TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORIALS Flappy Bird Flaps Away
NEWS
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Newz Blurbz
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Manhunter SBU: Global Village
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FEATURES
CULTURE Shit Fashion People Say Octodad Rainn Wilson Interview Movies You Missed Nutshell The Pull List Lonely Valentines Day
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SPORTS Seawolves Fall to Wildcats
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THE STONY BROOK PRESS EXECUTIVE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGER ART DIRECTOR NEWS EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR CULTURE EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR WEB EDITOR OPINION EDITOR PHOTO EDITOR COPY EDITOR MINISTER OF ARCHIVES OMBUDSMAN
JODIE MANN NICK BATSON BEATRICE VANTAPOOL JASMINE HAEFNER ANNE-MARIE GRECO JOHN FISCHER MAGGY KILROY JULIANNE MOSHER JAEL HENRY IAN SCHAFER SEAN FISCHER DAINE TAYLOR GIL GAMESH HOWIE NEWSBERKMAN EVAN GOLDAPER
STAFF SURAIYA AFRINA LINDSAY ANDARAKAIS JESSICA BEEBE TERICHI BELLINGER DANIEL CASHMAR SIOBHAN CASSIDY JESSE CHANG ARIELLE DOLLINGER
RACHAEL ELLENBOGEN BRYAN GUTHY TAYLOR KNOEDL TOM JOHNSON PRISCILA KORB SAMUEL LIEBRAND BRIANA LIONETTI MEGAN MILLER
The Stony Brook Press is published fortnightly during the academic year and twice during summer session by The Stony Brook Press, a student-run non-profit organization funded by the Student Activity Fee. The opinions expressed in letters, articles and viewpoints do not necessarily reflect those of The Stony Brook Press as a whole. Advertising policy does not necessarily reflect editorial policy. Staff meetings are held Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. First copy free. For additional copies contact the Business Manager.
BUSHRA MOLLICK KENNETH MYERS CASEY PINNER CHRIS PRIORE ANDY POLHAMUS PATRICIA SOBERANO ZOE SUMNER REBECCA TAPIO MATT WILLEMAIN
The Stony Brook Press Suites 060&061 Student Union SUNY at Stony Brook Stony Brook, NY 11794-3200 Email: editors@sbpress.com
EDITORIALS
R.I.P. FLAPPY BIRD
The Olympics started this week. Valentines day is almost here. There are conflicts all over the world. Stony Brook is continuing the search for a new Athletic Director. And yet it seems like the only thing most students have strong opinions about lately--or at least the most popular to discuss--is Flappy Bird, the latest addicting game for all of your mobile devices. It’s so simple it’s stupid, you tap the screen to keep your bird flying and navigate your way through some narrow openings in pipes. You get a point for every pipe, there are no levels, and you don’t really get any better the more you play. And yet, everyone is playing. Over and over and over again. But now it’s gone. The game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, pulled the game from the app store on Sunday, Feb. 9 after tweeting “I can call ‘Flappy Bird’ is a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it.” So it seems the life of this fad will be short lived. Eventually the game will stop running for those who already have it as well, leaving users lost until something newer and shinier and probably even more frustratingly addictive game comes along. Assuming of course you update your phone’s operating system. Buzzfeed is already reporting users on Ebay selling iPhones with Flappy Bird pre-installed. I only hope that when iOS 8 is released we hear about people refusing to update in hopes of keeping their beloved game. It’s an interesting development in the world of technology, 4 Feb 11 2014
though. According to The Verge, Flappy Bird was raking in more than $50,000 a day in ad revenue. That’s some serious cash. It’s almost dumbfounding that a game developer would give that up simply for some peace and quiet. But with the popularity and viral nature of content on the web today, I can only imagine how many phone calls Nguyen received during the brief popularity of his game. Reporters from every major news site, every tech blog and I’m sure it wouldn’t have been long before Hasbro reached out to him for merchandising rights to the Flappy Bird character. When Angry Birds first began its commercial success a few years back, I never would’ve imagined there’d be a television show based on the game. Just a few weeks ago I saw a television ad for Candy Crush Saga, a game that I personally have never dove into. It still begs the question of why did Nguyen put his game on app stores if he didn’t want to be bothered with it when it became successful? He could’ve kept the game for himself and played it locally, but was it that he just wanted to share something he had created with the world? Personally, I’m glad that we were able to soar with Flappy Bird, even if only for a short time. It’ll be missed, but unfortunately forgotten as soon as the next mobile trend comes. But Flappy Bird was a victory for app developers and mobile game developers alike, because never more has it been so clear what a good idea and some code can accomplish today.
NEWS
NEWZ BLURBZ by jodie mann & ian schafer
STANLEY ELECTED AS CHAIR OF URA COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS The Universities Research Association announced this week that Stony Brook President Samuel Stanley has been elected Chair of the Council of Presidents for 2014. “I am honored to be elected as Chair of the URA Council of Presidents,” Stanley said. The URA is a non-profit corporation made up of 88 researchoriented universities is responsible for management and operation or research facilities that are of national interest. It was founded in 1965. URA has played a major role in the Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory’s actions since 1967 and currently, in collaboration with the University of Chicago, holds the Fermilab contract. “I look forward to working with URA’s leadership in their important role in the management of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, an absolutely vital resource for particle physics research,” Stanley said. As chair of the council, Stanley will head up the governing body of URA.
WUSB EXPERIENCES TRANSMITTER PROBLEMS 90.1FM, Stony Brook University’s campus radio station, has been operating at low power after a faulty device in the station’s Farmingville transmitting site malfunctioned, according to Frank Burgert, the station’s chief engineer. From the symptoms, Burgert says that the most likely culprit “is the variable transformer that controls the tube power output and may explain why the automatic power controller (APC) was acting erratic in the past few weeks.” According to Isobel Breheny-Schafer, WUSB’s general manager, repairs were delayed by the recent inclement weather, as the transmitter site was
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not easily accessible through the snow. “It has been reported that WUSB’s signal is currently weakened along the North Shore, Shirley, and Riverhead. But listeners are being reached in the Bayshore, Lake Grove and Smithtown areas,” said Breheny-Schafer. According to Burgert, the component required to repair the aging transmitter will have to be custom ordered and may take several weeks to acquire. “The estimated cost is about $500,” said Burgert.
FEATURES
SPOTLIGHT: LONG ISLAND’S VERY OWN MANHUNTER by julianne mosher
Close to Stony Brook University lives a former reality TV star and he is one you certainly do not want to mess with. Usually, reality shows are often known for portraying groups of partying 20-year-olds in a mansion or rich housewives, however, Lenny DePaul instead took his fast-paced dangerous career as a U.S. Marshal to our television sets. The 2008 A&E drama, Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force, ran for four seasons with DePaul leading the task of bad-guy hunters. The show followed the lives of several men and women who worked within law enforcement– with DePaul specifically commanding the U.S. Marshal team– hunting down some of the worst fugitives in the New York and New Jersey areas. Murderers, con artists, rapists–you name them, they found them and so close to our homes. It all started several years ago when a production company contacted DePaul when he was Chief Inspector (Commander) of the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF). The task force became operational in May of 2002, and its main goal is to capture the regions most dangerous fugitives. Under DePaul’s reign, he had been credited with assisting in and capturing high profile criminals such as the D.C. Sniper in 2002 and arrested several more of the most wanted fugitives in the country. However, our neighbor wasn’t always just a chief leader in catching extremely dangerous criminals. A native New Yorker hailing from Utica, DePaul served six years with the United States Secret Service, Uniformed Division, under the Reagan Administration. He worked within the White House for three years, protecting not only the president and first
lady, but also diplomats from around the globe. While working with the first family, DePaul said President Reagan was a very personable man, with an “aura.” “We would small talk, he’d ask me the score of the game if I had seen it,” he admitted. “He glowed.” Since his retirement from the U.S. Marshal Service last year, DePaul has been busy working with other crime-related reality shows, including a new program currently in production about American sheriffs where he travels throughout the country looking at this type of law-enforcement in different states. He is also in the process of writing a book. However, re-runs of his first show, Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force, can be seen on Crime and Investigation Network. In the end, DePaul reminisces about what it felt like to capture a criminal after a prolonged search. “You feel relief when you put the handcuffs on them… It’s a huge relief.”
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STONY BROOK: A GLOBAL VILLAGE by jun yong ahn
Syeda A. Haque, Bangladesh Q: Where are you from? A: I am from the small city called Dhaka which is in Bangladesh. It is a tropical country. Q: What is your major? A: Biology Q: Are there particular reasons you chose Stony Brook University? A: The diversity was intriguing and also it was rated as one of the best school of science and medicine Q. How’s Stony Brook? A: I love Stony Brook; the best thing about Stony Brook is the diverse group of people I encounter every day. Throughout my undergraduate I had the opportunity to learn about different cultures and meet a lot of people from various countries. Even though I am so far away from my country Stony Brook brings a feeling of home and I found it very easy to make friends, the different clubs and organizations gave me the opportunity to join any club I was interested in. Q. What was the most memorable experience in your country? A: The most memorable experience in my country was when I volunteered in a Youth Club. I got the see the other side of the world how children born in impoverished areas are raised and the obstacles they face in their daily lives. The organization I volunteered for raised money for them so that they could spend a day at an amusement park because they never had money to go on rides or enjoy the simple things in life we get to enjoy. Q. If you were to define Stony Brook in one word, what would it be? A: Fascinating Q. What do you want to be when you graduate from Stony Brook? A: I want to go to physician’s assistants school or medical school after I graduate. Q: Is there anything you want for Stony Brook? A: I want the dining services to be better and have more halal food Q: What else should we know about you? A: My favorite color is purple, I like working with kids. I also do a lot of volunteering. I love Mangoes and honeydew. I miss country and would love to go back after I graduate My favorite quote is “Reach for the stars even if you have to stand on cactus.” by J.K. Rowling. She is one of my favorite authors. I like reading books, painting and making friends.
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Q: Where are you from? A: Guyana, South America
FEATURES
Jamella Chesney, Guyana
Q: What is your major? A: Chemistry Q: Are there particular reasons you chose Stony Brook University? A: My first time to SBU was for a campus visit. I liked the energy of the school and array of activities and events that occur year round. I knew since then I would love it here. Q: How’s Stony Brook? A: SBU is full of friendly people and very helpful resources that are available to promote my success. Q: What was the most memorable experience in your country? A: Well, one of the most memorable moments was passing my driving exam and obtaining my very own driver’s license! Q: If you were to define Stony Brook in one word, what would it be? A: Thorough Q: What do you want to be when you graduate from Stony Brook? A: So many things! Q: Is there anything you want for Stony Brook? A: More Seawolves!
Lucas Gonzalez Rivas, Spain
Q: Where are you from? A: I am from Burgos, a little city in Spain. Q: What is your major? A: I have not declared my major yet, but I am thinking mathematics because I love solving problems, I found it really easy and I believe they are beautiful Q: Are there particular reasons you chose Stony Brook University? A: There are a lot of reasons why I chose Stony Brook. It is one of the best places in the world to start your higher education and much better than the Spanish university.
the world, and even I practiced English with foreign tourists. Q: If you were to define Stony Brook in one word, what would it be? A: It is hard to define Stony Brook by just one word but I will definitely describe it as unique Q: What do you want to be when you graduate from Stony Brook? A: I have been thought about it yet but I will like to have a PhD and dedicate myself to teaching in a university or doing some research.
Q: How’s Stony Brook? A: Stony Brook is incredible. Is small place and you can get to every place by foot and it does not take you a lot of time to go from one place to another. It has a lot of services which is great because you have a lot of things to do if you are bored. Q: What was the most memorable experience in your country? A: The week I spent in Mallorca, partying really hard with my friends. I really enjoy it because the only things I did was sleeping, going to the beach and going to famous discos in
Q: Is there anything you want for Stony Brook? A: I think is perfect as it is, but I would want for stony brook to keep improving as a university.
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ROCK AND ROLL – YOU PROBABLY DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS! by: dana reandelar
Nothing is better than spending your Friday night in a 200-cap ballroom with three bands whose music all translated really well into high-energy rock shows. This is exactly what SBU students got on Friday, February 7th, 2014. For a whopping zero dollars, students (and $10 for non-students) were able to experience the magic that is a live The Front Bottoms show, with support from This Good Robot and Cult Classic, two great bands that are also from our area. Hailing from north New Jersey, the four-piece, folk punk band, The Front Bottoms have been known to open for Long Island natives Brand New several times in the past, which would explain the huge overlap in fans. The Union ballroom was filled with plaid-wearing, beanie-rocking guys and girls whose main interests include music and iPhone photography – a wonderful sight I never thought I’d see anywhere on campus.
TFB opened with ultimate crowdpleaser, “Au Revoir” and made the ill informed understand what rock and roll means. With their quirky trumpet solos and lead singer Brian Sella’s unique vocals, the entire set felt like listening to your friends scream their lungs out to your favorite song in your basement something I personally enjoy quite a lot. The set was pretty lengthy and contained a few songs they haven’t played live in a while. They closed with an all-time favorite, “Twin Size Mattress,” the epitome of angsty lyrics slapped onto a pretty melody – every pop punk kid’s kryptonite. Cult Classic also put on a good show exceeding expectations. They fit the lineup well and it was a good choice. Catchy bass riffs, easy-going melodies, the calm before the storm that was The Good Robot. With the lead singer crowd surfing and singing atop everyone to the guitarists back flipping against each other during an
interlude, This Good Robot undoubtedly takes the trophy for “most energetic band of the night.” They won me and every other kid in the room over with their “new single,” Bohemian Rhapsody. Heavy bandto-crowd interaction is key to a great show and This Good Robot definitely delivered. Despite a few technical difficulties (that people who don’t go out to concerts on a regular basis wouldn’t have noticed), RockYoFace, Stony Brooklyn, and the Graduate Student Organization have managed to pull together a successful event in a short period of time. It was an intimate setting where light moshing and crowd surfing occurred—resulting in a very campus-friendly concert. Overhearing non-students comment on the fact that SBU puts on good shows like this (referring also to the Taking Back Sunday show last November) was also a nice little addition. I’ve been dying to get my regular dose of a deafening rock show
SHIT FASHION PEOPLE SAY: FASHION WEEK EDITION : by lauren klein
Here’s the thing about fashion week: it’s ridiculous. We dress up in the hope of being discovered by a photographer and dubbed the next Alexa Chung. As I Slipped slid around New York City in five-inch heels, here is some of the shit that I over heard at Lincoln Center, home of fashion week.
“THE FUCKING MAN BUN THOUGH!” “Does this black match this black?” “I can’t wait to put this on Instagram.” “This black ice is killing my heel game.”
“Wait one sec…can you take my OOTD for “I just took a cab five blocks because I needed Instagram?” Starbucks and I can’t walk in these clothes.” “I would sell my soul for an Acne coat.” “Ugh no, I’m so over grunge.” “The man bun is so chic.” “UGH, I just want to be Rachel Zoe.” 10 Feb 11 2014
“Can you keep your sunglasses on? I want to touch up my makeup.” “Maybe I should just start a blog.”
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OCTODAD: DADLIEST CATCH REVIEW by tom johnson
For almost my entire sophomore year I had a group of friends who would regularly trip out on a variety of mindaltering hallucinogenics. Afterwards, they would rely on me, the sober one with a car, to drive them around to get food and what not. I always wondered what it was like, walking around in a world of (presumably) sober people, holding onto the nearconstant paranoia that everyone knows you’re high as a fucking kite. Having played Octodad: Dadliest Catch, I feel as if I have a pretty firm grasp on the situation, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Octodad: Dadliest Catch has you assume the role of the titular “Octodad,” a loving husband, father, contributing member to society, and unbeknownst to almost everyone, secret octopus in a people suit. The game’s campaign sees you doing daily chores and going on a family outing with your human wife and children, all the while having to act as a human person as to not arouse suspicion from the general populous. It’s a simple game, really. You are given a set objectives that you must complete as you see fit. For example, while at the supermarket you need to find specific groceries, it’s nothing remarkable. Where the game gets interesting is the mechanic of having to appear human without arousing too much suspicion through weird activity. Add the occasional chase and evasion sequence involving a local chef who knows too much, dead-set on exposing you and cooking you have a fun couple of hours. Control is where Octodad gets weird and a bit uncomfortable. Pulling and holding a trigger grants direct control to the according leg, whereas the (right?) thumbstick dictates where
that limb goes, and the other stick gives direct control over your arm at all times. Moving through environments generally involves juggling the trigger buttons to walk around and interact with things. The control scheme is weird for sure, and can definitely be frustrating at times, especially when precise movement is required. However, the absurdity of the control scheme fits into place with the rest of Octodad. It doesn’t look fantastic as far as visuals go, but it’s not bad either. It has the telltale look of something that very few people worked very hard to make, and I found it to be very charming, albeit greatly flawed. Outside of the standard story mode, there’s also a co-op mode, which involves up to four players splitting control of Octodad’s limbs. I haven’t had the opportunity to try it as I lack the necessary controllers, but it is by all accounts, fucking bananas. The PC version of Dadliest Catch is part of Valve’s “Steam Workshop,” meaning that the community is free to create new scenarios and whatnot and upload them for anyone to download and play. As is the norm with this type of stuff, there’s a pretty signal-to-noise ratio when looking for the good stuff, but when you do find it, it’s usually fantastic. It’s short, cheap, never wears out it’s welcome and is charming as hell, which is more than I can say about a good 90 percent of the games I’ve played as of late. If you’ve got $15 to burn and some time to kill, it’s definitely worth checking out, as it really is a very unique and interesting experience. If that isn’t enough for you, then I don’t know what to tell you. VOL XXXV Issue 8
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A NIGHT WITH
Rainn Wilson by rebecca tapio
After his lecture on February 4, in which he talked about the roads to happiness, truth, and life’s big questions, The Stony Brook Press caught up with Rainn Wilson to talk about his pet zonkey named Derrick, the Baha’i faith and his latest (and arguably greatest) project, SoulPancake. SoulPancake is a multimedia movement to promote discussions of “big think” topics such as religion, art and philosophy. One simple piece of advice summed up the tone of his talk: “We’re always in the past, and we’re always in the future, but we’re never in the present moment.” He advised that the real rebellion of our time is “against the cultural materialistic, nihilistic standard, having hope and uplifting people.” SBP: I have literally one Office-related question, and that is: were Dwight’s glasses prescription, or were they fake? RW: (laughs) You know, I wear a prescription. I had the Dwight prescription glasses but for some reason, it screwed me up wearing them on the show, and I was getting like headaches and I didn’t understand it so I had them put plain glass in. It makes no sense at all but I just didn’t like it. SBP: With a lot of your work with SoulPancake, it has to do with kids getting not just involved and being taught really important ideas, but getting their voices out on really big issues like life, death, and emotions. How important is that to you personally, and with what you want to create with SoulPancake? RW: Well I think SoulPancake was always designed for young people, so sometimes it’s kids, sometimes it’s teens in high school, sometimes it’s college kids or people in their early twenties. I’m pretty old so those are all very young to me. But I think that young people are the ones that need to learn about making the world a better place and to kind of catch that fire, and they’re 12 Feb 11 2014
the most impressionable and you can, you know…if I had given this talk tonight to a room full of 45-year-olds, everyone would have had their opinions set, they know what they believe, have it all figured out. Bunch of know-it-alls. But young people are still searching and their minds are open, and they can be nudged in the right direction, especially when it comes to being of service to others and a life devoted to asking questions. Statesman: One of the people that you actually had on Metaphysical Milkshake was Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and now he recently came out with his show, HitRecord, which is such a very unconventional show, how would you like-SBP: Because it’s a collaboration between different, not just artists, but everybody who wants to contribute to it. When we were talking about it before, and obviously you kind of answered it with the Kid President Show, if you see anything from SoulPancake moving towards that more traditional way to get to people? RW: We love the HitRecord show, I love his website, love what he’s been doing from the beginning. That’s why I wanted him on the show. Obviously love his acting, he’s an incredible actor, we were in a movie together called Hescher, that’s how we got to know each other. We’re open to doing all kinds of different content, it can just be silly, we did a documentary on depression and suicide for MTV, we did a music awards for VH1, we did a special on life’s big questions with Opera and OWN, so we’ve got stuff that’s all over the map. We’re open to doing reality shows, but we’re a media company with a mission and we’d love to do television that reflects that mission. It’s hard to do, because people just kind of a want big dumb reality entertainment that gets eyeballs and we want to do something a little more challenging, so it’s tricky but we’ll keep trying. SBP: How do you see the show coming out with Kid President meeting those goals? RW: Well, that’s what Kid President is. Kid President and his collaborator, this guy Brad, who is his brother-in-law, they’re committed to making the world a better place and making the world more awesome in really specific, fun, irreverent ways. So we
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want to support that reaching a broader audience. SBP: You, when you were talking about your journey to discover your own truth, you talked about reading the different traditional pieces for each faith; the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita. What would you recommend for younger people now who are trying to go on that same discovery, because reading those texts seems really overwhelming when you think about it at first. What would you recommend them to do? RW: That’s a really good question. Wow. I don’t know. I need to write that book, don’t I? SBP: Yes. RW: I need to write that book on spiritual journey for young people, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to write a book on spiritual journeys for young people and have some of that information in there, so thank you, you’ve inspired me. SBP: One of the most powerful series in SoulPancake for me personally was the My Last Days series, especially when I first discovered it was with Juli, a mother who had cancer whose sons are BMX riders. These people seem so regular but so profound; how did you find them? RW: You know, we put ads out on Facebook pages and sent out
emails, and put ads around in various places, and the producers found these people and once the show started getting up and running, people were writing in to us saying hey, my brother’s dying, my mom’s dying, or she’s got a great story and here’s our situation. They do phone interviews and Skype and get to know them and see, just like reality show producers do, trying to determine who’s got the best story to tell. SBP: The Baha’i faith, which actually the incidental population that you mentioned, five million is the population of Finland, how did your parents come across that and how did it become such an influence in their life? RW: That’s something I often talk about when I give this particular kind of talk. In the sixties and seventies, people were very open to exploration of alternative spiritualities. When the hippy days came, and post-hippy days, people were on spiritual quests, people were actively spiritually searching. The Beatles went to India and meditated with the Maharishi, Cat Stevens became a Muslim. There were all of the people searching, what is life about? I know it’s not necessarily the church I grew up in, but spirituality was in the groundwater, meditation, there were a lot of terrible things happening too at the same time but there was that search and that quest and a lot of people in the United States became Baha’is during those years, especially between like ‘66 and ‘74, right in that area. So that’s when they became Baha’is.
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Movies You Should’ve Seen Over Break. American Hustle
by lindsay andarakais
Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner. Can a movie cast get much better than that? Perhaps you’re quite capable of brainstorming a better list of superstars, however David O. Russell’s American Hustle used its superstar cast paired with a strikingly comical, steamy plot to captivate its viewers. The film scored itself ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Russell captured the essence of the New York/New Jersey attitude with its poignant yet alluring charm that people and audiences simply can’t get enough of. The layered plot kept me on the edge of my seat, but still wanting to pay attention to the intricate plotline. The brilliant conman, Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) and his partner in crime as well as illicit love affair, Sydney Prosser (Adams) successfully cheat hundreds of desperate, unknowing businessmen out of their hard earned money through her provocative demeanor and his down to earth dirty business tactics. Irving kept a wife and stepchild back on Long Island, and hoped to quell both of the women enough to maintain his satisfying double life and unlawful flow of income. Crowds love a good mafia film, especially New Yorker’s. New Jersey’s mob men are some of the worst of the bunch. Carmine Polito (Renner) is a New Jersey family man who wins the people’s hearts, and ultimately their vote when he becomes their mayor and through several undermining and dishonest deals his carefully crafted world comes crashing down. American Hustle is a composed blend of sex, money, scandal, violence, love, and wit that should be a great watch.
Frozen
by jesse chang
Stand aside, Lord Stark, because Winter is here. Frozen continues Disney’s mostly excellent foray (read: Planes sucked) into full-length 3D animations. Carrying on the torch from the equally brilliant Tangled, Frozen injects a modern flair into Disney’s storytelling. This modernization is seen everywhere in the film, from the subtle adult jokes (“Foot size doesn’t matter”) to the characters’ banter and chatter. Even the insanely popular “Let It Go” is not a traditional Broadway number, but a hybrid of a traditional Disney song and post-millennial pop. Disney’s modernization is understandable, as it needs to avoid the painful descent from “formulaic” to “archaic,” and Frozen’s self-conscious story is yet another adrenaline shot for the company. However, the twist regarding the main villain and the solution falls short of its potential, hindered by the film’s brisk pace. It is nonetheless a noble attempt at redefining archetypal Disney characters, and will definitely tantalize most viewers. Frozen is also a fantastic visual feast. The character designs
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remain captivatingly “Disney,” and the supporting cast have some of the best moments in the movie. Olaf the snowman is undoubtedly one of the best supporting Disney mascots in years; his musical piece is amazingly hilarious. However, the greatest visual asset in the movie has no voice, namely the ice and snow effects. The animation team have created a new height in graphical immersion with the dynamic particle effects, from snowflakes to boots crunching in the snow to Elsa’s magic icicles of death. The
graphics are not just impressive by themselves, but also in the way characters interact with them. Other artistic mediums would do well by noting how Frozen creates immersion with graphical assets. Frozen is another fantastic entry in Disney’s stellar collection. Though the twist is not exactly the Red Wedding and the antagonist isn’t exactly Roose Bolton, it is still uplifting to see Disney break the mold of its archetypes. Now get out there and
Her
by nick batson
I’ve never felt more alone in the world than I did after seeing Spike Jonze’s Her. Jonze’s latest film follows the solitary life of Theodore Twombly, played by Joaquin Pheonix, a soon-to-be divorced man who lives in a not-so-distant future working as a personal letter writer for an online company who becomes infatuated with a Siri-esque feature of his phone’s new operating system. Samantha, the voice of the OS played by Scarlett Johansen, and Theodore fall in love with each other and begin a romantic relationship. The most interesting thing about the human-OS relationship, is that it isn’t taboo in Jonze’s universe. Soon after the introduction of Samantha, it becomes more clear that it isn’t just Theodore who’s developed a personal relationship with their technology. When he’s out in public carrying on a conversation with her, nobody stares as if there’s a maniac lurking nearby like one may expect to happen today. The film causes anyone who watches it to question the meaning of what we currently constitute as a relationship. What Samantha and Theodore have is something that every human strives for in their life, so how can anyone condemn it simply because it isn’t shared between two humans. It also makes one wonder about where technology might be leading. As a society, we are becoming more and more in-tune with our devices, whether that be a tablet, phone or computer. We’re already beginning to treat our devices as though they’re our friends. I mean, if you’re ever lonely, Siri will be happy to carry on a conversation with you. In the end, Her invokes emotions that are rarely felt with modern films. It surely won’t disappoint.
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CULTURE
contributors: sean fischer julianne mosher charles spitzner
ONCE UPON A DREAM BY LANA DEL RAY Lana Del Rey has a raw, vintage voice that is hauntingly beautiful… No wonder Angelina Jolie chose her personally to cover “Once Upon a Dream” for her latest film, Maleficent. Unlike those childish versions recreated by Disney stars, Lana’s version is dark and mysterious just like Lana herself. In Angelina Jolie’s newest rendition on the classic children’s tale, Sleeping Beauty, Jolie portrays the evil witch and tells her side of the story while trying to demolish the beautiful Princess Aurora. In the original Sleeping Beauty, our protagonist is known for pricking her finger on a sewing wheel and falling asleep until our darling Prince Philip slays the dragon and kisses her awake.
She sings along cheerfully and dreamily about how she wants to meet the man of her dreams, the perfect prince, in the beginning of the movie. But in the new version, this simple song shows that Lana’s deep but sensual voice is so intense so the listener can almost feel the princess singing it in a dim, wooded forest. Jolie is known for her dark roles so it’s safe to say that this is going to be one creepy film. Honestly, they should have just hired Lana to be Princess Aurora for the movie – she’s clearly flawless enough to be the sleeping beauty.
HIGH HOPES BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN comes to Springsteen, you either love him or you claim to hate him while secretly singing along to Born to Run while driving down an empty highway at midnight. Either way, you know what to expect in one of his albums. High Hopes hardly breaks new ground, and sounds like a collection of b-sides cut from The Rising. There’s a sense of something lacking in many of the
songs, which can be a bittersweet reminder of what the band lost with the passing of Clarence Clemons. Even with the inclusion of a studio version of Morello and the group’s rendition of “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” all this album makes you want to do is put on a better Bruce album on repeat.
YOU’RE GOING TO MISS IT ALL BY MODERN BASEBALL Modern Baseball’s first record established that they had a certain “it” factor about them. Sure, the songwriting wasn’t the absolute best, there were quite a few throwaway songs and some of those lyrics were cheesier than Armenian String, but the band still had a certain boldness to them that made it easy to pay attention to what they had going on. There was a raucousness mixed in with that sadness and melancholy; an energy that helped songs like “Tears Over Beers” and “The Weekend” get past their shortcomings and end up as real jams. The guys might have been sad, but they sounded stoked about it. They’re sounding a little less pumped on this new album, You’re Going to Miss it All, but the other advancements in their sound definitely prove that they’re heading in the right direction. There’s a much more consistent level of quality present, possibly thanks in part to a noticeably advanced level of songwriting. 16 Feb 11 2014
Song structures are more complex, there are some nice little details added into the performances and the band really utilizes their two guitar players in a much more resourceful manner this time around, with nice guitar melodies laid on top of a solid rhythm and an added diversity with how the two players interact during songs. The lyrics, usually ranging from charming at best to unbelievably corny at worst, do their best to keep to a nice medium-high on that spectrum, even if a few stinkers still stand out (example: From “Broken Cash Machine” – “Questioning my awkward footing/Mixing bitter pills with chocolate pudding.” Nobody could pull that one off and make it sound good). Overall, a much more cohesive and well-polished effort from Modern Baseball for their second lap around the track- and here’s to something truly golden next time if they can manage to keep their progress up.
COMIX
VOL XXXV Issue 8
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CULTURE
THE PULL LIST
by sean fischer
Ms. Marvel #1 G. Willow Wilson Adrian Alphona Marvel garnered a great deal of attention last year when the company announced plans to publish an ongoing series featuring a new Pakistani-American character adopting the Ms. Marvel name. Ms. Marvel manages to launch with a solid first issue thanks in equal parts to its writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona. To the book’s benefit, the creators spend the first issue fleshing out Kamala Khan and her family’s characters rather than trying to awkwardly shove in action sequences. Instead, the main conflicts in the story derive from Kamala’s struggle to balance her religious and cultural background while trying to fit in as an ordinary teenager from New Jersey. Wilson presents this clash in a manner that’s respectful and most importantly, believable. The conflicts Wilson focuses on as well as the nature of Kamala’s origin is reminiscent of the classic DC series Static published under the Milestone imprint, and is comparable to the quality of that book as well. The only downfall is in the small details. Wilson’s attempts to connect with younger readers by throwing a collection of hamfisted references to reddit and the comics fandom comes off as awkward, and Alphona’s looser artstyle that can seem over simplified and at times comes across as lazy. Overall, these are marginal shortcomings that hardly detract from a strong launch that’s certainly worth reading. Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 Al Ewing Lee Garbett One of the biggest breakout characters from the Marvel cinematic universe has been Loki, the Trickster God, who’s earned a place amongst the pantheon of characters worshipped on Tumblr alongside the cast of Supernatural, Sherlock Holmes and The Doctor. Considering his recent popularity, it makes sense for Marvel to publish a new ongoing featuring their newest iteration of the character. This younger version of Loki attempts to redeem himself in the fashion that many fans of the film wanted to see. The premise of the series is definitely its most interesting point, where Loki acts as a covert operative for the All18 Feb 11 2014
& ian schafer
Mother, a tribunal of powerful female Asgardians so that he may absolve himself from past transgressions. To achieve his goals, Loki still uses misdirection and manipulative tactics, in this case against the Avengers, but to altruistic ends. Pitting Loki against the Avengers feels a bit forced, but it show the effectiveness of his methodology. A recurring theme with Loki in recent books has been that he is his own worst enemy. He is at odds with his inherent nature, which tends to betray his goals, even when he is mostly well meaning. This applies to this book in a more literal sense as seen by the end of the issue, and feels somewhat cliched for a comic book storyline. This said, this issue is decent enough, and does a solid job of establishing this version of Loki’s character, and the premise is sure to place him in a variety of interesting scenarios, making the book worth following. The Punisher #1 Nathan Edmonson Mitch Cerads The newest series featuring Marvel’s most notorious vigilante relocates the character from New York to Los Angles. Edmonson and Cerads’ version of Frank Castle is decidedly less dark and brooding, as if the California sun’s done wonders for Frank’s temperament. Of course, this isn’t to say Castle is any less ruthless dealing with criminals, but he displays an amiability absent from writers Greg Rucka, Jason Aaron or Garth Ennis’ versions of the character. Beyond him being a bit more cheery and a change of location, the formula is pretty much the same. Even the big reveal that Frank is in the crosshairs of a special forces group well known to any Marvel fan feels similar to him being hunted by Delta Force in Ennis’ run or when he’s on the lam from the Avengers in Rucka’s series. Nevertheless, the issue is action packed and Cerads’ art is gorgeous, especially due to the coloring of the book. The brighter tones Cerads uses, distinguishes the book from most of the previous Punisher comics and works well with the new setting. This is definitely worth getting if you’re a big fan of the character and want something similar to previous takes on the Punisher, or if you’re just interested in a book with solid action sequences.
CULTURE
Rover Red Charlie #3 Garth Ennis Michael Dipascale Garth Ennis and Michael Dipascale’s saga of “three best friends” at the end of the world continues in Rover Red Charlie #3. The comic chronicles three canine companions in a world where some unknown ailment has thrown humanity into a mindless blood rage, causing them to slaughter each other. With their “feeders” incapacitated, the dogs must learn to fend for themselves. Though very little is done is this third issue to progress the plot of the tale, which as of now is get out of New York City and find somewhere where the “feeders” aren’t insane. But, there is a good amount of character development. Here, the three dogs, Charlie, a trained helper dog, Red, the big dumb lug, and Rover, a proper British gentleman, learn to let instinct kick in and hunt. Though all three dogs, previously pampered, initially take issue with eating uncooked “bork-borkers” (chickens). The three also meet their first nemesis, a large dog who has managed to make the most of the world’s unfortunate circumstances. The pages of this dog’s introduction, though, mark the first instance in the series so far or Garth Ennis’s trademark shock jockeying. Had I not known that Garth Ennis, writing for Avatar Press meant adult content, I would not have thought that this scene meshed well with the rest of the tale so far. Dipascale continues to deliver great art, drawing detailed animals which, while expressive, don’t fall into the realm of cartoonish. When he draws a dog running, it looks very much like high speed images of dogs at play, flapping jowls and all. I’m excited to see how the rest of this six issue miniseries pans out, but I’d recommend that Avatar throw a
Mature audiences label on the covers, which depict three adorable dogs running towards the reader, not really a good indicator for those uninitiated in Ennis’s work of what is to come. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter #1 Greg Pak Mirko Colak Turok’s savage land of arboreal shadows is rendered brilliantly by Marko Colak. Beams of light scarcely illuminate the opening pages of Dynamite’s new iteration of the classic Gold Key Comics character, who many of this generation might know more for his video game outings on the Nintendo 64. Dynamite’s plan to build a shared universe for their newly acquired Gold Key characters kicks off with a few interesting beats. We are introduced to the title character as a 16 year old loner. The outcast of his tribe, Turok has lived his life since the mysterious murder of his parents by the mantra “alone is better.” Though the main antagonist of the series, dinosaurs, rendered interestingly by Colak, with avian features and feathers more inline with a modern understanding of dinosaur physiology, only appear towards the end of the issue, it is the shock of where these lizards came from that adds to the world dynamite has set out to create. Also a great surprise is the geological setting of the tale, which starts as an ambiguous lost world, but is revealed at the end of the issue to be very concrete, lending a twisted new history to the world building. As the story of this new shared universe continues in Turok, as well as Dynamite’s other Gold Key acquisitions; Magnus, Solar, and Doctor Spektor. It will be interesting to see what
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Lonely Ways to Spend your Valentines Day 1 by taylor knoedl
Firstly, a cardboard cutout of Jennifer Lawrence is absolutely necessary if you want your evening by yourself to be entirely romantic. I suggest taking her out to pastbecause cardboard cutout Jennifer Lawrence loves pasta (I especially anticipate having to wipe off the tomato sauce off her beautiful, perpetually printed smile). You will certainly be the envy of other patrons at this pasta joint—how they wish their date was as beautiful and as good a listener as your cardboard cutout of Jennifer Lawrence! (all the stares I imagine I would get, “keep your eyes off my girl…” I say to myself with a chuckle.)
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Also I suggest the ol’ wig on your face trick. If you have a score to settle with your used-to-be—get so conveniently near him or her and put the wig over your face, with the back of your head facing her and wrap your arms around yourself while making horrible slurping noises in order to indicate the sexy times you are having since this used-to-be broke your heart and left you for dead. Hah!
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Valentine’s day is known to be a premium time to reactivate your World of Warcraft account. Naturally you can’t go out on dates if you have raids scheduled for that evening—maybe you’ll get those Warglaives this time! (this reference is a little dated, forgive me)
Kiss the mirror.
Plan a vacation with Siri—that is, plan to go on vacation WITH Siri. She’s cheap so you don’t have to buy her a ticket (particularly because she’s not human). She has great patience with giving you directions—always willing to adjust and never yells at you when you get lost (even when you yell at her!). Get two Jennifer Lawrence cardboard standups. Pasta.
Take pictures of yourself with the Jennifer Lawrence cardboard standups at pasta and send them to blind grandmother.
SPORTS
SEAWOLVES UPSET BY WILDCATS AT HOME by jael henry
Stony Brook men’s basketball team dropped to second place in the American East standings after suffering a shocking 73-69 loss to New Hampshire. Saturday’s loss at Pritchard Gym snapped the Seawolves 23 game home conference-winning streak, which was the third longest in the country. The Seawolves were struggling to find their rhythm early with two back-to-back turnovers within the first two minutes of the game. After a 30 second time out the team settled down and got results. Stony Brook went on an 18-5 scoring run to take the lead. However, New Hampshire’s Chris Pelcher made sure the game didn’t get out of hand. Pelcher made his presence felt in the paint both on the offensive and defensive end. He led the Wildcats for the first half in points with 10 and held Stony Brook’s leading scorer, sophomore forward Jameel Warney, to only four first half points. With Warney having a slow first half the Seawolves looked to their bench for an offensive spark, and they delivered. Stony Brook’s bench scored 24 of their 39 first half points. A huge factor for the bench’s success was sophomore guard Carson Puriefoy, he scored a game high 18 points, including a three-pointer with the clock winding down, to give the Seawolves a 39-38 lead going into halftime. The second half was just as entertaining as the first. Both teams kept the game close with neither leading by more than four
points, but the momentum of the game changed with 3:25 left in the game. A three-point shot by New Hampshire’s Dion Daniel gave the Wildcats a 63-62 lead, which was their first lead since they led 15-14 with 11:35 left in the first half. Senior guard Dave Coley came down with a big offensive rebound to keep possession for Stony Brook with a 1:13 left in the game, then hit a 3 pointer to give the Seawolves a 67-66 lead. After both teams exchanged baskets the crowd, which included President Stanley, erupted and the support of the sixth man could be heard around Pritchard Gym. New Hampshire’s Dion Daniel hit another big three-pointer to give the Wildcats a two-point lead with 13 seconds left. The Seawolves had a final chance to take the lead, but Puriefoy got tied up on a lay up attempt and the Wildcats were awarded the ball then held on for a 73-69 lead. “Give New Hampshire credit, we didn’t deserve to win they did. They shot the ball as well as they shot the whole year,” said Head Coach Steve Pikiell. New Hampshire made 14 of their 30 3-point field goals, while Stony Brook only made 8. The Wildcats are usually not a three point shooting team but Pelcher’s presence down low opened up good shots for New Hampshire behind the arc. “He was big reason why they won,” said Jameel Warney. “He’s a good player, he’s very skilled…he was physical with me.” Next up for the Seawolves are Umass Lowell on February 14.
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AA E-ZINE
Cheap and Good! What More Could You Ask For? Great Vietnamese Sandwiches, a.k.a. Bánh Mì, and Sushi - in Walking Distance to Campus!
by May Hao Wang photo by Sammy Chan February 2014 France’s colonization of Vietnam from the mid-1800’s through the mid-1900’s left one good legacy—the best French bread in NYC can be found in the many Vietnamese sandwich shops scattered throughout the five boroughs. And while the complete experience with a variety of sandwiches hasn’t made it out to Stony Brook yet, at least one type of Bánh Mì can be purchased fresh about three times a week—right across the tracks at University Asian Market. (That’s the one next to Green Cactus and Station Pizza, not the one next to Dunkin Donuts.) A crusty. soft but chewy French baguette, cilantro, cucumber slices, shredded carrots, deli sliced chicken, and
spicy minced pork. Although that doesn’t sound so appealing, believe me, it’s so good. And it’s between 10 12 inches long for only $4.99!!! Pictured below is the father-son duo of Denver Ong and Hein Aung, who along with their mother own University Asian Market as well as the popular Sushi Ichi restaurant on 25A in Setauket. Dad goes into the city about three times a week to get fresh sandwiches from Bánh Mì Saigon in Chinatown, which consistently gets 4’s and 5’s on Yelp. Now comes the next best thing. Best is going to Sushi Ichi itself for sushi. Excellent food, excellent service, beautiful décor but a little bit further than walking distance. The next best thing, you can now get containers of Sushi Ichi sushi at University Asian Market. And when they run out, they just bring more over. And while you won’t get the beautiful presentation pictured below, what you lose in class you make up for in price - for example, 10 salmon or eel with avocado sushi for just $5.49! Check out www.chinesesunysb.org for discount coupons, and they are creating their own website, www.universityasianmarket.com, where you’ll be able to place orders online and get food delivered!
AA E-ZINE
Hong Kong Movie Mogul who brought Kung Fu movies to the world and Blade Runner to the big screen also endowed the Sir Run Run Shaw Distinguished Lecture Series to Stony Brook
Sir Run Run Shaw - Shao Yifu 1907-2014
Known for his cultural, educational and medical philanthropy, his endowment is to have the world's greatest scientists speak at SBU in a series held by the CN Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITP) by Ja Young Over 5000 buildings on Chinese campuses bear the name of their donor, Shao Yifu, Sir Run Run Shaw's given Chinese name. They are so common that many think they are a generic name for a type of educational building. Sir Run Run Shaw, knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1977, was one of the most important figures in the Asian entertainment industry. With his brothers he founded Shaw Brothers Studio, in its heyday the largest film production company in Hong Kong. He brought Hong Kong cinema to the world, especially the kung fu genre, and made Hong Kong films synonymous with Hollywood. Shaw's educational philanthropy includes Shaw College, Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as The Shaw Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of the East, with three $1 million USD prizes awarded annually in the fields of astronomy, life sciences, and mathematics. The Shaw College motto describes Shaw's philosophy: Excellence with a soul, Leadership with a Heart. He once said, "The highest end of an entrepreneur is a philanthropist. Coming from people, my wealth should benefit the people." In 1986, SBU began to forever benefit from Sir Run Run Shaw. SBU Einstein Professor of Physics and Nobel Prize winner Chen Ning Yang, then Director of ITP, was awarded an endowment from the Shaw Foundation to began the Sir Run Run Shaw Distinguished Lectures. In 1989, Shaw was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from SBU. In 2002, Shaw chose Yang to be the Chair of the Board of Adjudicators for The Shaw Prize. Shaw is pictured above on the left with Yang at the Shaw Awards in 2007. It has been an impressive list of speakers who have come to SBU thanks to Shaw. Philanthropist Dr. Arthur M. Sackler was the first in 1986. Most widely known in the US for the Smithsonian Sackler Gallery, which specializes in Asian art, he has donated funds for medical and scientific institutes and cultural museums worldwide including the Sackler Museum of Art and Archeology at Peking University. He was followed in 1987 by Yuan Tseh Lee, the 1986 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, and later the
Honorable Han Xu, China's Ambassador to the US. But then the talks moved more to Yang's field and for the most part, it was like a "Who's Who in the World of Physics". Check out this amazing list of who spoke, usually without fanfare in P-137, the large lecture hall in Old Physics, now Harriman Hall. (The online version of this has links to find out more about each: www.aaezine.org/ articles/vol32/32n1-run-run-shaw-2014.shtml) Michael Atiyah: Attiyah-Singer index theorem; John Bahcall: developed Hubble telescope, solar neutrino theory; Hans Bethe: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1967; Gerald Brown: Max Planck Medal, 1997; James Watson Cronin: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1980; Raymond Damadian: inventor Magnetic Resonance Scanning; Pierre-Gilles de Gennes: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1991; Ludwig Faddeev: Shaw Prize in Math, 2008; Murray Gell-Man: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1969; Maurice Goldhaber: established neutrinos have negative helicity; David Ho: Time Man of the Year, 1996, AIDS Research; Ryogo Kubo: Green-Kubo, non-equilibrium statistical mechanics; Willis Lamb Jr: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1955; Abraham Pais: APS awards Pais Prize for History of Physics annually; William Phillips: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1997; Helen Quinn: Peccei-Quinn symmetry, Stanford Linear Accelerator; Norman Ramsey: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1989; John Stachel: Director of Center for Einstein Studies, BU; Jerome Swartz: Symbol Technologies founder, bar code scanner; Gerard 't Hooft: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1999; John Toll: Chancellor, U of Maryland, President, SBU; Yoji Totsuka: Director High Energy Accelerator Research Org; Daniel Tsui: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1998; and Martinus Veltman: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1999. According to Distinguished Professor George Sterman, current ITP Director, the lecture series was very important to the campus. "When they started," he said, "there were relatively few high-profile lecture series at Stony Brook." With Sir Run Run Shaw's passing, the world has lost a philanthropist who put education at the forefront of his giving, but SBU will forever have the gift of his beneficence.
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