “We Saw Your Boobs”). MacFarlane tried to class it up with the numbers of “Be Our Guest,” along with the song and dance numbers with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe, but they seemed dated.

MacFarlane did much better when it came to stand-up though, poking fun at Ben Affleck and Daniel Day-Lewis. The sock puppet reenactment of Denzel Washington’s film, “Flight,” also stood out as a high point for the night.

Regardless of any low points, it is clear that the audience, who didn’t know whether to laugh or blush with embarrassment, made it clear that MacFarlane delivered just the right dosage of unpredictability.

The Oscars is not just about the awards. It is also a show on its own, held up to impossibly high standards of entertainment. The producers of this year’s Oscars, many of whom worked on Oscar-

winning musical “Chicago,” decided to infuse their theme of music in film, trying to remind everyone that “Chicago” exists.

Halle Berry kicked off the theme with the Tribute to James Bond with Dame Shirley Bassey singing her showstopper “Goldfinger,” receiving a standing ovation.

John Travolta then announced a tribute to movie musicals with performances by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jennifer Hudson singing songs from “Chicago” and “Dreamgirls” respectively, and the cast of “Les Misérables” singing “One Day More,” leaving the crowd on their feet. The “In Memoriam” segment added a soft touch with Barbra Streisand singing “The Way We Were” beautifully in honor of composer-songwriter, Marvin Hamlisch. Adele also performed her now-Oscar-winning Bond song, “Skyfall,” which was a highlight of the night. “Skyfall” also joined “Zero Dark Thirty” in the sixth-ever tie in Academy history and the first since 1995, for best short film, live action. The musical numbers were impressive in terms of talent, but juxtaposing the songs of yesteryear and classic songs wasn’t always effective.

Having the “Jaws” theme play instead of the typical “get off the stage” music seemed to be more mean-spirited than an homage to film, especially when playing off the best visual effects winner, whose studio is currently on the brink of bankruptcy.

Now for the awards. According to Seth MacFarlane, the Dolby Theater was like church “but only with more people praying.”

For a lucky few their prayers were answered, while others just missed the vote. The surprises ranged from little to none, as the projected favorites swept nearly every category. The night began with Christoph Waltz snagging the Oscar for best supporting actor for his outstanding role in “Django Unchained,” despite missing out on a SAG nomination. “Life of Pi” reigned victorious with a

whopping four awards, including best director for Ang Lee. The standout, however, was Daniel Day-Lewis, who won a record third best actor award for “Lincoln.”

MacFarlane was quick to point out that Day-Lewis was in fact not the first actor nominated for playing Lincoln, stating, “I would argue that the actor who really got inside Abraham Lincoln’s head was John Wilkes Booth.” The audience booed; in response he said, “150 years and it’s still too soon!”

Anne Hathaway unsurprisingly won best supporting actress for “Les Misérables.” “It came true,” she said as she cradled the golden statue in her hand. Despite an embarrassing fall, Jennifer Lawrence was also given her little golden statue for her raw performance in “Silver Linings Playbook.” The only semi-surprise of the night came by means of Quentin Tarantino, who snagged the Oscar for best original screenplay. Many were expecting the award to go to “Amour” or “Zero Dark Thirty” in this category.

However, Tarantino’s radical and creative look at slavery in America definitely deserved to win.

Finally, for the most coveted award of the night, First Lady Michelle Obama, live from the White House, joined Jack Nicholson to help introduce the nine films in the running for best picture. The room was silent as Mrs. Obama opened the envelope, announcing “Argo” as the winner. Ben Affleck, one of the three producers of the film, got emotional when he spoke of his wife and kids.

“I never thought I’d be back here … it doesn’t matter how you get knocked down in life. That’s going to happen. All that matters is you’ve got to get up,” he said.

The victory was pleasing to fans and the industry alike who were all rooting for Mr. Affleck. Hey, who doesn’t love a good comeback? And from “Gigli” to “Argo?” Now that’s a comeback.

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If the deal is accepted, professors will face increases in health care contribution costs, which are hardly offset by pay raises that barely keep up with national inflation.

We understand the state needs to cut spending, but if we want to fashion ourselves the “Public Ivy,” we need Ivy League-caliber professors.

For professors shopping for universities, Binghamton’s lower salaries will make it hard for us to compete with larger, private universities. And for professors already here, let’s hope they don’t get a wandering eye, checking out more lucrative options.

The disincentive inherent to the budget cut for prospective professors to come and current professors to stay at Binghamton is somewhat self evident to undergrads; just as crucial to one’s major are the professors the major is populated by.

The brain-drain would hit graduate students even harder; often, graduate students

choose schools for one specific professor’s research. How many professors of that enviable stature will remain at Binghamton — or in the SUNY system at all — if there are other schools offering better facilities and wages?

The immediate concern of losing professors isn’t the only worry caused by the budget cuts. Prestige is an exponential thing; better prestige brings better professors, better professors brings more prestige and so on. So too the other way: if Binghamton starts bleeding out quality educators, how will that look to the broader academic market? Not great, probably — so the bleed will continue.

At the root of the problem lies, we believe, the conflation of public school professors with public service employees. If the budget cuts are to affect other state employees, the across-the-board cuts argue, they should affect professors no differently. While perhaps from a removed perspective this makes sense,

to students the argument surely rings hollow.

Professors are not the same as other state employees. The experience, the personality — the little quirks that endear professors to students for their college years and beyond — are not things that can simply be replaced at a lower rate.

The budget cuts, then, may put a Band-Aid over one area in which the state is bleeding, but hurt it in another and arguably more important area. To the state, this means a decrease in education quality and academic prestige. To the students — to us, directly — it means the potential loss of some of our favorite professors, of the people who inspired us to aspire to lofty goals, who piqued our interest in diverse subjects. That loss may not be as tangible, but it will certainly be felt.

So please, Mr. Cuomo, give us the chance to be the Public Ivy we so badly want to be.

Daniel O'Connor dev@bupipedream.com

Derek Parry tech@bupipedream.com

Zachary Kirschner business@bupipedream.com

Zachary Hindin Kimberly Bower

Last Tuesday, the town of Jackson, Georgia woke up and went to work and in the evening the sun set and no one died that day. That was not how Feb. 19 was supposed to run its course according to the state of Georgia. In the narrative that the state had in mind, around dinnertime 52-year-old Warren Lee Hill would have been tranquilized by a strong barbiturate. Following sedation, an injection of pancuronium bromide would have induced muscular paralysis in Mr. Hill. One last shot, potassium chloride, would have stopped his heart. The procedure could have taken as little as 10 minutes. It has been done hundreds of times before.

two people and was sentenced to death in 1991, but he is an intellectually disabled man. The Supreme Court ruled execution of the intellectually disabled “cruel and unusual” and therefore unconstitutional in 2002, but Georgia, unlike any other state, requires that intellectual disability be proved “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Twelve years ago, Hill’s attorneys presented an appeal backed by four experts claiming he was intellectually disabled, while the state countered with three experts who said he was not. Hill’s case had a “preponderance of evidence” in court, meaning that it was more likely than not that he was intellectually disabled. This would have been enough to avoid death row in any state but Georgia.

The case has changed since then, in Hill’s favor. The three experts who declared him mentally sound have since testified that they were mistaken and that Warren Lee Hill is in fact an intellectually disabled man. Yet the This grim series of chemical stay of execution that was issued by processes was halted 30 minutes before the 11th Circuit Court last Tuesday will it was set to begin by the 11th U.S. Circuit only delay Hill’s death if the courts do Court of Appeals. Warren Lee Hill killed not find his disability to match up with

Georgia’s extreme requirements for proof.

If the outcome of the case does not change and Warren Lee Hill is killed, the state of Georgia will not only have witnessed a tragedy, they will have committed a homicide that could be mistaken for ordinary in modern America. Little outrage is provoked when mentally sound criminals are put to death. Since 1976, it has happened 1,320 times.

United States is the world leader in economics, politics and prosperity. It is a shame that we are ahead of Third World countries in killing our citizens.

Though of little practical importance, the United Nations General Assembly agrees, having voted 110 to 39 last November to call upon states to establish a moratorium on capital punishment.

The principal argument in favor of the death penalty is that it serves as a deterrent against violent crime.

The logic behind this point works on an elemental level, but research shows otherwise. In 2012, the National Research Council published “Deterrence and the Death Penalty,” which found that there is no evidence to suggest that the threat of execution reduces violent crime. The death penalty is rooted in a desire for revenge — inhuman bloodthirstiness.

We would do well to ignore that primal means of thought. Killing those who kill has not and will not deal with No country in Western Europe, the issue of violence in this country. our closest block of allies, uses capital punishment. Neither does Russia.

— James Constant is a sophomore Or Colombia. Or Uzbekistan. The majoring in history.

Senioritis: a welcome reprieve, or time wasted?

Last spring, Binghamton University opened its brand new Campus Recreation facilities and, in typical BU naming fashion, dubbed it the East Gym. For those of us who suffered through “classroom” gym, which boasted two ellipticals, one cable machine and some other useless crap, the day the East Gym opened was a glorious one.

“Woah! Like 20 treadmills! Actual weights!

And some weird bar thing! I don’t know what it does! That’s so cool!!”

Who can forget the first day on the machines that moved you as you exercised?

Or when you stepped on basketball courts at Binghamton and didn’t slip? These were great moments, moments of bliss for the occasional gym goer and meathead alike (I heard Phi Psi had a group masturbation session that night before going out).

However, it has been a year since that day and the honeymoon period is over. People, including myself, are quickly realizing the hard truth: the East Gym kind of sucks. It is the fitness center for the entire university; students, faculty, staff and community members (fancy word for townies) all use the facilities.

Its client base is literally the entire city of Binghamton. So why is it so small? At peak hours, wait times are astronomical. SUNY New Paltz, a school of 6,582 undergraduates, has a 6,800-square-foot gym, for a ratio of 1.03 square feet per student. Binghamton’s ratio is .68.

New Paltz boasts four Power Lift racks, which allow for major powerlifting and Olympic-style lifts like deadlifts and “clean and snatch.” At Binghamton, we have none.

Our floors are concrete with a thin layer of painted rubber. If you drop your weights, the floor cracks and you get dirty looks from employees and the occasional stern word.

Thousands of dollars were spent on the unused “Roc-It” machines. We have three bench press stations, four squat racks, and a bathroom-sized dumbbell area — all for 14,000 students.

The basketball courts aren’t much better. Hundreds of kids come every day to the courts to shoot around or play a pickup game. However, we only have one full court and two “mini courts,” neither of which have college-regulation three-point lines. The two mini courts are shorter and skinnier than the full court, which makes it impossible to get a full game. Because of this, there are sometimes hour-long wait times and the intramural program still has to use the West Gym courts, which scream liability.

facilities are free for undergrads. The only other university I have seen that makes its students pay is Boston College, which provides extra amenities like a sauna, a hot tub, an indoor track, indoor tennis courts and FIVE full indoor basketball courts.

The East Gym is the product of an outof-touch governing body. A bunch of crusty old guys sitting somewhere decide that Binghamton needs a new gym, but have no idea what that means. Instead of knocking down and rebuilding like they’re doing with East Campus housing, they’re keeping the oldest, shittiest building on campus and renovating it. Since the East Gym building was built in 1954 (1954!), the student body has grown tenfold. It is painfully obvious that a new building was needed for our new gym, but pennies were pinched on our fitness facility, in the second fattest city in the country. C’mon, man….

I do use the gym; it’s cheap, convenient and if I go at the right time I can deadlift wherever I want. However, I know plenty of students, even FitSpace employees, who do not use the gym but opt to utilize other gyms in the area. As the honeymoon phase winds down, I find myself sometimes thinking that this is still the temporary gym and that we will soon be cutting the ribbon to the real University gym.

I dread to think what this place will look like down the road when the floors are shit and still no one knows what that weird bar thing is (it’s called a “back and forth Smith machine”…what?). Soon enough, the I could deal with the facilities if not for student population will be calling for a new one major, major flaw: we have to buy a gym, but their cries will fall on deaf ears membership. Even students who work for because, as it’s been shown, those crusty old Campus Rec have to pay $50 per semester guys don’t give a fuck. to run on the treadmills they just cleaned.

I have visited many SUNY and out-of-state — Macon Fessenden is a junior colleges and almost all of their recreation majoring in environmental policy and law.

Standing on the wrong side of history The other night as I was in line at the register in the dining hall, I overheard a conversation between two people behind me. I wasn’t paying much attention to them or any of the other hundred people talking within 50 feet of me until something caught my attention. I heard one of the girls behind me refer to herself as “homophobic” in a half-joking manner. I immediately thought, “What the hell?” and whipped my head around, probably a little too fast, to see who was speaking.

Is that word socially acceptable? To me it just seemed like such an odd thing to casually say. I mean, in the girl’s defense she was probably kidding. Hopefully. But nonetheless this incident really got me thinking about that word, and I realized just how truly ridiculous it is. Webster’s dictionary defines “homophobia” as an “irrational fear of, aversion to or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals.” But come on, is anybody actually afraid of gay people, or is it just that they don’t like them and don’t want to sound like a jerk?

It seems like most of our lives we are taught to respect each other’s differences of opinion. That sounds nice and probably

perfectly relevant in most cases. But realistically speaking, aren’t there some opinions that just don’t deserve respect?

Can you imagine if I was talking among a group of people and just happened to say, “Yeah I’m racist but it’s not a big deal” and laugh about it? Would I expect people to say, “You know, I disagree but it’s okay, I don’t judge you for having a different opinion than mine?”

that black schools were the same quality as white ones and saying civil unions are the same as marriage because really, if they were the same, why bother to separate them at all?

It’s a pathetic argument made by the same breed of people in two different generations. As kids of the ’90s, we read from textbooks that paint segregationists as the bad guys. I’d be willing to bet that anything written in the history books of the future will portray those who picket gay marriages in the same light. George Clooney once said, “At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won’t be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black.”

So is a so-called “fear” of gay people any different than just being a bigot? If I said I was “Negrophobic” or “Judeophobic” or “Hispanophobic,” would anyone take me seriously? Of course not. Are these even real words, or just false Wiki entries?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have never heard anyone say any of those terms.

In fact, my spell check even underlined them. The point I’m trying to make here is that bigotry is bigotry no matter toward whom it’s directed, and the only factor that determines whether someone’s hatred is acceptable or absolutely absurd is the year he or she lives in.

Yeah, right. I would be out of my mind to expect such a response. So then, why do people feel it’s okay to be openly “homophobic?”

The amount of openly anti-gay sentiment still tossed around today is insane.

It was less than 60 years ago that African American children couldn’t go to the same school as whites. It’s hard for me to imagine anyone even making an argument for segregation today because it’s just seen as completely absurd and racist. But the same thing is happening now in many states with gay couples trying to sanctify their relationships just like straight couples already can.

What’s the difference? There is none.

— Madison Ball is a sophomore There is a striking similarity between saying majoring in political science.

Recently a New York Times columnist, Marc Bernstein, presented the idea that a senior year for high school students is no longer necessary and that most students are least productive during their senior year as senioritis sets in and workloads decrease before the transition to college.

that they are being forced to grow up. The pressure now put on students from a young age is outrageous. It is becoming a more and more common practice for students to be enrolled in school, have several after-school activities and also be expected to attain high marks academically in order to get into better schools. While AP classes, IB courses and part-time college courses in high school can be beneficial to students who want to be challenged, they are certainly not for everyone and should not be considered necessary to be successful in the future.

The adult world, as any college senior knows, is a daunting prospect no matter how prepared you think you are. Why put that kind of stress on kids before we have to? Would it really be so bad to allow children the opportunity to have some fun and maybe take a break every once in a while? It is not a coincidence that the jobs society considers to be most successful, like dentistry and medicine, also have the highest suicide rates. In today’s fast-paced, high-stress world it is easy to forget the things that make it worthwhile. Most people remember not their exams but their friends the longest; we take pictures at proms and school plays, not at midterms and study sessions.

It is the fun, frivolous things that make the work bearable, and to take away something like a senior year or music and art in exchange for elevated math and science is not right or fair.

Anyone can work to learn skills, but creativity is unique and impossible to duplicate from person to person. It is time that our society took a hard look at how we measure success and ask the question, “What are we working for?” Are money and social status the be all end all or should we consider contentment and happiness as the real rewards?

Bernstein proposes that a more productive use of that time after junior year would be for students to take college courses, either part- or fulltime, or to use the time to volunteer or get a job to gain experience. While it sounds like a productive solution, one must ask the question, why are we so obsessed with pushing children to enter the adult world so quickly?

Petula Dvorak of the Washington Post is also involved in the conversation about the rate at which we push children to become adults. In her column she cites a situation she witnessed where a 10-year-old boy in her carpool was worried about having his cholesterol levels checked and getting vaccinated for possible future sexually transmitted diseases.

She goes on to report that in a recent study, nearly half of all seventh graders polled attested to having been sexually harassed at school.

This is a problem, though one that is perhaps not surprising. With cell phones glued to hands and television glorifying sexuality and adulthood for young people through shows like “16 and Pregnant,” “Teen Mom” and even “Pretty Little Liars,” where a high school student is in a romantic relationship with a teacher, it becomes increasingly clear that kids are being — Shelby Wilson is a senior in the encouraged to grow up very quickly.

Decker school of nursing.

But it is not just in relationships

Letter to the editor To the Pipe Dream Editorial Board: First, I want to assure you that my staff and I take the administration and management of the University’s food service contract with Sodexo and your concerns very seriously.

While the campus does pride itself on having an excellent partnership with Sodexo, we always remain diligent in upholding a very clear vendor/client relationship which includes strict adherence to the terms and conditions of the contract.

Your Feb. 22 editorial raises some concerns regarding dining hall pricing and pricing policies. To fully address and respond to this issue, we need to gather facts relating to the application of the pricing policy.

I am charging the Resident Dining Advisory Committee to review a sampling of various products and prices being charged in the dining halls to verify the prices have been

properly developed and applied. I believe that this committee is the most appropriate team to do this as its membership is comprised of students selected by residential community presidents, as well as University faculty and staff, who are familiar with the resident dining programs and associated cost and rate development. They will be asked to provide me with a full and detailed report of their findings and recommendations.

Upon completion of the review, I would be happy to provide the Pipe Dream Editorial Board with a copy and, if desired, we can meet to discuss the reports, its findings, recommendations and any changes that may be warranted.

James VanVoorst Vice President for Administration

Binghamton can't slow down No. 5 Cornell in 11-6 loss On Tuesday, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team picked up its second loss of the season, falling 11-6 to No. 5 Cornell.

The Bearcats (0-2) struggled on the faceoff all day and had to exhaust their efforts trying to overcome an early 3-0 deficit, which quickly blew up to 6-1 by halftime. Binghamton never came within four points of the Big Red for the rest of the game.

Cornell junior midfielder Doug Tesoriero took all 21 faceoffs, winning 18 of them.

“We ran into a kid who was pretty hot yesterday,” Binghamton head coach Scott Nelson said of Tesoriero.

Binghamton, on the other hand, split the faceoffs between junior midfielder Alex Doerflein (3-for-13), freshmen midfielders Joey Dalfo (0-for-4) and Mitchell Labianca (0-for-3) and freshman defender Chris Bechle (0-for1). Like the freshmen, Doerflein had never taken collegiate level faceoffs prior to this season.

The Bearcats graduated two of their key players from last year’s squad who had been responsible for handling most of the team’s faceoffs.

“We’re just going to continue to work on [faceoffs] every day, and try to develop the young kids and learn the college style,” Nelson said. “Hopefully Alex Doerflein … who’s [in his] first year facing off, can do another great job this weekend [against Hobart] like he did against Siena.”

Doerflein won 15-of-21 faceoffs against the Saints in Binghamton’s season opening loss on Feb. 23.

Cornell outshot Binghamton

58-43, and many of those chances came from the Big Red winning nearly 86 percent of the faceoffs.

“Some of those extra shots come from the faceoff. No question,” Nelson said. “They had extra possessions. They’re just a very athletic, good team.”

One of the positives from the Bearcats’ loss was the play of record-setting junior goalie Max Schefler. The junior saved 19 shots on goal, the highest singlegame total in Binghamton’s 12year Division I history.

But seven different Cornell players managed to score, led by redshirt-senior attack Rob Pannell, who scored three of his team’s 11 goals. Pannell won the 2011 Lt. Raymond Enners Award, given to the most outstanding player in Division I men’s lacrosse.

“You know, that’s why they’re ranked fifth in the country,” Nelson said. “They got a lot of weapons. The 2011 player of the year, we did a very good job on him, but they got other guys who compliment him well. Anytime you have more than three or four players who can score, it’s a challenge. Luckily, we got some great goalie play to keep the score pretty low. Good teams like that, it’s tough to prevent all those goals.”

Continuing his impressive play, senior midfielder Tyler Perrelle scored a point for the 22nd game in a row. The point came from an assist Perrelle had on a goal scored by junior midfielder Michael Antinozzi in the third quarter. Antinozzi’s fourth goal of the year brought the score to 6-2.

With that same goal, Antinozzi became the eighth player in Binghamton men’s lacrosse history to score 50 career goals.

Johnathan Heisler/Photo Editor

Tyler Perrelle’s third-quarter assist against Cornell on Tuesday marked his 22nd straight game with a point scored.

BU sophomore attack Tucker Nelson led the Bearcats’ offense with three goals of his own. Junior attack Brandon Planck and junior midfielder Kelly Donigan each had one goal.

Despite being a historic day for two of Binghamton’s players, the

Commentary

team as a whole underachieved on the offensive end, especially with the recent NCAA rule changes, which Nelson has said should work in the Bearcats’ favor.

“We’re a little disappointed we didn’t put a few more goals in, that’s for sure,” Nelson said. “We

kind of let them get ahead of us early and the offense had a little trouble scoring.”

And as Binghamton prepares for Hobart (1-1), Saturday’s opponent, Nelson said he hopes his team’s shooting accuracy improves.

“We need to shoot the ball better, no question, and we got to win more faceoffs,” he said.

“The other parts of our game are coming along pretty well.”

The game against Hobart is set for 1 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex.

Commentary

Arsenal faces must-win March is an exciting month to be a student at Binghamton University for a variety of reasons.

The weather initiates a transition toward a brighter shade of grey, however painfully slow the process may be. Parade Day allows us all the chance to pretend to be Irish on pretend St. Patrick’s Day, while many of us will also pretend to be of legal drinking age.

We welcome the month with arms wide open.

March isn’t a particularly bad time to be a sports fan, either. The most hyped tournament in all of sports, March Madness, gives a significant portion of viewers a reason to temporarily feign interest in college basketball.

For many, a college hoops bracket is their only taste of sports gambling to be had all year. The thrill is sweet, though short-lived in most cases.

My bracket is invariably toast by the second day of the tournament.

This year, however, there’s another tournament worth considering that’ll share a portion of the country’s attention, albeit to a marginal extent, in the form of an international round-robin that’s set to take place on two continents, with games scheduled every day starting on March 2 and culminating on March 19.

The players on each team will not be representing a university, state or city. They’ll be playing for their home countries.

The 2013 World Baseball Classic is all but under way, inciting a collective “eh” from the American audience in response. The presentation of the international tournament encompassing the great American pastime says it all. All games will be televised on MLB Network. While preseason Major League Baseball games will be given the major sporting network spotlight on several occasions throughout the coming weeks, the WBC will be receiving the Thursday Night Football treatment.

Tsk-tsk.

If this isn’t enough to convince you that the tournament lacks any substantial nationalistic pride, vigor or marked enthusiasm, just take a

look at the teams’ rosters. Here are a few names absent from Team USA’s roster: Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, David Price … I’ll stop here at the risk of exceeding the column’s word limit.

It’s evident that America isn’t the only culprit in this poorly conducted study in seriousness. Yu Darvish and Russell Martin are just a few names on a long list of high-caliber players who have also elected not to play for their home countries.

These are concerning times for Arsenal Football Club.

After getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn Rovers and suffering a convincing loss to Bayern Munich in the first leg of Champions League Round of 16, the team looks set to stretch its trophy drought to eight years. As a die-hard Arsenal fan, I am concerned about the direction in which the club is heading.

Johan Santana will refrain from representing his native Venezuela, a team that would’ve been extremely thin in the pitching rotation even with the help of the Cy Young Award winner. The next most capable starting arm on the team may belong to Henderson Alvarez or Carlos Zambrano … a chilling reality for the team’s fan base.

What’s truly bizarre is that the decision to abstain from the WBC did not rest in the hands of Santana himself, but rather the New York Mets’ front office. This is only one case among many over the past several months in which professional teams have denied the interest of players under contract in competing on the international stage.

It’s a pity that the WBC happens once every four years, only to devolve into a series of glorified spring training games. This is the most worthy substitute in baseball for Olympic competition, and it always seems to lack any serious intensity.

A far cry from the World Cup, it’s a shame that what should be one of the greatest honors in baseball has turned into an inconvenience.

Understandably, supporters are frustrated, and most have vented their anger toward the club’s longserving manager, Arsène Wenger.

I have always been a great admirer of Wenger and what he has achieved during his time with the club.

Even though a Wenger supporter like myself has at times questioned some of the manager’s decisions regarding transfers, team selections and game plans, I think he deserves more respect than he currently gets.

Supporters chanting “You don’t know what you are doing!” at Wenger are too quick to forget his loyal contributions to the club since he arrived in 1996.

Regardless of the current crisis situation, Arsenal Football Club is still recognized as one of the biggest teams in the world, and it would not be that way if not for Arsène Wenger.

Even though fans can rightly question the manager, the players also have to take some responsibility for this current dip in form.

Yes, Arsenal has let its stars leave over the past few years — Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas, to name a couple. Yes, Arsenal has failed to replace those that left with equally talented players and refused to spend big like other top teams.

However, when I look at the current roster, it is still filled with talented, international footballers like Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott. A team of that quality should not be crashing out of domestic cup competitions to lower-league

teams like Bradford City and Blackburn.

The problem is that Arsenal has not been consistent enough to go all the way in cup competitions, let alone stay in the Premier League title race. I believe that Arsenal, on its day, can beat any team in the world.

On match day, however, I do not know what version of Arsenal I will witness — an incisive, clinical and ruthless performance, or a lethargic and indifferent one.

Unless a miracle occurs, Arsenal will be eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the second leg of the tie, and the team will be trophy-less for yet another season.

But the season is far from over.

Sure, I would rather see the team challenge for the top spot in the league and win major trophies, but all Arsenal can focus on now is finishing fourth and securing Champions League football for next season.

Moreover, qualifying for the Champions league is so important to the team’s financial revenue and stature in world football, and it would be a major disaster if Arsenal finishes outside the top four this season.

With all the crisis talk, one wouldn’t think that Arsenal is currently on a good run of form in the league, unbeaten in its last five games with four wins.

As unconvincing as it was, last weekend’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa was a major boost for the team’s hopes of a top-four finish. It leaves Arsenal two points behind fourth-place Chelsea and within striking distance of Tottenham in third.

Arsenal is scheduled to play its biggest game of the season at Tottenham this Sunday. In terms of league position, it would do the team’s confidence a world of good in their quest for fourth spot if they beat the Spurs. On the flip side, the Gunners’ season could be over if they lose on Saturday, so the players have to make sure they stay solid and at least don’t get beaten.

It is a make or break game for Arsenal, and the team has to go out there and give its maximum effort.

Arsenal fans are one of the greatest groups of fans in world sports. They have stuck by the team through good times and bad.

It is a shame that the team has let down its supporters too many times, especially this season.

If there are particular games that Arsenal fans look forward to the most in a league season, those two matches against Tottenham are right up there on the list.

Now is the time for the players to show that they care deeply about the football club and its fans by delivering a top performance at White Hart Lane this weekend.

KNICKS PICKS The Binghamton women’s lacrosse team pushed its homeopener against Lehigh into double overtime on Wednesday evening before falling 11-10, its second loss in as many games.

The Bearcats (0-2) came out of the gates aggressive, jumping out to a 4-0 lead on goals from four different players.

Senior Katherine Hunsberger gave Binghamton a 1-0 lead just 23 seconds into the game after gaining control of the opening draw. Less than two minutes later, senior attack Kimberly McGeever followed suit with her first goal of the season.

Freshman attack Marissa Rose assisted McGeever’s goal, and

McGeever returned the favor less than a minute later when she set up Rose for her first goal as a Bearcat.

Freshman attack Sophie Racciatti also picked up her first goal in a Bearcat uniform to conclude BU’s run.

In the second half, however, the Mountain Hawks (2-1) came out firing on all cylinders. Lehigh scored five goals to Binghamton’s two in the final 25 minutes, and took its first lead of the game, 7-6, at the 20:32 mark.

From there, Hunsberger and senior midfielder Kristen Stone each scored to regain the lead for Binghamton. But Lehigh sophomore midfielder Julie McBrien converted consecutive goals to recapture control of the game with 8:14 left.

Johnathan Heisler/Photo Editor

Senior midfielder Katherine Hunsberger led the Bearcats in scoring for the second time in as many games on Wednesday, notching four goals in BU’s double-overtime loss to Lehigh.

NYK will rise to competion against Heat

The Bearcats found themselves down 9-8 in the waning minutes of regulation. Off a dead-ball whistle, Hunsberger gained possession of the ball and assisted sophomore midfielder Renee Kiviat, who scored the game-tying goal with 11 seconds left.

In the first overtime, Binghamton captured an early lead with a goal by Hunsberger. But Lehigh scored with 26 seconds left in the session to even the game.

After a scoreless start to the second overtime, Lehigh scored again with under a minute left to clinch the victory.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted, but it’s a step in the right direction,” junior transfer Angela Vespa said. “We can come back and win in the next game.”

Hunsberger had a game-high four goals and picked up a careerhigh nine draw controls, tying the Binghamton single-game record.

Freshman midfielder Allie Rodgers also scored a goal, and Rodgers, Stone, Rose and Vespa chipped in with assists.

Freshman goalkeeper Erin McNulty made her first collegiate career start and made nine stops.

The Bearcats won 15 of the 25 draws and were 12-for-12 in clears.

Binghamton finished with 15 turnovers, compared to Lehigh’s 10.

Wednesday marked the first of three straight home games for the Bearcats, who are set to host Canisius College on Saturday.

Canisius, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, currently holds an 0-2 record. The last time these teams met, the Bearcats won 11-9.

Play is set for at 4 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex.

Game: Miami Heat at New York Knicks — 1 p.m., Sunday, March 3 Prediction: Struggling Knicks to Halt Steaming Heat — Expect the Unexpected Preview: As Walt “Clyde” Frazier likes to say, the Knicks (34-20) have been playing Swiss cheese defense lately, and opposing teams have been finding all the holes.

On Sunday, the Heat (41-14) and the Knicks will square off for the third time this season. The Knicks won by 20 points in each of the first two meetings, back in November and December, respectively.

However, times have changed.

The Heat is currently on a 12-game winning streak and look unstoppable. The Knicks, on the other hand, have lost five of their last eight.

This game will be played at Madison Square Garden and will indicate where the Knicks stand among the league’s best.

Analysis: “Live and die by the three” is the common saying. The Knicks love the three-ball, evidenced by their league-leading 29 attempts from downtown per game. Over the course of the season, New York has shot an astounding 37 percent from behind the arc, but over the last five games, the team has managed to shoot just 29 percent. On the bright side, the Knicks are slowly digging their way out of their recent slump, and everyone will forget about their struggles once they defeat the

defending NBA champions this Sunday.

The way to beat Miami is with ball movement and limiting turnovers. The Knicks may not have the best ball movement, but no NBA team turns over the ball with less frequency than the Knicks. This will be key to preventing Miami’s run-and-gun game.

The Knicks also have the perfect pieces to slow down the Heat. Iman Shumpert’s ferocious ball pressure has slowed Dwayne Wade’s production in the past, and we already know Tyson Chandler will make Chris Bosh’s life very difficult. Chandler’s tenacious defense and length has been Miami’s kryptonite dating back to the NBA Finals of 2011.

But I expect this one to be a duel between the faces of both franchises, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, with J.R. Smith or Ray Allen being the key difference makers.

Prediction: We all know Carmelo Anthony is guilty of lackadaisical defense. But Knicks fans can count on his scoring as much as they can his ego. Anthony, an MVP candidate, will be fully engaged and looking to make a statement on national television against James, the reigning MVP. Look for a near triple-double from James.

Expect scoring numbers in the upper-20s from Anthony. Smith, the “X” Factor, will have the explosive game Knicks fans have been waiting for, especially from downtown.

The Knicks will gear their attention toward Miami’s big three, which is why Ray Allen will quietly put up a double-digit scoring total.

The Knicks notoriously fall to teams they should blow out and miraculously win in the face of little hope. I expect New York to rise to this particular occasion in true Knicks fashion.

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BU falls to No. 5 Cornell Page 12

Friday, March 1, 2013

After tight first half, Vermont pulls away on BU's Senior Day

Michael Contegni/Staff Photographer

In its final home game of the season, Binghamton faltered in the second half, falling to Vermont 78-61.

A tumultuous shooting performance by the Binghamton women’s basketball team on Wednesday night led to a 61-43 loss to Vermont, which precludes the Bearcats (5-23, 4-11 America East) from finishing with an America East tournament seed higher than sixth.

The Bearcats were undone in the first half as the inside dominance of UVM sophomore forward Niki Taylor was on display. Taylor led the Catamounts (9-19, 6-9 AE) to a 15-3 start in the opening 5:18, scoring 10 of her 16 points during the interval.

Things did not get much better for Binghamton as the half progressed, as a 15-0 run by the Catamounts over a span of 7:53 put Vermont ahead 36-13 with only 36 seconds remaining in the first half.

“I thought Vermont came out more prepared,” Binghamton head coach Nicole Scholl said. “We took a while to get going, and by then they had a good lead.”

Senior forward Lauren Buschmann scored 12 of Vermont’s 15 points during the late first half run. Buschmann would finish the game with 19 points, leading all scorers, and a game-high 12 boards.

More concerning for the Bearcats was their shooting during the opening half; BU went an icecold 4-of-21 from the field. The lone bright spot was junior guard Jasbriell Swain, who shot 3-of-5

from the floor and 3-of-3 from the line.

When asked if it was execution or shot selection that kept the Bearcats from finding their rhythm offensively, Scholl said, “A little of both. We didn’t make the best decisions, and other things didn’t really go our way.”

The second half proved to be more of the same for Binghamton, which came no closer than within 18.

Swain would finish the game with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Senior forward Kara Elofson pitched in seven points and four boards.

A win next week guarantees the Bearcats at least the seventh seed in the tournament, but with the sixth spot still in the air, it’s possible that the Bearcats could avoid a firstround matchup with conference front-runners Albany and Hartford.

Boston University is ineligible to play even though they currently sit at second in the conference standings.

A push to sixth could further benefit the Bearcats in that it would position them against the likes of Stony Brook, UMBC or the Catamounts, who are all currently tied for the elusive three seed.

The Bearcats have already beaten UMBC 66-57 on the road in what was one of their better wins of the season on Jan. 30.

In its last matchup with Stony Brook at the Events Center on Feb. 13, BU fell just short of an upset, losing 60-57.

The Bearcats will need a win over UMBC on Saturday coupled with a New Hampshire loss to Maine in order to secure the sixth seed.

Still, Scholl said her team’s focus

With emotions riding high on Senior Night, the Binghamton men’s basketball team started strong against second-place Vermont. But the Catamounts, as they have done several times this season, wore down their opponent en route to a 78-61 Thursday night win at the Events Center.

Binghamton’s seniors led an early offensive charge that put the Bearcats ahead. Forward Javon Ralling scored the team’s first five points on two layups, one of which drew a foul, and guard Jimmy Gray buried a 3-pointer to give Binghamton its first lead, 8-7.

Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey said he thought the emotions did not play a factor in his team’s early surge.

“Once the ball goes up it’s just another basketball game. It really is,” he said. “I think the things that lead up to it get your juices flowing a little bit, coming out with your family and the crowd’s giving you a standing ovation. All those things are special and they’re all nice, but 30 seconds into that game, now it’s just a college basketball game.”

With Gray’s eight points leading the way, the Bearcats scored 18 points in the first eightplus minutes against the America East’s second most efficient defense. Vermont entered the game allowing 91 points per 100 possessions in conference play.

But after the Binghamton run, the Catamounts buckled down and held the Bearcats to just two points over the next eight minutes.

During that stretch, Vermont’s offensive patience also paid dividends, leading to layups and good looks for the Catamounts in the lane. When senior transfer Trey

Blue converted a layup off a steal with 4:14 left, Vermont led 25-20.

But BU junior forward Roland Brown’s four points propelled an 8-2 Binghamton run, capped by a free throw by freshman guard Jordan Reed. The Bearcats had an opportunity to take a 28-27 lead into halftime, but Vermont got an offensive rebound and junior forward Luke Apfeld drew a foul

by Brown as he connected on a 12-footer with three seconds left.

Vermont led 30-28 at the break.

The teams traded baskets to start the second half, and senior forward Taylor Johnston gave Binghamton a 35-34 lead after converting a four-point play. But just moments later, Johnston was whistled for a Flagrant 1 foul, which sparked a 14-4 Vermont run.

“That was a big stretch there after the flagrant foul,” Dempsey said. “They went on a big run there and from that point we were kind of chasing them.”

“But we never went away,” he added.

To that extent, the Bearcats cut the lead to six on two occasions, and a Gray 3-pointer at the 6:20 mark made it 62-55. But Vermont’s patience on offense helped quell any Binghamton run.

The Catamounts finished with a 38-14 advantage in the paint.

With Binghamton junior forward Brian Freeman sitting on the bench the entire game and classmate Alex Ogundadegbe playing just four minutes, Vermont held a significant size advantage.

“It wasn’t a lack of effort; it wasn’t a lack of execution,” Dempsey said. “It was a little bit of their guys were bigger than our guys. We fought and we competed and that’s our job.”

Vermont’s ability to score inside was aided by the patience and

passing ability of junior forward Brian Voelkel, who finished with eight assists to go with 11 rebounds.

“He’s a very unique player, very effective,” Dempsey said. “It’s not only that he can pass, every guy can hurt you. He can pick you apart with multiple weapons, and he does it very well.”

The Catamounts shot 57.7 percent from the floor in the second half while the Bearcats shot just 32.4 percent. Binghamton, however, did not commit a secondhalf turnover and finished with a season-low eight on the game.

Reed finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting to go with nine boards. His fifth rebound of the game broke Mahamoud Jabbi’s single-season program record of 241.

Ralling tacked on five rebounds and finished with a season-high 11 points.

Gray scored 16 points, shooting 6-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-8 from deep. He also recorded three assists and as many rebounds in his final home game.

Gray said he paid little attention to the symbolism of Senior Night, and said he cared more about the big picture.

“I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this program, with the up and downs that we’ve gone through,” he said. “Even if we did lose our last [home] game, I’m just proud overall.”

The Bearcats have one more regular season game, a Sunday road match at UMBC, before facing top-seeded Stony Brook in the conference tournament.

Tipoff against UMBC is set for 2 p.m. at the Retrievers Activity Center.

isn’t on seeding or who they’ll be playing in the opening round of the conference tournament, but rather, it’s on giving a spirited Senior Day performance.

“We are not thinking about the seniors.” sixth seed, we are just thinking Binghamton’s final regular about UMBC,” Scholl said. “It’s our season matchup is set for 2 p.m. last home game of the year, and the last home game for our three

America East standings 1. Albany

15-0

2. Boston U

13-2

3. Hartford

9-6

4. Stony Brook

6-9

5. UMBC

6-9

6. Vermont

6-9

7. New Hamphshire

5-10

8. Binghamton

4-11

9. Maine

3-11

Women's Basketball @ Vermont

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

Junior guard Jasbriell Swain, who accounted for three of the Bearcats’ four first-half field goals, finished the night with a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds, just missing another double-double.

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