Volume 8, Issue 13

UCSB’s Weekly Student-Run Newspaper

Volume 8, Issue 13 | Feb. 12-18, 2014

@tblucsb / thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu

QUIDDITCH

IMMORTAL

HOFFMAN

UCSB students take to the pitch to reenact a beloved Harry Potter sport.

Underground hip-hop legend Immortal Technique performed at The Hub on Feb. 7.

Is Philip Seymour-Hoffman’s death being used as a tool for opponents of the war on drugs?

Photo / 4

A&E / 6

Opinions / 8

VAGINAS GALORE

AS BEAT REPORT AS Senate Hears County Goals for Isla Vista’s Improvement, Considers Increasing Loan Cap

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr mentioned details about IV’s master plan at last Wednesday’s AS Senate meeting on Feb. 5, 2014.

by Kelsey Knorp AS Beat Reporter

Photo by Benjamin Hurst | Staff Photographer

MONOLOGUE: Hari Kota chooses a ticket for the raffle at UCSB’s performance of “The Vagina Monologues” and “Vulvaventures Feb. 7.

‘Re-Reading the Feminist Sixties’ Opens Discussion on Women in the Work Force

A

by Anthony Gomes

cademia figures from across the country gathered at the McCune Conference room in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building to discuss the 1960s feminist movement at a conference hosted by University of California, Santa Barbara on Friday, Feb. 7.

The conference, titled “Re-Reading the Feminist Sixties,” was organized by feminist studies Professor Eileen Boris. This event is part of a larger multi-event series, titled “The Great Society at 50,” organized by history Professor Alice O’Connor.

The conference’s title is meant to reflect feminist activism in the 1960s only in context of the women as opposed to citing the women’s activism as a response to other social events occurring at the time.

The program was divided into three separate categories: work, social movements, and politics. Each of these categories was supported by multiple real-life case-studies gathered by academia.

A frequent topic of discussion was the creation and poor function of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Article VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” which served as a springboard to establish EEOC in 1965.

EEOC, along with many other government agencies created under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, did not function well when first established; becoming inundated with thousands of sex-based discrimination cases a month brought the natal commission to deadlock, causing many single mothers, especially those who were women of color, to be flatly denied or given inadequate economic or employment assistance.

“Looking at EEOC’s early records, it appears that they really didn’t know what to do about sexual discrimination,” said Katherine Turk, assistant professor of history at University of Texas Dallas.

The absolute dysfunction and logistical failure of EEOC led many women to assume that written legislation could not alter years of misogyny. From this bureaucratic bedlam, women would unite in common interest of self-help, forming multicultural coalitions all focused on promoting women’s interests.

Some groups, such as the Black Panthers, would be seen uniting with women.

Photo by Margarita Baliyan | Staff Photographer

Eileen Boris, Hull Professor and UCSB Feminist Studies Department Chair, commences the Re-Reading the Feminist Sixties Conference.

“What’s interesting about these groups is that contrary to their self-help philosophy, many of them never stopped making claims to the government,” said Melissa Fisher, an assistant professor at the New York University Department of Social and Cultural Analysis.

During a time where women made 60 cents of every dollar earned by a man and faced stagnant employment mobility, the glass ceiling seemed impossible to crack. In regard to how women were–and still are–inhibited from occupying professional employment positions (the glass-roof effect), Fisher discussed the first generation of high-finance Wall Street women that emerged out of the 1960s movement.

“Most of the women who became ‘women of Wall Street,’ were not upper-class, they were daughters of salesmen and stayat-home moms, stereotypical middle-class Americans,” said Fisher.

Muriel Seibert was cited as one of the first business women to finally break through the glass ceiling in 1967 when she purchased a seat on the New York Stock Exchange for $445,000.

Fisher also focused a majority of her discussion citing ethnographic research and reflecting on her 2012 book “Wall Street Women.”

“Re-reading the Feminist Sixties” was sponsored by the Center for Research on Women and Social Justice. Events from “The Great Society at 50” series will continue into spring quarter.

UCSB Students Look for Textbook Alternatives Amid Rising prices

T

by Devin Martens-Olzman

he cost of textbooks has risen 82 percent in the past decade—three times the current rate of inflation—according to a CALPIRG press release. University of California, Santa Barbara students have noticed this increase, and the school has made some attempts to curtail the rising prices.

Renting textbooks has recently become popular, though rental options are only available for certain texts. Open textbooks, which are free to view online and download, are another possible solution. The trend of selling back the textbooks at the end of term has also been popular recently.

“That’s the real crime,” fourth-year psychology major Sanoop Desai said. “The book buyback programs literally only give you 10 percent of the price of the book originally and then have the audacity to sell the books back to students at really high prices.”

“The publishing industry continues to control the marketplace,” said CALPIRG in a press release.

Publishing companies like Pearson Education, producers of books like University Physics, continue to increase their textbook prices despite the economic downturn.

“It’s ridiculous how companies release new editions every year without any noticeable difference,” fourth-year mechanical engineering Holden Tamchin said. “And then the teachers force

the students to continue spending tons of money needlessly on books.”

For example, English Professor Maurizia Boscagli assigned the novel “Mrs. Dalloway” in addition to the Norton Anthology of British Literature for this quarter’s 20th Century British Literature course. However, the complete novel was also included in the anthology, rendering the separate purchase of “Mrs. Dalloway” redundant.

“It’s so frustrating when I already pay more than $1,200 a year on books for class and it turns out I don’t even need all of them,” said Daniel O’Connor, a fourth-year global studies major in Boscagli’s class.

With textbook costs increasing, some students have resorted to more felonious methods of learning: downloading and sharing textbooks. There exist multiple peer-to-peer clients on the Internet where one can easily download many textbooks— from the physical sciences all the way to the liberal arts.

“I have a book this quarter that was over $250,” said a fourth-year mechanical engineering major who wished to remain anonymous. “But I haven’t bought a book since freshman year, and there’s no way I’m paying that. It’s so much easier to just download them or get them from upperclassmen.”

Want the full story? Head over to bottomlineucsb.com

Associated Students Senate received a visit from Third District County Supervisor Doreen Farr and tabled “A Bill to Raise the ASUCSB Short-Term Emergency Loan Cap” for a week at its meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Farr discussed a number of projects currently in progress for the improvement of the Isla Vista community. One of these projects, a master plan for Isla Vista street lighting improvements, was developed as a result of student efforts to map out locations throughout Isla Vista that lack sufficient street lighting. So far, the plan has brought about the implementation of better lighting on Del Playa and other streets that have demonstrated higher instances of crime.

“We do want to, next, really start to build (on) the areas that are most dark, which are particularly dangerous,” Farr said. “Some of those areas need new poles…and along with that improvements to the streets and sidewalks.”

Another project Farr considers to be of vital importance is the opening of an Isla Vista community center at 970 Embarcadero del Mar, in place of the Isla Vista Clinic and the vacant church property currently located there. She said that the county has been fighting to keep the properties even after the dissolution of the County Redevelopment Agency, which previously owned both, and now is just waiting for the “final okay” from the Santa Barbara Department of Finance in order to begin development.

Isla Vista is presently the only town in the county lacking such a center. “[It’s] not an easy fight, but we’ve come this far and we’re optimistic that it will happen,” Farr said. “Having a community center in Isla Vista is huge… I’d really like to see it happen.”

Farr also discussed progress on Pescadero Lofts, an affordable housing complex that will replace what was once a fraternity house at 761 Camino Pescadero, with the goal of providing Isla Vista’s houseless population with more opportunities for shelter and assistance. The County Housing Authority is the complex’s nonprofit builder, and has committed to constructing the facility as a single-room occupancy project that will consist of numerous affordable studio apartments. The Lofts will also include various services to support the houseless and help them gain stability.

“They see Isla Vista as their home,” Farr said. “So, you know, when there’s an opportunity for them to go someplace else, they haven’t wanted to go. They’ve wanted to stay in this general vicinity.”

See SENATE | Page 2

IV BEAT REPORT

Will ‘The Nest’ Come to Roost in Isla Vista?

by Giuseppe Ricapito IV Beat Reporter The Santa Barbara County Board of Architectural Review (SBAR) convened on Friday, Feb. 7, for a conceptual review of “The Nest,” a 45-foot tall four-story mixed-use project for commercial, residential, and hotel use in the center of downtown Isla Vista.

If approved for construction at the planned site of 910 Embarcadero del Mar, the building complex would necessitate the demolition of two of Isla Vista’s well-loved debauched institutions: Dublin’s Sports Bar and the tattoo parlor Precious Slut.

The current plan calls for 12,513 square feet of commercial use at the ground floor, 8,400 square feet for the second-story hotel (14 rooms), and 11,632 square feet for 19 single-occupancy residential units on the third and fourth floors. Twenty-three stacked parking spaces are also available at the south end, facing Madrid Road.

“Our goal was to get the right amount of commercial, the right amount of hotel units, and the right amount of units to make this project viable,” said Jeff Shelton, the architect for the project, during the board review. “The other part of the goal was to make this a friendly corner, a pedestrian corner.”

But The Nest proposal has prompted another prescient dialogue—in terms of architectural development and the glaring creep of gentrification—about the Future of Isla Vista.

Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District Board Member Pegeen Sootar addressed the Board during the meeting.

“I have concerns about strain on infrastructure, I have concerns about the hotel, changing character of the downtown area and parking,” Sootar said. “I don’t want more development in Isla Vista. We’ve got 23,000 people; we do not have the infrastructure

See NEST | Page 2

Page 2 | News

The Bottom Line | Feb. 12-18, 2014

–SENATE

Continued from page 1

Collegiate Sen. and third-year electrical engineering major Amir Khazaieli discusses new projects for the Pardall Center, such as the mural development.

loans both in the 2011-12 and 201213 fiscal years.

In order to make this loan policy consistent with actual AS allocations, the bill stipulates an increased limit of $800,000. The cap on the actual per-student quarterly loan amount

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restrictions of the bill until the last Senate meeting of the quarter so as not to cause obstacles, such as those brought to the Senate’s attention the previous week, for BCCs with preplanned food budgets. The motion passed unanimously.

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Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

Farr also touched on issues that affect not only residents of Isla Vista but her broader constituency as well.

She spoke of sustainability for the future, which she said will be largely dependent on reduced fossil fuel consumption, as well as a need to conserve the biodiversity along the coastline. For this reason, she has initiated what she called “comprehensive planning for the Gaviota coast.”

Later that evening, Collegiate Sen. Ali Guthy and Off-Campus Sen. Jimmy Villarreal presented a bill they had composed in response to financial inconsistencies discovered during the annual AS audit some weeks prior. Though the yearly cap on total short-term emergency loans the association may allocate to students is currently set at $500,000, AS allocated over $600,000 to such

[It’s] not an easy fight, but we’ve come this far and we’re optimistic that it will happen...Having a community center in Isla Vista is huge… I’d really like to see it happen.

–Third District County Supervisor Doreen Farr will remain at $600, as outlined by the current policy. The Senate will reconvene on its decision about the bill at its Feb. 12 meeting.

Additionally, On-Campus Sen. Andrew Neiman, who authored “A Bill to Create a Standing Policy to Regulate Expenditures on Food at Meetings,” motioned to suspend the

–NEST

Amid these other discussions and decisions, a significant bureaucratic adjustment was made with the swearing in of third-year English major Ansel McEuen Lundberg as Collegiate Senator of Letters and Science, a position from which third-year political science major Marvin Ramirez recently resigned.

Continued from page 1 built, it would contribute to the idea of Isla Vista as a hub of homegrown capitalist aspirations and as an alluring tourist attraction. But the project has prompted opposition from student leaders—many question the need for an IV hotel, the unequal benefits provided for property owners, and even if the design fits the architectural disposition of the community.

In a letter to SBAR, Associated Students President Jonathon Abboud outlined the discontent of student opposition to The Nest.

“The general consensus among the student residents of IV is further development of buildings similar to The Loop, Icon, Icon Gardens, and Plaza Lofts isn’t desirable in our community,” Abboud said. “In this and future decisions, it would be appreciated that our distaste for large and unaffordable apartments be given the highest consideration.”

External Vice-President of Local Affairs Alex Moore echoed this concern at the meeting.

“It just doesn’t fit,” he said. “I

TBL 2013-2014 Staff Executive Managing Editor | Cheyenne Johnson Executive Content Editor | Parisa Mirzadegan Copy Editor | Camila Martinez-Granata News Editor | Lily Cain Features Editor | Katana Dumont Opinions Editor | Anjali Shastry Arts & Entertainment Editor | Deanna Kim Science & Technology Editor | Matt Mersel Photography Editor | Magali Gauthier Senior Layout Editor | Haley Paul Senior Layout Editor | Robert Wojtkiewicz Layout Editor | Beth Askins Layout Editor | Morey Spellman Multimedia Editor | Brenda Ramirez National Beat Reporter | Allyson Werner Isla Vista Beat Reporter | Giuseppe Ricapito Associated Students Beat Reporter | Kelsey Knorp Promotion and Distribution Director | Jordan Wolff Advertising Director | Marissa Perez Staff Adviser | Monica Lopez Writers this issue: Anthony Gomes, Kelsey Knorp, Giuseppe Ricapito, Devin MartensOlzman, Allyson Werner, Sophie Sheridan, Ivy Kuo, Janani Ravikumar, Mimi Liu, Mark Brocher, Julia Frazer, Andrea Vallone, Coleman Gray, Gilberto Flores, Emma Boorman Photographers this issue: Margarita Baliyan, Lorenzo Basilio, Benjamin Hurst, Madison King, Magali Gauthier Illustrators this issue: Amanda Excell, Hector Lizarraga

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think a lot of students have expressed concern to me as their representative that the aesthetic quality is something they’re worried about. To put it just directly on Pardall is to really change the character of our downtown area, and maybe not for the better.”

A conceptual handout of The Nest suggests a cross between Dr. Seuss and the French Quarter— stylized swirls and ceramic tile meet the pavement, drawing up to painted walls of coral pink and sunlit yellow.

The building—featuring glass archways, a fanciful array of windmills, outcropping canopies, and hanging vines—embodies this whimsical conception. Surrounded by palm trees at the north and west, the concept also incorporates a plan for a deck and glass pavilion on the recessed third floor.

Shelton acknowledged he didn’t have a name for his style.

“Some people probably call it a lot of things…but I don’t, I just draw,” he said. He did, however, note his idea for The Nest as, “a bit playful

and a bit delightful on the corner.”

In addition, the pamphlet includes a plan to create sustainable energy “via solar photovoltaics” and a “stormwater reuse system.” Twenty percent of residential units have also been allocated for “affordable housing.”

The “Concept Review” for The Nest—the first of three steps with SBAR—was intended to ensure the project’s compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, in regards to size, bulk and scale. SBAR is currently conducting a “completeness review” of the initial application in terms of environmental policy and ordinance analysis, said Supervising Planner Ann Almy.

The Concept Review has not yet been approved and board members currently plan to visit the proposed site to gain an understanding of how the surrounding structures “dialogue” with one another. Following a Preliminary Review of the structure’s overall concept, layout, and approach, and a Final Review of its specific details, the project is

sent to the Planning Commission for approval.

Almy also noted that if the proposal is denied, due process allows for the final decision to be appealed to the Board of Supervisors.

“And because this is in Isla Vista it can be appealed to the Coastal Commission as well,” she said.

The Nest still has many hurdles to conquer on the way to potential construction—“were talking a long long long time,” said Almy.

But even during these early stages, many Isla Vistans have expressed frustration at the community’s exclusion from the development and planning process.

When prompted on the idea about an Isla Vista forum for the project, Shelton responded with enthusiasm, “I’ll come up anytime,” he said.

There is little doubt though, that despite a well-earned nostalgia for our current scene, change is on the horizon. If Icon and the Loop have set a precedent—that change has already arrived.

NATIONAL BEAT REPORT

Congress Approves Farm Bill, UCSB Students React

by Allyson Werner NATIONAL BEAT REPORTER President Barack Obama signed the $956 billion farm bill on Friday, Feb. 7, at Michigan State University, which will replace crop payments with an insurance program and cut $8 billion from food stamps.

“We’ve had the strongest stretch of farm exports in our history,” said Obama to a group of more than 500 farmers. “We are selling more stuff to more people than ever before. What we grow here and what we sell is a huge boost to the entire economy, but particularly the rural economy.”

Previously, on Tuesday, Feb. 4, Congress approved the massive, fiveyear farm bill, after four years of arguments over farm subsidies and Republican efforts to reduce funding for food stamps.

The bill includes a variety of measures that will affect residents and food production in all 50 states.

According to ABC, the farm bill has five major implications for American citizens, including University of California, Santa Barbara students.

First, the majority of the spending will go to the food stamp or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); however, the program will still experience approximately $800 million (or around 1 percent) in cuts.

The remainder of the money will go to farm subsidies and environmental initiatives to protect sensitive lands.

Second, the new farm bill maintains federal farm subsidies. $4.5 billion a year will go to a subsidy called direct payments, paid to farmers whether they farm or not; however, a new subsidy will require that farmers incur losses before they can collect from the federal government. In addition, $520 million more a year will be dedicated to crop insurance.

Third, there will be a crackdown

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rights groups also won language that will make it a federal crime to attend animal fighting events.

Despite its drastic effects, UCSB students are, for the most part, unfamiliar with the new farm bill. In a brief survey, 75 percent of respondents indicated that they were previously unaware of the new legislation.

Melanie Arce, a fourth-year global studies major, commented on the cut

I feel some kind of change is necessary, but I think this cut will result in more negative outcomes than positive ones...The goal should be to change how SNAP works.

“

to support even what we have existing now.”

Sootar cited a host of potential issues with The Nest—further congestion of the heavily used bike thoroughfare on Pardall, a lack of available parking (23 spaces for 33 total units), and the potentially high rent expense of another luxury apartment complex.

Though Sootar acknowledged her appreciation for the beauty of the architectural design, she maintained, “as far as Isla Vista, in that area, I don’t see it working…”

Shelton, who grew up in Santa Barbara, noted his admiration for “the funkiness of IV.” But he also asserted an alternate notion—community transformation.

“The Isla Vista Master Plan has indicated that there’s going to be change,” Shelton said. “I’m hired to do a project with certain uses, so I have to make it work as good as possible. Things just don’t stay the same.”

The Nest is ambitious in both construction and artistic vision. If

— Melanie Arce, fourth-year global studies major

on food stamp fraud by retailers and consumers. The new farm bill will prohibit lottery winners and convicted murderers and sex offenders from receiving food stamps.

Fourth, the federal government will relax hemp laws, allowing 10 states to grow the crop for research purposes. Hemp is marijuana’s nonintoxicating cousin, and the federal government had previously blocked the crop’s cultivation.

Lastly, the farm bill signifies a win for animal rights groups. The new farm bill will not block a California law that requires eggs come from hens that live in larger cages. Animal

to SNAP. “I feel some kind of change is necessary, but I think this cut will result in more negative outcomes than positive ones (for example healthcare problems and national hunger),” she said. “The goal should be to change how SNAP works.”

Another fourth-year, who wishes to remain anonymous, expressed disapproval toward the SNAP cuts.

“As a child that grew up on food stamps, I do not agree with this budget cut at all,” she said.

Overall, UCSB students said very little about farm subsidies and the other aspects of the farm bill

CASH CROPS:

SPENDING & REFORM

The Farm Bill affects many Americans, from farmers to average citizens, and even affects food stamp funding.

Here’s how the numbers stack up.

Where the money goes: $956 billion Total funding for the farm bill

$800 $520 $4.5 billion million million to direct in cuts dedicated

payment subsidies for farmers

to food stamp programs

to crop insurance

What changes: Ten states can now grow hemp for research purposes The farm bill will not block a California law that requires eggs come from hens that live in larger cages.

Of UCSB students who responded to a survey, 75 percent indicated that they were previously unaware of the new legislation.

The Bottom Line | Feb. 12 - Feb. 18

Features | page 3

UCSB Gives a Warm Han d fo r a WETT Op

ening

Photos by Benjamin Hurst | Staff Photographer

by Sophie Sheridan At first sight, Campbell Hall seemed dressed to celebrate a Sweet Sixteen on Friday night. Pink and red streamers danced playfully from the ceiling, colorful paintings lined the walls, and there were candies and baked goods on display. But upon closer inspection, it was clearly no ordinary party. The paintings were as subliminally erotic as any by Georgia O’Keefe, the candies included vagina lollipops and BetterThan-Sex cupcakes, and posters in the bathroom were dedicated to various “Vagina Warriors.” This was our introduction to “The Vagina Monologues,” performed this past Friday and Saturday by the Women’s Ensemble Theater Troupe (WETT), at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Campbell Hall. “The Vagina Monologues” has become a beloved annual event at UCSB, and for the first time the show featured the “Vulvaventures,” 30 minutes of original student and community-written work.

An eclectic set of pieces focused on women and sexuality, “The Vagina Monologues” has not lost its power to provoke and inspire. This play, written by Eve Ensler and first performed in 1996, was composed from over 200 interviews with women from diverse backgrounds and fo-

Women perform and tell various tales of their menstrual cycles at “The Vagina Monologues”and “Vulvaventures”on Feb. 7, 2014. cused on topics such as menstrual cycles, relationships, rape, abuse, and birth. Although these are serious topics, the show was infused with humor and truth. The audience was constantly laughing and cheering, culminating with a boisterous chanting of “cunt” until they were hushed by the actress on stage. “’The Vagina Monologues’ means owning my womanhood and being proud of it,” said performer and third-year film and media studies major Josephine Amos. Mahad Abedin, fourth-year economics and accounting major, found the performance “really eye opening. I learned a lot of things about women that I had never thought to think about.”

This was the first year in which the second half of the show, the “Vulvaventures,” was performed. Nabra Nelson, third year theater major and co-director of the performance, said that “we recognize problems within ‘The Vagina Monologues’ and write our own pieces to give voice to the issues that pertain more to UCSB and the students.” She believes that this performance has the capability to affect people, saying “this is contemporary, this is real, this is now.”

First-year Black studies and film and media studies double major Bridget Kyeremateng wrote and performed her own

Lauren Mercier

monologue, titled “Diary of an Angry Black College Student.” Her monologue addresses race at UCSB, hoping to spark discussion and initiate change on campus.

“African Americans at UCSB are not just a small number, but we are a powerful activist group that are constantly being discriminated [against] because of the way we look,” she said. There were also community-written pieces about sexuality, religion, and overcoming the fear of childbirth.

This performance did more than just inspire others and raise important topics of discussion. All of the money that was raised through ticket and baked-goods sales was donated to organizations that aim to stop violence against women. Ninety percent of the proceeds were donated to the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, and rest was donated to the One Million Rising Movement.

The 2014 performance of “The Vagina Monologues” and “Vulvaventures” was very well received by the audience, inspiring conversation and helping the community by donating to centers focused on ending abuse against women.

“This is a political movement,” said Kyeremateng. “I’m going to look back and say that I was part of a movement, I was part of the 21st century feminist movement.”

Becca Gilbert

Jake Picker

Bridget Kyeremateng

Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service Charms IV Theater with Ethereal Tunes

Photo Courtesy | xlr8r.com

by Ivy Kuo Staff Writer A wide range of electronic sounds, calming instrumentals, and vigorous beats reverberated in IV Theater on Feb. 7, as a crowd of University of California, Santa Barbara students enjoyed musical performances by DJ Psychojohn

and Jimmy Tamborello. The show was presented by UCSB’s Magic Lantern Films and Speak Volumes, a local music blog.

DJ Psychojohn, a duo composed of Alex Ho, a third-year film and media studies major, and Dylan Chase, fourth-year communication major and editor-in-chief of Speak Volumes, opened up the show with

their techno house music. Psychedelic tunes, upbeat tempos, and soulful vocals played throughout the theater as a crowd danced at the stage and grooved in the aisles.

“There are a lot of different influences for our music,” Ho said. “It’s techno, and we’re inching our way into jazz a little bit. But all in all, it’s dance music.”

The DJ set was paired with film clips that perfectly exemplified the “psycho” in their name. Jason Worden, fourth-year computer science major, customized an eclectic array of images for the DJs; his work brought together colorful animations, cartoon clips, cats morphing into hypnotic diamond patterns, and even wrestling matches.

When Ho was asked if there was a particular direction he had in mind for the visuals, he confessed there was no strict plan for the eccentric images.

“Honestly, it was just like, ‘get weird,’” Ho said. “It was just putting weird stuff on. We really didn’t plan too much, we just made it happen.”

While DJ Psychojohns’ upbeat music allowed the audience to dance along, Tamborello of The Postal Service, also known by his stage name Dntel, charmed the audience by playing a set of calming, electronic songs from different

artists he enjoyed, such as Helm, Moon Wheel, and Anenon.

“I played one remix I did of Enya, but most of it was other people’s music,” Tamborello said. “They were records that I liked, and some unreleased stuff.”

Tamborello added his iconic electronic reverberation to create a remix of Enya’s “On Your Shore,” giving the dreamy vocals a modern twist. The result was beautifully ethereal.

“It’s melancholy,” Tamborello said. “I like sad or pretty music.”

Tamborello’s chosen songs were accompanied by Hiroshi Teshigahara’s equally serene movie clips.

The filmmaker’s tranquil images of beaches, cathedrals, and life in Barcelona were perfectly in sync with the soft, flowing melodies.

“We consumed something very beautiful and ethereal tonight,” Chase said.

The audience members thoroughly enjoyed DJ Psychojohn’s and Tamborello’s enthralling performances.

“I thought it was terrific,” said Johnny Lipshin, a fourth-year political science and communication double major and a founding member of Speak Volumes. “I was excited people can come out for good, authentic music. The turnout

was great.”

For some, Tamborello’s music was the perfect backdrop for reminiscing upon nostalgic memories.

“The music reminded me a lot of when I was a little kid,” said Aaron Wertheimer, a fourth-year psychology major. “I was daydreaming during a lot of it.”

Many know Tamborello as a member of the rock supergroup, The Postal Service. Tamborello and the other two members had their last tour last summer.

“It was really fun being able to get back together last summer to do a final tour, and seeing good friends,” reminisced Tamborello.

It was humbling to see the worldrenowned artist play for a small college community in his hometown of Santa Barbara. As a high school student he had his songs played on UCSB’s radio station, KCSB, as well as at music conventions hosted by local newspaper The Santa Barbara Independent.

“Santa Barbara was very supportive to a musician,” said Tamborello. “When I was a kid doing music, there were a lot of ways to get people to hear your music, even when you’re a kid and you had no real power. Because it was a smaller town, you could actually get heard.”

Page 4 - 5 | Photography

The Blacktips

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

3 Photo by Madison King | Staff Photographer

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

4 Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

Photo by Madison King | Staff Photographer

The Bottom Line | Feb. 5 - Feb. 11, 2014

2 Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

by Coleman Gray Staff Writer

1

When I arrived at the University of California, Santa Barbara Chem Lawn pitch late last Sunday evening, I was met with nothing close to the spectacle that I expected there to be–no quaffles, no beaters, no goals–nothing except for the ominous fog that hung low over the grassy field. I don’t know what I was expecting; a Santa Barbara Blacktips practice could obviously not feature the same grandeur as a World Cup. Nonetheless, an excited shiver shook my spine as I walked out to the center of the pitch to await the coming onslaught. But despite minutes of stretching, days of mental preparation, and years of “Harry Potter” reading, I was still not ready for what I was getting myself into.

Quidditch was obviously first introduced by J.K. Rowling, but this current real-life, land-based incarnation was developed at Middlebury College in 2005, and has since grown to about 500 separate teams in North America and Europe. They have their own governing body: the International Quidditch Association organizes the World Cup, in which teams from around the world come to compete to be named World Champion.

When practice first began, I quickly found that the game play was intense, to say the least. A back and forth, full contact affair that is played at sprint at nearly all times, quidditch is best described as a fantastic cross between ultimate Frisbee, lacrosse, and field hockey, and is definitely not the fun and relaxing romp through the “Harry Potter” universe that I expected it to be. There is the occasional joke on the origin of the sport, but when the brooms go up, so goes the intensity.

Evan Bell, a Santa Barbara City College student and the Blacktips’ Oliver Wood, first formed the Santa Barbara Blacktips a little less than two years ago. Bell stated that quidditch players are split between serious athletes and serious “Potterheads.” The Santa Barbara Blacktips–the local co-ed team made up of players from UCSB, SBCC, and the surrounding community–offers up a thoroughly entertaining mix of fun and sport. But while some teams might be more heavily skewed toward fans of the series, to be a competitive team, one must have a great amount of athleticism, teamwork, and dedication to the sport it truly is.

The Blacktips are currently ranked fifth in the West Region, and have recently qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but it is going to take more than felix felicis to get there. Simply getting to the World Cup is going to be a challenge; the Blacktips are not affiliated with UCSB, and are forced to depend on private donations to fund their trip to the Championship. To donate to their cause, visit their Facebook page, and keep an eye out for future fundraisers. As for playing, if you are interested, the Blacktips practice at the Chem Lawn field on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m., and Monday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. Brooms up!

s Bring a Little Magic to UCSB

7 Photo by Madison King | Staff Photographer

5 8 Photo by Madison King | Staff Photographer

1 Kayla Martyn looking fierce as she tries to snatch the quaffle from Ben Harding.

2 Ruthie Stahl, Ren Bettendorf, and Coleman Gray (left to right) take their position as the practice game begins.

3 A group of players prepare for practice.

4 Shayla Zink waits to use the bludger as Anjila Hjalsted stands nearby.

5 Chris Lock’s fist comes in close contact with Ren Bettendorf’s face as he tries to pass the quaffle to his teammate.

6 Players warm up for their scrimmage.

7 Kelsey Allen protects the quaffle from Chris Locke.

8 Lauren Mosley sprints toward the goal post after dropping her broom.

6

Page 6 | Arts & Entertainment

The Bottom Line | Feb. - Feb. 2014 The Bottom Line 5 | Nov. 2711, - Dec. 3

Underground Rap Legend Immortal Technique Sounds off at the Hub

by Chris Ortega Staff Writer

The famed underground rapper Felipe Coronel, better known by his stage name Immortal Technique, performed this past Friday, Feb. 7, to a sold-out crowd at University of California, Santa Barbara’s The Hub. Immortal Technique appeared courtesy of a co-sponsorship by Associated Students Program Board and the UCSB MultiCultural Center.

The event was a delight for hip-hop fans and music lovers alike, as the show featured highly entertaining, fervent performances from all emcees. Not only was the night full of great music, but it was also an enlightening experience; both Immortal Technique and the opening acts dropped a ton of knowledge on those in attendance.

The show kicked off with DJ Romes, of the acclaimed rap group Lootpack, spinning some records. He played an array of fast paced hiphop tracks that got the crowd buzzing in anticipation for the rappers to start. He was also the backing DJ for all of the other rappers during the night.

East coast rappers Constant Flow, Poison Pen, and Chino XL were the opening acts, playing short sets of around 15 minutes. They mostly featured those classic underground hiphop sounds of thumping drums and conscious lyrics riddled with wordplay. Since most of them are from the rap battle scene, they would often kick freestyles between songs, creating a palpable energy. Each emcee stepped up the energy from the preceding artist, and by the time the main act was about to begin, everyone was

Photos by Magali Gauthier | Photography Editor

The crowd cheers for Immortal Technique on Feb. 7, 2014.

fired up.

Immortal Technique came on to a warm reception. He jokingly questioned the crowd, asking whether they were ready to see him, which got the already energized audience even more thrilled. He was joined onstage by a couple of emcees who did backing lines, serving as hype men. It certainly gave his set that intense group and mob feel.

Raul Eulogio, a third-year math major, said he was ecstatic to watch Immortal Technique.

“He is one of the realest rappers because he talks about political, racial, and social issues,” said Eulogio.

Immortal technique is known for being very opinionated, and he definitely lived up to

this reputation as well. Between songs he went off on tangents, even about the record industry.

One interesting statement was when he asked the audience who actually attended UCSB. After hands shot up in the air, he said those who didn’t “could get the same education at the library.”

He also said things like, “If you don’t like gay marriage then don’t marry a gay person.” It was captivating to hear him speak his mind; it made his set feel more authentic and less like an album on shuffle.

He played a mixture of songs throughout his discography. A lot of J Dilla was played, perhaps in celebration of his recent birthday.

Immortal Technique performed “Toast to

the Dead,” also produced by J Dilla. Another standout performance was the Mos Def collaboration track “Tell the Truth (Bin Laden).”

Overall, the set was around an hour long.

Immortal Technique’s performance was great to watch; his energy manifested through his rapid movements and powerful words. He closed the night with his most well-known song, “Dance with the Devil,” and the crowd erupted with cheers.

Someone who greeted his fans at the door before the show and stayed to meet them after, Immortal Technique proved to be a genuine artist and respectable human being. All things considered, the show was definitely one of the “realest.”

Venice Baroque Orchestra Brings a Taste of Italy to Campbell Hall

Photos by Benjamin Hurst | Photography Editor

by Emma Boorman Staff Writer

The Venice Baroque Orchestra brought a taste of the great baroque composer Vivaldi to University of California, Santa Barbara’s Campbell Hall on Thursday, Feb. 6, for Arts & Lectures’ winter 2014 Classical Music Series. The concert combined the feeling of attending a formal event with an accessible experience for a wide array of people, including students, professors, and even children.

Venice Baroque Orchestra is an internationally known orchestra founded in 1997 by Andrea Marcon. Marcon, a scholar of Baroque music and a harpsichord player, has received many awards for his work, including the Vivaldi Award of the Cini Foundation. He is a professor of music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland.

The Venice Baroque Orchestra has performed throughout the world and has been praised widely for its performances in North America, Europe, South America, Japan, and Korea. The orchestra is currently in California, and has performed in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Berkeley, Arcata, and Rohnert Park.

The orchestra played seven pieces, five of which were composed by Vivaldi and one by Italian Baroque composer Veracini.

Francesco Geminiani, another Italian composer from the same time period, composed the final piece.

The concert was everything one would expect of a baroque concert—pleasant and impressive, but somewhat repetitive in its consistency to people with untrained ears. But even for those unfamiliar with classical music, the music was resonate and moving. The polished ensemble included a variety of musicians, from a harpsichord player, violinists, and a bassoonist, to even an incredibly talented recorder player.

The highlight of the concert came after intermission, when Anna Fusek exited the stage with her violin and came back with a recorder. Born in Prague in 1981, Fusek studied philosophy and musicology at the Humboldt University Berlin, earning her master’s degree in 2005. In addition to playing violin and reorder, she has acted in Francesco Cavalli’s Baroque opera, “La Calisto,” based on the seduction of a Greek mythological nymph.

At Campbell Hall, she showcased her talents as a violinist and recorder player.

Though the recorder has certainly earned a reputation in elementary, perhaps as the instrument fourth graders use to learn how to read music, Fusek offered uninformed members of the audience a chance to experience the versatility and beauty of the recorder. Her performance was remarkable not only because of the rare chance to see a recorder in action in an orchestra, but also because of her musicianship. The recorder sounded nothing like what most people are familiar with. The flawless highpitched tone Fusek was able to achieve resembled something closer to a piccolo than a recorder.

Chelsey Froh, a fourth-year psychology major, said, “I have never seen fingers move that fast on a recorder. I didn’t really think of it as an instrument you could play for a real concert.”

She also commented on the unique sound of the harpsichord, saying, “It sounds like something from a video game.”

Overall, the concert was an excellent way for UCSB students, professors, and other members of the community to experience post-Renaissance music. Even for those unfamiliar with Vivaldi and classical music in general, the Venice Baroque Orchestra offered an interesting taste of classical Italian music.

today in shows like “Saturday Night Live,” “Portlandia,” and “Key and Peele.”

Nelson became a cast member and writer for the 90s Seattle-based sketch comedy TV show “Almost Live!”. When “Almost Live!,” which aired right before “Saturday Night Live,” came to an end in 1999, he was out of work and was getting ready to move to Los Angeles.

According to Nelson, a friend who worked in television told him that Hollywood agents and producers liked to read film scripts from TV writers, in order to gauge how they handled story and character. It was killing two birds with one stone that led Nelson to come up with the idea for “Nebraska.”

“Fortunately or unfortunately–however you look at it now–this was the only idea I had,” said Nelson.

The initial script for the film was finished in 2002. But the process of writing the script was particularly difficult for Nelson, given his background in sketch comedies.

“It was a struggle to write because I’ve never written anything more than five minutes…,” said Nelson. “So the thought of trying to write an hour and 45 minute story was very daunting, and it took me quite a while.”

The actual inspiration for the story came partially from Nelson’s family background.

“My family is from Nebraska. They moved when I was six weeks old because I said ‘Let’s get the hell out of here,’” joked Nelson. “But growing up I used to go back and visit relatives on the farms in small towns, and I grew to love the place.” Much

of “Nebraska” takes place in small towns and rural tight-knit communities.

One of the major themes in the story explores the idea of family, as well as the love and burdens (mostly burdens) that come with it. Woody and David have to deal with their Nebraska relatives, who inevitably transform into vultures when they learn about Woody’s “fortunes.” Nelson even takes a page or two from his own family gatherings.

“My dad had 17 siblings, and that’s where those uncles come from,” said Nelson, referring to Woody’s many brothers and sisters in the film.

As to why the film took so long to make, given that the script was finished in 2002, most of it can be attributed to Alexander Payne’s unwillingness to make another road trip movie following his 2004 “Sideways.” Payne wanted to hold off making “Nebraska” until after his next project “The Descendants.”

“The Descendants” did not come out until 2011, and the following year was spent scouting locations and auditioning actors for “Nebraska.” Waiting for the film to be made turned out to be a 12-year-long journey that culminated with Nelson’s script being nominated for an Oscar in mid-January.

As for whether or not Nelson plans to return to sketch comedy, he said, “There’s a gratification to [being able to] tell a full story and develop characters and to have it pay off. I’d love to get a chance to write a sketch here and there, once in a while in the future, but this is what I love doing now.”

Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Bob Nelson’s Long Road to ‘Nebraska’

by Gilberto Flores Staff Writer “Nebraska,” the six Oscar-nominated 2013 film directed

by Alexander Pane, was screened at Pollock Theater on Friday, Feb. 7, presented by the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Carsey-Wolf Center’s Script-to-Screen series. Oscarnominated screenwriter Bob Nelson joined the audience for a Q&A session after the screening.

“Nebraska” tells the story of Woody Grant (Bruce Dern), who is convinced that he’s won a million-dollar sweepstakes prize, and his son David (Will Forte) as they travel by car from Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim Woody’s prize. Along the way they find themselves waylaid in Woody’s hometown of Hawthorne, where Woody reunites with old friends and neighbors, and where David discovers more about his enigma of a father.

A beautifully crafted and well-told story, “Nebraska” has received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Payne), Best Actor (Dern), Best Supporting Actress ( June Squibb), Best Cinematography (Phedon Papamichael), and Best Original Screenplay (Nelson).

When asked what inspired him to write the film, “Unemployment, desperation, and fear” was Nelson’s immediate half-kidding answer. Nelson said his career began with writing sketch comedy shows, shows with no singular plot but rather a series of short comedic scenes, or “sketches,” which we see

TBL COVERS

SBIFF:

TBL COVERS SBIFF TRIBUTE AWARDS. Celebrities from Oprah to Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio received awards for their contributions to cinema. Read Katana Dumont’s and Coleman Gray’s coverage in the Arts & Entertainment section of our website.

V2V

The Bottom Line | Feb. 5 - Feb. 11, 2014

Science & Technology | page 7

Communications: A Step Forward in Vehicle Safety

Janani Ravikumar STAFF WRITER In order to enhance car safety, the U.S. Department of Transportation Research (USDOT) and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) is developing a new form of vehiclebased communication.

According to the official site, Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications for Safety (V2V) allows vehicles to sense threats and hazards to either their vehicle or the vehicle with which they are communicating, assess risks, and even prevent crashes, all by anonymously exchanging data regarding position, speed, and location. For example, if a nearby car suddenly moves into your car’s blind spot, you will be notified. Ideally, V2V will prevent 76 percent of the crashes on the roadways, thus reducing the number of injuries each year.

Since 2002, USDOT has been conducting research to develop an effective crash avoidance system based on vehicle-to-vehicle communication. “Vehicle-to-vehicle technology represents the next generation of safety improvements, building on the lifesaving achievements we’ve already seen with safety belts and air bags,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to the San Jose Mercury News. “By helping drivers avoid crashes, this technology will

play a key role in improving the way people get where they need to go while ensuring that the U.S. remains the leader in the global automotive industry.”

However, control of the vehicle itself is left solely to the driver. While V2V can provide warnings to avoid imminent collisions, it cannot automatically operate vehicles and brake or steer accordingly. Also, V2V will not exchange or record your personal information; the only information that other cars will receive is basic safety data, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) official website.

For the most part, those involved have been supportive of this new technology.

“V2V crash avoidance technology has game-changing potential to significantly reduce the number of crashes, injuries, and deaths on our nation’s roads,” said NHTSA Acting Administrator David Friedman. “Decades from now, it’s likely we’ll look back at this time period as one in which the historical arc of transportation safety considerably changed for the better, similar to the introduction of standards for seat belts, airbags, and electronic stability control technology.”

According to the San Jose Mercury News, V2V complements the potential for autonomous, self-driving

>

Illustration by Amanda Excell | Staff Illustrator

HOW IT WORKS

Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications for Safety allows vehicles to sense threats and hazards to either their vehicle or the vehicle with which they are communicating by exchanging data regarding position, speed, and location. cars, which companies like Google and Tesla Motors seek to develop.

Additionally, large companies such as Cisco may see millions of new customers as a result of the development of V2V technology.

“Cisco has been waiting for this,” said Tao Zhang, chief scientist for Smart Connected Vehicles at Cisco.

“It opens up a very large and new market for Silicon Valley. Today’s announcement by the Department of Transportation sets in motion a lot of efforts by carmakers and the tech industry to go ahead and implement

the technology. In order to support V2V, you need a fairly sophisticated infrastructure network to support it, and you need to do it in a way that preserves driver privacy. That’s not a trivial job.”

Since 2002, various prototypes for the system that address the most critical crash scenarios have been developed, such as emergency brake light warnings, forward collision warnings, intersection movement assist, blind spot and lane change warnings, “do not pass” warnings, and control loss warnings. However,

for V2V to be truly effective, more complex crash scenarios for headon collision avoidance, intersection collision avoidance, pedestrian crash warning, and motorcycle crash prevention need to be addressed. This will take even more time to develop, which means that we likely won’t be seeing thoroughly effective V2V technology in cars in the near future.

Still, federal transportation officials remain optimistic that the new V2V rules will be proposed before President Barack Obama leaves office in 2017.

UCSB Montell Lab Awarded Million Dollar Keck Grant Mimi Liu STAFF WRITER

Photo Courtesy | George Foulsham

Denise Montell

Professor Denise Montell’s lab has discovered a biological process that could lead to revolutionary steps in regenerative medicine: anastasis, or “rising to life” in Greek. This process is the reversal of apoptosis, regulated cell death, and it has earned the lab a $1 million grant awarded by the W.M. Keck Foundation, which supports scientific research in the United States.

Excessive apoptosis leads to atrophy of important systems, but an insufficient amount could lead to uncontrolled cell growth in the form of tumors and cancers.

“One of my postdocs, Hogan Tang, had the idea that apoptosis could be reversed,” Montell said.

“Originally, it was thought that apoptosis was irreversible once it reached a certain point,” she continued.

To biologists, this seemed to be intuitive; in apoptosis, enzymes are activated to chop up cell components in a continuing positive feedback loop. More enzymes activate others like themselves, until the cell is destroyed.

“It was a fairly simple experiment,” Montell said. “We induce cell death by adding a toxic chemical such as ethanol and then when the cells are right on the brink of death, we exchange the medium and observe them.”

In a series of images depicting lung cancer cells, apoptosis is clearly

happening–the cells shrink, and some cells even fragment into different pieces. However, a few frames later, the cells re-form into a picture almost identical to the original image.

Unfortunately, this may be one of the reasons as to why cancers have a tendency to reappear, even after many rounds of treatment. However, there is a positive side to this discovery.

“It’s not just observed in these lung cancer cells,” Montell said. “It’s observed in mice, and in anything from heart muscle to glial cells.”

“Heart muscle cells can do this,” she continued. “They can recover

“We are pleased that

the Keck Foundation recognized this as an opportunity and moved quickly to support this groundbreaking research.

”

from transient stress and toxins, such as radiation we’ve been exposed to.

Cells have evolved this ability to recover.”

The discovery of anastasis means unexplored possibilities in the realm of regenerative medicine. Many patients with heart disease, degenerative disorders, or cancers could benefit from treatments that stem from

this new field.

“We must understand the molecular basis of this previously unknown phenomenon,” Montell said.

An increased understanding of anastasis could lead to a degree of control over this process, so that someday, it could be used to treat patients. But why had scientists believed for so long that there was no going back after apoptosis?

“It’s difficult to catch anastasis happening to animals, since the resulting cells look like the original cells,” Montell explained.

Conducting experiments in a laboratory setting in order to observe anastasis is also tricky.

“After you induce apoptosis, cells are very fragile,” Montell said. “If you’re not careful, when you replace the medium, they can float away, and then you can’t see them.”

The cells are so fragile that sometimes even the light used to image them will kill them. The grant that the Montell team has been awarded will, in part, go toward an advanced microscope with a sensitive camera, allowing the continuation of their research.

“Denise Montell’s research group has made the sort of fundamental discovery that opens up unexplored scientific territory,” said Michael Witherell, UCSB’s vice chancellor for research. “We are pleased that the Keck Foundation recognized this as an opportunity and moved quickly to support this groundbreaking research.”

LEDs in Los Angeles: How New Streetlights Will Change the Town Forever

by Mark Brocher A seismic shift in Hollywood has just occurred, and film critic Roger Ebert is not happy about it. The year? 2002.

That year marked the release of George Lucas’ film “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.” What made this movie different was the deliberate choice by Lucas to shoot it entirely with digital cameras, as opposed to the industry standard 35mm analog film camera.

According to Ebert, the ushering in of a new digital era and the effective abandonment of 35mm film marked an unwelcome change to moviemaking and Hollywood as he knew it.

Today an equally drastic revolution is occurring in Hollywood; however, it is more of a literal transformation than merely an existential one. Indeed, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s initiative to replace the city’s outdated low-pressure sodium bulb streetlights with light-emitting diodes (LED) will literally change the look and feel of Los Angeles, according to Forbes.

The first phase of the project, which started in 2009, has so far seen the installation of LEDs in 141,089 of Los Angeles’ streetlights.

A further 70,000 more replacements are expected in the upcoming second phase of the project. Los Angeles joins other major American cites–including Austin, Las Vegas, San Antonio, and New York–that have planned or started the conversion of their streetlights to LEDs. Supporters of this change, including former President Bill Clinton, believe the positive effects of the conversion will reduce Los Angeles’ carbon emissions, reduce Los Angeles’ energy use, and save millions of dollars that would otherwise have been spent on powering the less-efficient low-pressure sodium bulbs, according to Forbes. In fact, since the switchover was started, Los Angeles has been able to save $7 million a year in energy costs and $2.5 million a year in unnecessary maintenance costs, reduce energy use by 63.1 percent, and prevent 47,583 metric tons of carbon emissions from being released into the

environment.

However the opponents of this change are represented by the very industry that has come to define Los Angeles and Hollywood. These new streetlights will make the city forever appear different on camera and in film.

Since different lights produce different color temperatures, or different mixtures of blue and orange wavelengths of visible light, they also produce different hues or colors perceptible to the human eye, according to Cambridge in Color. For example, since the existing low-pressure sodium bulbs in Los Angeles’ streetlights produce visible light with a tungsten based filament, the spectrum of light they produce is more orange than blue, resulting in their distinctive yellow hue. Inversely, since LEDs produce visible light by passing electrical currents through a semiconductor, the spectrum of light they produce is more blue than orange, resulting in their distinctive blue hue.

For this reason, the yellow hue of tungsten streetlights have been described as “warm,”

while the blue hue of LED lights have been described as “cool.” Cinematographers feel the warm hues match well with the warm qualities of 35mm film, and the cool hues are better suited for the cool qualities of digital cameras, according to Gizmodo.

Opponents of digital cinema feel this change is being forced on them, and that they may no longer be able to capture the timeless look of Hollywood. This camp includes Michael Mann, who deliberately moved filming of his film “Collateral” to Los Angeles for the express purpose of capturing the way the city looked at night, according to Gizmodo.

Understandably, the conversion of Los Angeles’ streetlights to the cool blue hues of LEDs threatens to shape both the way Los Angeles appears in movies, and the very technology those movies are shot with.

While film critic Roger Ebert may have deplored this brave new digital world, the switch to LED streetlights invariably represents a much brighter future for Hollywood and the city of Los Angeles.

The Bottom Line | Feb. 12-18, 2014

page 8 |Opinions

Hermione and Harry, Not Ron? Oh My! TRUST ME, IT’S BETTER THIS WAY

Illustration by Hector Lizarraga | Staff Illustrator

by Julia Frazer Staff Writer Unlike many other novels targeted to a similar demographic, the Harry Potter series has never really been about romance. J.K. Rowling penned a series of novels about a magical boy with a lightning-shaped scar that defined the childhoods of an incredible number of children and young adults.

What she did not write, for example, is a series featuring a bland girl who has to choose whether she loves a teenage werewolf or a perpetually smirking vampire.

“I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That’s how it was conceived, really,” said Rowling in an interview with Wonderland Magazine. Instead, Rowling declared that Harry should

have ended up with Hermione. “For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.” In the interview, Rowling apologized to the fans for the shock. “I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I’m absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility. Am I breaking people’s hearts by saying this? I hope not.”

Fans have already emphatically responded to the interview. Some fans praised the original choice because it went against literary tropes, while others said that Hermione deserved someone more compatible than Ron due to her considerable brain and

willpower. Still others thought that Hermione should not have gotten married off at all.

Actress Emma Watson, who played Hermione in all of the films, agreed with Rowling’s statement. “I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy,” said Watson in the same interview with Wonderland. Perhaps Watson and Rowling felt this way because of the palpable onscreen chemistry between Watson and Danielle Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter.

If Rowling really was afraid to “break people’s hearts,” she probably should have kept her thoughts to herself. Why Rowling has continued to discuss her second thoughts is a mys-

tery. The last Harry Potter novel came out approximately seven years ago, so perhaps Rowling’s constant interviews about the Potter franchise are a gambit to stay relevant in the wake of the lackluster reception of her more, shall we say, mundane fiction.

As the years pass, no doubt Rowling will drop other bombs. Two years ago, in fact, Rowling divulged her inner considerations to kill off the character of Ron. Another surprising announcement that has generated an incredible amount of umbrage (ha, get it?) is the revelation that Dumbledore was gay. It is important for critics and fans alike to remember that Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are characters composed of words on paper. They are not real people. These characters may have seemed like child-

hood friends to some, but an uncompromising attachment to the world created by Rowling certainly does not give fans any control over the characters and their potential plot trajectories or the agency to stifle the author from voicing her opinions. Rowling’s admissions should not and will not negatively impact readers’ lives in any significant way.

Perhaps the real lesson Rowling and other authors should take from the whole debate is to never include a sappy epilogue. Through tying up a debatably loose romantic end, Rowling ended up getting tangled in the mess she created. Ultimately, no author is ever satisfied with his or her work. However, that does not mean the author should feel it necessary to blurt out all of their doubts.

Only English Speakers Are Beautiful, Apparently

by Janani Ravikumar Staff Writer During the Super Bowl, a Coca-Cola advertisement titled “It’s Beautiful” has spurned an irrationally large backlash. The advertisement consists of a montage of people of different ages from different communities and ethnicities, all singing “America the Beautiful” in seven different languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Keres, Tagalog, Senegalese French, and Hebrew. In addition, one part of the montage depicts a girl skating with her two dads–something most viewers see as an obvious indication of Coca-Cola’s stance on the issue of gay marriage.

Much like with a previous Cheerios advertisement that featured a mixed race couple, many opponents of the Coca-Cola advertisement wish to boycott the company for its “un-American” methods, according to the Los Angeles Times. “So was Coca-Cola saying America is beautiful because new immigrants don’t learn to speak English?” asked Fox News radio host Todd Starnes, implying that people who speak languages other than English are all uncultured, and possibly illegal immigrants. The hashtag “#BoycottCoke” trended on Twitter, with people voic-

ing their outrage at Coca-Cola’s desecration of the national anthem with languages that are not the “native” language of English. Of course, America’s national anthem is “The Star-Spangled Banner” and not “America the Beautiful,” but that’s another story entirely.

Not even politicians were shielded from the advertisement’s hype and controversy.

“I am quite sure there may be some who appreciated the commercial, but Coca-Cola missed the mark in my opinion,” said Republican congressman Allen West. “If we cannot be proud enough as a country to sing ‘America the Beautiful’ in English in a commercial during the Super Bowl, by a company as American as they come–doggone we are on the road to perdition.”

However, while English may be our official language–the language that everyone is generally expected to know, at any rate–America and its citizens can no longer be defined by this language alone. We’re more diverse, more eclectic than we were a century ago, and many of us speak other languages besides just English. What better way to accurately represent our people than to give different groups and their respective languages some time in the limelight?

The other issue the advertisement covered was a bit more complicated. In one five-second part of the montage, a girl skates with her two gay dads. The reactions to this were even more polarizing than the reactions to the use of multiple languages.

While there was a sizeable number of tweets that objected to the inclusion of a gay couple on principle alone, others thought that the advertisement did not go far enough with the issue. Regardless, there is only so much you can do with a one-minute advertisement, and the two gay dads were clearly not meant to be the focus. It was a nice touch, but it didn’t warrant such an extreme backlash.

Overall, the advertisement promoted inclusion–inclusion of all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. It was a subtle, simple message made even more powerful by the use of different languages, as opposed to just images of people of different races and ethnicities.

Arguably Coca-Cola could have fleshed out the advertisement a bit more and given more time to the issues it was trying to address, but a one-minute advertisement can only do so much, and people should stop nitpicking and appreciate the ad for what it has to offer.

Hoffman Is Not A Martyr For The War On Drugs

Photo Courtesy | Georges Biard

by Andrea Vallone Staff Writer I think my heart may have actually skipped a beat when I got the New York Times alert of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death on the morning of Feb. 2, 2014. The instant sense of loss, the sudden

weight of sorrow, the literal speechlessness at the thought of the tragedy that had befallen the cinematic world. Hoffman’s death really hit hard for anyone fortunate enough to be graced with his presence on camera, on the stage, or simply as himself in an interview, awards ceremony, or at a coffee shop in the west village.

At least that’s what I had thought. But in my state of melancholia I had gone radio silent, only to find myself three hours later sifting through Peyton Manning memes to find a sole quotation that glared at me: “Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death shows that we’re losing this drug war.”

I’m sorry, what? Philip Seymour Hoffman, THE Philip Seymour Hoffman, the one who died four hours ago, HE is the martyr for the war on drugs? And not only is he the emblem of what-not-to-do but you also felt that this moment was the most appropriate to push your political agenda? What was is it that Hamlet said? “The leftovers from the funeral dinner made a convenient wedding banquet.”

This aggressive schematic of the media responding to a public figure’s death via social context and political consequences is not unfamiliar but must be critiqued. Yes, I am aware he was a notorious drug addict and was victim to the troughs and peaks of drug abuse. I am also painfully aware of how he was found in his apartment with a syringe in his arm; I’m sure many appreciated that vivid last image of him.

Is it so terrible to think of Hoffman’s death as just that–Hoffman’s death? Not Hoffman’s drug overdose? A drug addict died, yes, but a man did too, and a talented one at that. A man whose legacy will live on for centuries–a feat no newspaper columnist with a quick tongue could ever aspire to.

Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post writes, “Our drug policy of prohibition and interdiction makes it difficult and dangerous for people like Hoffman to get high, but not impossible— and it makes these tragic overdose deaths more common than they have to be.” It may be that our current state of drug policy is not airtight enough to the point where it is actually perpetuat-

ing overdoses, but what I can’t agree with is the “dangerous people like Hoffman” byte. I do not think one can blanket drug addicts. I also think the depiction of drug addicts as “dangerous” promotes the image of wandering thugs, stalking the night for prey. As Russell Brand said, drug addicts aren’t “bad” people; they are “sick people” that need help to get better. Moreover, each one of “these tragic overdose deaths” is an independent event. Each death is the death of an individual, not the birth of new evidence to support a political agenda.

It is true, though; celebrities do for the most part take a vow to sacrifice their private lives, and are subject to wild speculation and criticism over their life choices. This, coupled with the fact that celebrities also function as sponsors for causes both social and political, might conveniently place Hoffman right on the front cover of the war on drugs movement.

However, America should have the incentive to improve drug policy on its own. Hoffman need not be motivation but rather the blunt and honest statistics themselves should catalyze the movement.

Diana Reese of the Washington Post writes, “In this day and age, celebrity deaths too often become yesterday’s news. Hoffman’s death, though, needs to be remembered. Drug addiction is here and needs attention now, whether or not it stays in the spotlight.” Damn straight, Hoffman does need to be remembered, except here’s the thing, Diana: he will not be remembered as a drug addict. He needs to be remembered as Truman Capote, Willy Loman, the glass-shattering CIA agent in Charlie Wilson’s War, Arte Howe, Paul Zara, Brandt, Plutarch Heavensbee, or–god forbid– as the f*cking incredible actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

So please, media, don’t you dare try and detract from the tragedy of Hoffman’s passing by tainting it in a drug-induced haze.

His struggle with addiction should not trivialize his death. I think Hoffman of all people would agree that being represented as a martyr for the war on drugs is pathetic. Resolve the war on drugs on your own America, and don’t exploit the dead.