february 2
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Volume lXV Issue X
February 2, 2011Serving The Community
Since 1948
Restaurant week takes over NYC on page 8 • find out which 2011 movies might win an oscar on page 5
the university is scheduled
to open a new Lower Manhattan
residence hall in 2013. it will re-
place roughly 600 beds that the
university currently leases at the
St. George Hotel and 55 clark
Street in Brooklyn Heights.
the new residence hall will
be located at 180 Broadway, at
the corner of John Street, five
blocks from city Hall.
the demolition of a small
building that occupies the area is
already underway, with the new
residence hall being designed by
Karl Fischer Architect of Mon-
treal.
the first three floors will be
for retailers, followed by an activ-
ity floor and student rooms on 20
floors.
the university signed a con-
tract with NYc’s largest commer-
cial landlord SL Green realty to
build a 24-story residence hall in
Lower Manhattan as part of a
plan to spread out and create a
downtown campus.
Attorney Jack Bart of Stroock
& Stroock & Lavan LLP repre-
sented the university in the 180
Broadway deal. SL Green realty
was represented by Stuart Mass
and Noah Shapiro of Haynes and
Boone, LLP as well as Fried,
Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacob-
son LLP.
“At least the St. George still
has a year left with Pace and
hopefully i can rent an apartment
after that,” junior Monique
Booker said.
“it would be weird for me not
to come back [to the St. George
and 55 clark Street residence
halls] to visit friends later on and
it’s weird thinking that Pace uni-
versity’s future students will not
get to experience Brooklyn any-
more or walk the bridge [to and
from class],” senior Andres daza
said.
the 180 Broadway building
is part of a five-year plan for the
school, which seeks to provide a
five-minute commute to its 1,900
students living around Lower
Manhattan. A total of around
7,600 students attend the down-
town campus, including 4,500
undergraduate, full-time students.
currently, other Lower Man-
hattan university residence halls
include 55 John Street, 106 Ful-
ton Street and Maria’s tower.
“i like the idea of Pace taking
over downtown because of com-
petition from other schools and
this is my school. i like this area
of Brooklyn Heights a little more,
however, because it has more of a
homey, residential feel to it. it
definitely is a bittersweet thing
because it’s nice to see Pace ex-
panding, but it was a nice option
to live in Brooklyn for those who
get sick of Manhattan,” junior
Precious okunbor said.
ALEx RufINo
StAFF writer
pace.edu
“ At least the st.
george still has a
year left with Pace
and hopefully I can
rent an apartment
after that.
-Monique Booker, student
New residence hall projected to be
built for NYC Campus by 2013
The Pace Pressit has been approximately one
week since the on-going rallies
against the egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak and his government began.
Protesters had been swarming the
streets and took to twitter and other
social networks to keep each other up-
dated and hide from the government.
After days of bloodshed, the mil-
itary has decided to allow civilians to
peacefully protest without drawing
any fire. the government, however,
shut down internet communication
once they discovered many protesters
were using it to get around without
running into the military.
Al Jazeera, an Arab news chan-
nel, reported that many have been told
to evacuate to their homeland. Ap-
proximately 1,000 uS citizens were
told to find refuge in cyprus or
turkey. Members of the government
who were considered non-emergency
personnel have been advised to leave
the country as well.
President Mubarak’s response to
the many who demanded he leave of-
fice was a hasty decision to shuffle
around members of his cabinet, in
hopes that it would bring some assur-
ance to the protesters. Yet, most found
this to be unsatisfactory.
the “one Million March,” held
Feb. 1, initiated the people’s demand
that Mubarak has until Friday to leave
his post. According to Al Jazeera, over
a million attended. As a result, Presi-
dent Mubarak said he will not run in
the upcoming election, but he will not
step down before then.
in his televised address, he en-
sures that he will stay on to oversee an
“orderly transition.” Mubarak also
stated his intention to “die in this
land,” and would not flee much like
the now former President of tunisia
Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. the large
protests in tunisia that caused their
president to flee the country is said to
have sparked inspiration for the citi-
zens of egypt.
Egyptians protestcurrent leader
NATALIE gAvILANEs
executive editor
2 NEWSNEWS February 2, 2011
Stuyvesant High School offers pool access to the University for use
the Stuyvesant High School pool
— located at 345 chambers Street —
is now open to university students.
Students ages 18 to 24 can pur-
chase a $125 per year membership,
while students age 25 or older along
with faculty and staff members can
purchase a membership for $300 per
year. there is also a $10 day pass
available to get into the pool without
a membership.
“i have often heard in my 12 years
[at the university] that students
wanted us to build a pool, a difficult
task due to space and funding, so i
wanted to provide some of the ameni-
ties that the westchester campus has
[such as a fitness center and pool],”
dean for Students Marijo russell-
o’Grady said.
Students do not need to sign up,
but will be asked to show a valid and
current university id and current class
schedule in order to swim. the pool is
open for use Monday through Friday
from 7:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. and Sat-
urday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to
8:45 p.m.
Some students, however, are find-
ing that the pool fee is too high. “As
someone who swam last year on the
Pace swim team, i had to find a pool
to practice at when i couldn’t make it
up to Pleasantville,” sophomore
Michael Boyle said. “i go to chelsea
rec center, which is a part of the
NYc department of Parks and recre-
ation. i think it was like $60 for a
yearly membership.”
Boyle added, “[the university]
wouldn’t offer me or my friend Kath-
leen, who also swims for Pace, any
‘deal’ to help pay for the cost of the
pool membership, even as members of
the swim team.”
considering the cost of the mem-
bership, it is hard to say whether or not
university students will take advan-
tage of the pool. “if i were an avid
swimmer, then yeah, i’d want to use
[the pool], but i’d never pay that much
money,” sophomore Maggie Allen
said.
Sophomore Nick iannacone
agrees that students should not be re-
quired to pay the fee themselves.
“the [university] should pay for
it,” iannacone said. iannacone sug-
gested taking money from the student
activities fee that every university stu-
dent pays. currently, students pay $76
per semester for various student-re-
lated activities put on by the univer-
sity. there are students who are
interested in using the pool, but
whether or not they will use it comes
down to the membership fee.
According to dean o’Grady,
“the pool set up the fees, [the univer-
sity] had nothing to do with the fee
structure.” She added, “it is a great
pool and opportunity so i am hopeful
students will use it and become well-
ness and fitness enthusiasts.”
sTEPhANIE BouvIA
StAFF writer
Mark Poisel appointed as the new Office of Student Success associate provost
Membership fees may deter students from registering due to high prices
Mark Poisel has been appointed
as the new associate provost for the
office of Student Success. the of-
fice for Student Success helps stu-
dents who are having trouble at the
university, whether the problem is
academic, disciplinary or financial.
their website states, “the office of
Student Success is here to help you
create the Pace experience that you
desire.”
Poisel came to the university
from the university of central
Florida, where he was vice Presi-
dent of Student development and
enrollment Services. He replaced
dr. christine Shakespeare who was
the acting interim provost.
He has been working in higher
education and student services for
over 20 years. He serves on na-
tional advisory boards related to
first year students, student success
and transfer students such as the
National resource center for the
First-Year experience and Students
in transition.
Poisel describes himself as “a
person that likes to set goals and ac-
complish tasks” and is “very inter-
ested in retention initiatives and
finding ways of creating a positive
environment that assists students in
succeeding while in college.”
while he is settling into his new
position, he is closely monitoring
the office and hopes to head up new
initiatives that will “enhance the en-
vironment at Pace to allow for the
greatest student success,” Poisel
said.
“it is my hope that the division
of Student Success will be able to
engage students in their collegiate
experience in meaningful ways that
will impact their lives for years to
come,” Poisel said, describing the
role he sees the office of Student
Success playing in student’s lives.
He wants to help “those stu-
dents having trouble navigating the
Pace system” and “resolve prob-
lems where possible, but also ex-
plain Pace policies and procedures
so that students may understand
them better.”
when asked what advice he
would give to students, Poisel said,
“Find the resources and use them.”
this is definitely a function of the
office for Student Success, a go to
resource for all university students
when they’re having trouble.
Although Poisel has high hopes
for the office of Student Success to
help students, not too many stu-
dents know about it. Freshman
Sarah Batchelor said, “i've known
about it, but only through seeing the
poster…i don't know even where it
is or what exactly they do. i don't
completely understand what this of-
fice does still, even after reading
the mission statement,” Batchelor
added.
“i knew that we had the office
of Student Success but know little
more than what is advertised on the
posters around school,” sophomore
Spencer cammarano said.
despite the fact that some stu-
dents may not know much about
the office of Student Success,
Poisel seems to be willing to reach
out to students.
NAzARY NEBELuk
diStriButioN MANAGer
pace.edu
The Broadsheet Daily
“It is my hope that
the Division of
student success will
be able to engage
students in their
collegiate
experience in
meaningful ways that
will impact their lives
for years to come.
-Mark Poisel, Associate Provost of
Student Success
Have any thoughts about the membership fees?Send your opinions to [email protected]!
Want to join the pool?Stop by with your University ID and class schedule.
WEB
3
OPINION AND EDITORIALSOPINION AND EDITORIALS
February 2, 2011
the pace press
Editorial Board
Lynn Rickert
Editor-In-Chief
Natalie gavilanes
Executive Editor
kim Bui
Associate Editor
kaitlynn Blyth
Managing Editor
Ivonna Thompson
News Editor
katherine Riley
Features Editor
Brian Rentas
Arts Editor
kate hamzik
Copy Editor
hilda Adeniji
Digital Illustrator
Leucepe Martinez
Business & Ads Manager
DJ McErlean-hopson
Web Editor
Nazary Nelebuk
Distribution Manager
Mark Mcsherry
Faculty Consultant
The Pace Press is the student newspaper of Pace University’s NewYork City Campus. It is managed andoperated entirely by members of thestudent body as it appears above.
The Pace Press welcomes guest editorialsand letters from students, faculty, administration and staff.
The Pace Press reserves the right to notpublish any submitted material, both solicited and unsolicited.
All submissions must include the au-thor’s full name and contact information.
The Pace Press41 Park Row, Rm. 902New York, NY [email protected] 2010
staff
Mel BaileyStephanie BouviaJoanna GonzalezStephanie HansenCraig HeldJessica LaRosaNazary NelebukBethany O’GradyJessica OwensJames RyderAmanda SchiavoVibha SolankiRuveena VirkQuinn WassonJulia Yeung
DIsCLAIMER: These opinions are expressed by contributors (students, faculty, administration, and staff) to The Pace Press. These opinionsare solely those of the individual writers and do not reflect the opinions of The Pace Press, the members of The Pace Press staff, or Pace Uni-versity. The Pace Press is not responsible and expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising out of use or relevance to any infor-mation contained in this section.
on Jan. 20, 2011 Americans cele-
brated the 50th anniversary of Presi-
dent John F. Kennedy's inauguration as
the 35th President of the united States.
on that cold winter day in a bygone
era, a young, charismatic irish catholic
summoned Americans to "ask not
what your country can do for you, ask
what you can do for your country."
Besides a few foreign policy flubs
early on — botched Bay of Pigs inva-
sion and the threat of all out nuclear
warfare with the Soviet union —
things seemed fairly good in America.
A beautiful, young, energetic first fam-
ily, a President who urged Americans
to reach for the stars, literally. it was
truly camelot. the united States
seemed as young and idealistic as its
leader.
camelot and the fairytale Presi-
dency came to an abrupt and tragic end
with the assassination of President
Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. with a sin-
gle assasin’s bullet through the head,
the hopes and dreams of a better, more
perfect America died for a group of
Americans inspired to action by its
35th President. what followed was
Kennedy's successor in President Lyn-
don Johnson. He was determined to
see his predeccessor's policies into
fruition only to be bogged down by a
war in vietnam that engulfed his Pres-
idency and the stature of America do-
mestically and abroad.
it seemed like America as a whole
suffered a series of body blows after
the Kennedy Assassination that de-
moralized the country to its core.
Among these were the assassination of
Martin Luther King Jr, the assassina-
tion of President Kennedy's younger
brother robert F. Kennedy who was
determined to resummon the Ameri-
can people to do great things. these
tragedies were followed by richard
Nixon’s Presidency that was plagued
in controversy from the beginning
until its end in 1974.
As we celebrate the 50th anniver-
sary of Kennedy’s inauguration, i think
it's time for a little self examination as
a country. what has happened to us
since that cold January afternoon in
1961? today our politics have de-
volved into an all out distrust of the
other side. the separation of a nation
by political differences, a fundamental
distrust of the other guy, a no-can-do
attitude and a general sense of apathy
toward a government and economic
system that most Americans feel is
stacked against them.
our 24-hour news cycle coupled
with countless blowhard demagogues
who make millions of dollars whip-
ping people up into a frenzy has led to
the perfect storm in our country. the
dichotomy is so large today that
tragedies like the tucson shooting can't
even get Americans to come together
and do great things anymore. i
watched the tucson shooting in horror
like millions of other Americans and
this nagging question kept coming
back to my mind, what happened to
camelot? i wish we were there again.
What happened to Camelot?
My Beloved Max,
As i am writing this, it is
almost four months to the
day you were murdered.
the same question still
arises: why you? why were
you taken away from us?
why was your time here on
earth cut short? to maintain
my sanity and cover the
wounds that will never heal,
i like to think that you were
too good for this world. i
like to think that it was your
time to become an angel and
watch over us.
Max, i could go on for
pages explaining how much
of a good person you are. i
have known you for about
three years of my life. A
phenomenal, down to earth,
friend for the first two years
and a loving and caring
boyfriend for about the last
year. we both experienced
something that some people
may never ever get to have
in life: to fall in love with
your best friend.
that unexplainable con-
nection we could never fig-
ure out. the way you made
me laugh; a true great com-
panion. we tackled life to-
gether, as one. we had no
worries. we didn’t care
what people thought or said,
as long as we were true to
ourselves and were together.
we simply just worked. You
truly are the matching piece
to my puzzle.
My whole life, i have
believed that things happen
for a reason. i can’t under-
stand why your murder oc-
curred. Knowing all this, i
begin to realize that you had
a purpose in everyone’s life.
i believe that you served a
huge purpose in mine as
well. i believe that you were
here to teach me to never
settle for anything less than
what you want. true love is
out there. Your soul mate
and life partner could be that
best friend that you sit next
to everyday and just like a
light switch, your percep-
tion of that person changes
forever, for the better.
even though our time
was cut short, i am so thank-
ful that we had each other
for the short time that we
did. You taught me that i
could do anything i wanted;
anything is possible. Me,
being a person who stresses
about anything. You always
knew how to make me feel
better and calm me down. i
will carry your charisma,
love, and ways of life with
me forever because, Max,
you’re truly are the best per-
son i have ever met.
i will love you forever
and you are always with me.
And so i’d like to end this
letter to you with a quote
that i stand by: "it has been
said time heals all wounds.
i do not agree, the wounds
remain. in time, the mind,
protecting its sanity, covers
them with scar tissue & the
pain lessens, but it is never
gone." (rose Kennedy).
Love always
and forever,
Your one and
only Linda,
Lidor Almog
An open letter to Max Moreno
ERIC ABREGO CONTRIBUTOR
LIDOR ALMOG CONTRIBUTOR
Courtesy of Lidor Almog
Have something
to say?
Say it here!
Send us yourthoughts
Folk artist Lissie head-
lined a crowded show at
webster Hall Jan. 28 while
guitarist Landon Pigg per-
formed as her opening act.
Lissie was born elisa-
beth Maurus and hails from
rock island, ill. After pay-
ing her dues in the music in-
dustry and playing
whenever and wherever she
could, Lissie soon found
herself recording her eP
Why You Runnin’ with Band
of Horses’ very own Bill
reynolds in 2009. it was
this past summer that she fi-
nally released her debut
album Catching A Tiger.
the concert began with
two openers, including indie
artist Pigg, who played
songs from his album The
Boy Who Never. His setlist
also included “High times,”
which is featured in the
movie Whip It.
Pigg ended his set with
“Falling in Love At A cof-
fee Shop.” Although it is
one of his better-known
songs, it is for a reason.
Parts of the crowd sang
along as he belted the ro-
mantic lyrics, “i think that
possibly/ Maybe/ i’m
falling for you.” it was the
perfect ending to his sincere
and simple solo set as the
crowd grew for Lissie.
Lissie’s headlining set
included both original songs
from her latest album as
well as cover songs. “when
i’m Alone,” which opened
with jazz-like drums and
guitar, was followed by
“Bully.” She softly played
guitar and built up her voice
to the climax of the song as
guitarist eric Sullivan
ended with a crowd-pleas-
ing solo.
Next was “cuckoo,” a
song reminiscent of an ear-
lier time for Lissie. with
hopeful opening lyrics like,
“i walked alone/ i never
tried to stay in line/ i didn’t
know what i was doing half
the time/ i didn’t know my
life would ever change/ i
didn’t think that anybody
ever felt the same way/ And
then you came,” it was not
long before the crowd began
to clap along. with a fun up-
beat chorus and instrumen-
tals, “cuckoo” is great
example of a feel-good song
you’d listen to over and
over again in the summer.
Lissie sang “every-
where i Go” with such in-
tensity and feeling, bringing
the soft and serene song to a
whole new level. it was
hard to fight the urge to tap
your toe, or in Lissie’s case,
her bare feet as she per-
formed onstage, to “Little
Lovin’.”
it wasn’t until the end of
the night when Lissie per-
formed her truly unique
take on the song that helped
her gain viral fame, Kid
cudi’s “Pursuit of Happi-
ness.”
Lissie performed her set
from start to finish with
such passion and emotion:
the kind you can only see in
a musician who truly loves
what they do and the music
that they make.
kIM BuI
ASSociAte editor
All photos by kim Bui/The Pace Press
4
ARTSARTS
February 2, 2011
Lissie sure to gain fans with her inspiring live performance
Formed in tennessee in 2002, J.
roddy walston and the Business may
be one of the most underappreciated
rock groups of our generation.
their delta blues-inspired sound is
a raw display of talent that seems to be
overlooked by the mainstream music
industry.
walston was told that “playing
music that was not for God or family
was a sin.” He may be committing that
sweet sin of music, but his band’s
sound still has a gospel influence.
in 2004, the band moved to Balti-
more, Md and, after a couple of
changes in the band, settled on a four-
man group.
their self-titled album, released in
2010, consists of 10 tracks that feature
a Jerry Lee Lewis style of piano play-
ing and chuck Berry inspired guitar
riffs with walston’s distinct raspy
voice.
walston is not just the lead singer
but also plays guitar and piano. Billy
Gordon plays guitar and does vocals
as well. the band is rounded out with
Logan davis on bass and Steve col-
mus on drums.
the band is clearly inspired by a
blues rock sound much like Led Zep-
pelin, but with a more updated sound.
every song on the album is the perfect
blend of creative lyrics and catchy
hooks performed over energetic in-
strumentals.
the album opens with a strong,
upbeat track titled “don’t Break the
Needle.” the listener is instantly
drawn in by the opening piano riff
then stays captivated by the voice and
lyrics like, “i’ve been pulling thread
doing all kinds of evil/ i know you
hate me baby but don’t break the nee-
dle.” the song “Full Growing Man” is
about being with someone, accepting
who they are and the fact that they are
changing.
the album continues with “used
to did” and “Pigs and Pearls,” songs
about giving up on love. “Brave
Man’s death” has a more serious tone
but still exhibits the raw energy from
the first half of the album.
the song speaks about being
more afraid of not dying like a brave
man then dying at all — “if you want
to live, you’d better die like a brave
man/ i don’t want to die in the middle
of the night/ i want a brave man’s
death.”
the album picks right back up
with “don’t Get old” and keeps the
momentum with “i don’t want to
Hear it,” “uh oh rock and roll” and
“caroline.”
“use Your Language” is the final
song on the album. walston opens
with a strong energetic track and
closes with just as much strength but
with a more mellow sound overall.
J. roddy walston and the Busi-
ness are a breath of fresh air for rock
lovers who have been suffocated by
the faux pop-rock music that has “de-
fined” our generation of music.
5ARTSARTSFebruary 2, 2011
The Academy Awards and Golden Globes highlight the best of 2011
winter is that magical time when Holly-
wood’s elite converge upon the Kodak theater
in Los Angeles and celebrate each other for
five hours straight at the Academy Awards,
which is considered to be the pinnacle of
achievement in American cinema.
Although the Academy Awards are consid-
ered the highpoint of the awards season, they
are preceded by the Golden Globes, which are
awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press As-
sociation and sometimes indicate who may re-
ceive an oscar.
the most interesting aspect of these
awards however, is the difference in cate-
gories. the Golden Globes have separate cat-
egories for comedy and drama, which allow
for more winners at the time but for stiffer
competition later.
with Academy Award nominations an-
nounced on Jan. 25, there were not many sur-
prises for those who were nominated. The
King’s Speech dominated the nominations
with 12, followed by True Grit with ten and
Inception and The Social Network tied with
eight each.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the measly
five nominations given to Black Swan. with
so much buzz going into awards season, the
film was only nominated for Best Picture, Best
director for darren Aronofsky, Best Actress
for Natalie Portman, Best cinematography,
and Best Film editing. while it isn’t the great-
est film ever made, surely its costumes, which
were designed by rodarte masterminds Kate
and Laura Mulleavy, deserve recognition.
the Best Actress category is shaping up to
be the most exciting with Annette Bening (The
Kids Are All Right) and Portman, who were
both winners at the Golden Globes, going head
to head against Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole),
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) and
Michelle williams (Blue Valentine). Although
all five ladies brought fantastic performances
to the table, it is safe to say that Bening and
Portman are the frontrunners.
the Best Actor category looks to be com-
pletely in colin Firth’s favor, who won at the
Golden Globes for The King’s Speech. Al-
though Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jeff Bridges
(True Grit), Jesse eisenberg (The Social Net-
work) and James Franco (127 Hours) made
strong showings, none of them have the mo-
mentum that Firth is carrying after his win.
other categories seem to be a lock like
Best Adapted Screenplay, which clearly will
be going to Aaron Sorkin for his work on
The Social Network. while many praise the
performances of eisenberg and Andrew
Garfield in the film, it is Sorkin’s words that
shape the whole story.
As with all award shows, there is always
the matter of the ever-present snub. the most
glaring omission is director christopher
Nolan for Inception. Nolan, who was also ig-
nored for his fantastic work on The Dark
Knight, seems to be the constant black sheep
of the Academy Awards.
on the documentary side of the awards,
Waiting for Superman is mysteriously miss-
ing from the list. the quasi-controversial
look at public education in America, which
enjoyed both incredible financial and critical
success, is thought by many as being too crit-
ical of the charter school system. Some crit-
ics of the film have gone as far as saying that
its treatment of charter schools borders on
fiction.
As for the acting awards, Mila Kunis and
Barbara Hershey were both snubbed for their
incredible work in Black Swan. Kunis, who
has risen from such humble works as “that
70s Show” and “Family Guy,” delivered a
strong, eerie performance while Hershey
showed everyone why she was once one of
the most sought after actresses in her heyday.
Yet, it is newcomer Garfield, whose ab-
sence is drawing the most fire from critics.
His work as eduardo Saverin in The Social
Network garnered him a Golden Globe nom-
ination, but it seems that the Academy was
uninterested.
regardless of who wins, the oscars will
certainly be an interesting night of television.
the Academy Awards will be held Feb. 27 at
8 p.m. on ABc.
CRAIg hELD
StAFF writer
amazon.com
J. Roddy Walston and the Business gives other artists the business
Javier Bardem, Biutiful Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin firth, The King’s SpeechJames franco, 127 Hours
sTEPhANIE hANsEN
StAFF writer
Nominees for Best Actor:
6 ARTSARTS February 2, 2011
U.S. show fails to fill the shoes of its U.K. counterpart
in recent press releases, Mtv
Networks stated that they would
like to stray from their hackneyed
utilization of reality shows and in-
corporate more scripted television
series into their line-up. After a
slew of foiled attempts like “the
Hard times of rJ Berger” and
“warren the Ape,” the network
pegged “Skins,” the award win-
ning British Broadcasting corpo-
ration (BBc) America television
series as their show of choice to
adapt for American audiences.
the first episode aired Jan. 17
and was met with mixed results.
while it garnered impressive rat-
ings for the network, fans of the
original uK series were anything
but pleased—the across the pond
crossover seemed a bit ‘wonky.’
the series capitalizes on our
society’s fascination with the
recklessness of youth. “Skins” is
strongly rooted in the ‘trials and
tribulations’ of recreational sex
and drug use. Mtv’s version,
however, while essentially a
word-for-word reenactment of its
originator, does not provide the
same unadulterated peek into the
teenage wasteland as BBc’s ver-
sion did. it is, at best, comparable
to a younger sibling following in
its older sibling’s footsteps, but
failing to truly do so.
Advertising for the Mtv se-
ries promised just as much
raunchiness as the original; scant-
ily clad teenagers in compromis-
ing adult situations, four letter
expletives left and right and other
scandals of the like. BBc Amer-
ica’s “Skins” is full of the kind of
material the Fcc demands that
cable networks censor, which ad-
mittedly is a contributing factor to
the show’s success. At the basic
level, it is revered for its excep-
tional writing and its inimitable
character development.
the premiere episode entitled,
“tony,” depicts the eponymous
main character on a quest to help
his best friend lose his virginity
on his 17th birthday.
while the episode is basically
a play-by-play of its uK counter-
part, it includes minor tweaks
which Mtv applied to the script
and which doom its treatment to
be lost in translation.
the characters are not played
up to par and the dialogue is em-
barrassingly American. Mtv
seems to have made up ‘cool
teenager slang’ to implement in
place of the genuine vernacular
present in the British script and
the network fails to deliver on its
initial promise of matched vulgar-
ity. Bleeped out expletives and the
forever menacing side-boob,
strike again.
it is the crossover of the char-
acters that proves to be the most
noticeable change between the
two versions of “Skins.” the
character of tony (Nicholas
Hoult) from BBc’s version is un-
apologetically imperfect, but his
manipulative and cocky air can be
excused by the charm he exudes.
the old saying, “boys will be
boys,” posits the slick-talking
tony character, the audience can
comfortably invest in.
unfortunately, Mtv’s answer
to tony (James Newman) comes
off as a smarmy and entitled sub-
urban snot.
in the uK version, tony often
refers to his girlfriend, Michelle,
as ‘Nips,’ a nickname based on
the purported abnormalities of her
breasts, but the affectation is al-
ways charged with an endearing
quality; when Newman utters the
pet name, he just sounds misogy-
nistic and sleazy.
Another character whose
charisma seems to have drowned
during its voyage across the pond
is that of cassie, originally played
by Hannah Murray, whose name
and psychoses have changed, as
well.
in the BBc version, cassie
suffers from an extreme case of
anorexia, is suicidal, abuses drugs
and comes off as a loopy but love-
able space cadet. in Mtv’s ver-
sion, her name is changed to
cadie (Britne oldford) and she
harps on her affection for sharp
objects but does not mention any
disordered eating habits, save for
the fact that she only likes to eat
cheese-curls.
in the script, when the charac-
ter played by Murray asks a guy
if he intends to “fuck [her] now or
later” the jarring inquiry is re-
ceived more acceptingly by audi-
ences than when the character
played by oldford brusquely and
gracelessly delivers the same line.
in essence, the effervescent
sweetness of cassie’s insanity is
greatly muddled by cadie’s flat
out disturbing disposition.
Although the premiere
episode wrangled in impressive
ratings for the network, it has
been reported that those numbers
are falling as the show continues
to air.
despite almost a half a dozen
advertisers — such as taco Bell,
wrigley and Foot Locker — hav-
ing backed out of their sponsor-
ships for the show, Mtv plans to
keep airing their Americanized
version.
mtv.com
Musical duo Way Yes releases short, catchy EP of unique songs
BEThANY o’gRADY
StAFF writer
MTV’s “Skins” causes controversy surrounding television censorship
way Yes, a musical duo hailing from
columbus, ohio celebrated the new year
right by releasing their newest eP, Walka-
bility. though the five-song eP is short —
no longer than 20 minutes of play time —
the band showcases an amazing array of
sonic diversity and lyrical prowess, while
making the cd enjoyable to listen to.
Walkability is the type of eP that can be
played while driving around town, relaxing
at home or during extremely intense life
moments. it is a breath of fresh air in terms
of musical quality, that is short and to the
point. Yet it fans out in many different di-
rections. way Yes has patented a sound that
is both unique and engaging, and for this
reason alone, Walkability deserves a listen
to.
the eP starts off with its eponymous
first track, where listeners will start to
begin to understand why way Yes has a
sound that can only be described as unique.
with a clever percussion track drawing in-
spiration from caribbean music, this first
track really kicks off the eP and makes you
want to continue listening.
it is upon first listen, when listeners are
drawn into the duo’s clever lyrics — some-
times as cheeky and upbeat as the music, or
sometimes downright gloomy, but both fit-
ting into the music quite well.
the second track, “important,” contin-
ues the percussion found in “walkability,”
but also adds lo-fi synthesizers as well as
an infectious guitar track to the mix. it is
on this track when the melancholy lyrics
that the band does so well starts to make an
appearance, “where have all the people
gone i used to call my friends? /i have al-
ways known i’d end up alone in the end.”
it is when the third track, “Singing,”
starts to play where the album tends to win
over any listener. the strong percussions
and the almost too-cute-for-words vocals
work perfectly together on this track and it
is one that will be replayed plenty of times.
the fourth track, “Gino,” is exclusively
synth and electronic driven. this sound
definitely works for the band — way Yes
is not a one trick pony by any stretch of the
imagination.
the eP closes with “ties,” a song that
is equal parts uplifting and depressing —
with hard to overlook lyrics such as “it’s
sorta disturbing thinking about my death /
what’s gonna happen to the people that are
left?” it may not be the happiest song ever
produced, yet it is still as enjoyable as the
rest of the eP.
way Yes’ Walkability may be short, but
what it lacks in length, it makes up for in
an awesome new sound that will make the
listener stay tuned for more releases.
As the duo’s ability to mesh two dis-
tinct sounds into something that is not only
catchy but also inimitable is something that
any music lover will cherish. check this eP
out and you will not regret it.
BRIAN RENTAs
ArtS editor
amazon.com
Check out Way Yes’ website at:wayyes.com
Check out their Myspace page at:myspace.com/wayyeswayyes
WEB
7FEATURESFEATURESFebruary 2, 2011
Google filters piracy related search results like BitTorrent
the internet has the ability to
control whether or not a business
prospers globally through promo-
tions and advertisements. the enter-
tainment industry, over the last
couple of years, has come to resent
the internet for providing its users
with the ability to download media
for free.
Bittorrent networking is a form
of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing
which allows internet users to trade
software, music, movies and digital
books. Bittorrents allow users to
download music albums, television
shows and movies in minutes. these
advertisements and adware free tor-
rents are very unpopular with copy-
right authorities.
“when i started downloading
torrents i thought the amount of files
i was downloading was too good to
be true. i used to download music
with programs such as Limewire
and always get viruses. the files
were such a hassle to download. tor-
rents are so fast and safe,” junior
terry Son said.
Starting Jan. 2011, however, it
may be a bit harder to find these tor-
rents. Google will begin filtering and
censoring search results which are
‘piracy related’ when it comes to
their auto-complete and instant fea-
ture on their search engine. terms
such as Bittorrent, utorrent, rapid
Share and Megaupload are included.
when Google users type in a
word to the search engine, seeing
auto-complete results may lead them
to downloading more files then they
originally intended. Auto-complete
provides arbitrary search results sug-
gesting user’s similar and additional
terms.
“As i type in a musical artist’s
name, many of their album’s names
and songs come up allowing me to
make a mental list of additional
things i want to download. i do feel
that the auto-complete feature of [a]
search engine makes people down-
load more than they would other-
wise,” Son said.
Many torrents can still be found
through a Google search, with some
results having been removed due to
copyright claims. According to Sta-
teofsearch.com, the Motion Picture
Association of America (MPAA)
and the recording industry Associ-
ation of America (riAA) had pres-
sured Google to censor piracy
related searches.
“i don’t think that the torrent
companies will be affected, since
search results are not completely fil-
tered. this is probably the first step
Google is taking to filter out illegit-
imate file sharing,” alumnus
thomas Henry said.
torrents may be the future of our
access to the media, but in order for
entertainment companies to provide
us with our media and movies we
love, we must be willing to pay a
price.
kAThERINE RILEY
FeAtureS editor
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8
FEATURESFEATURES
February 2, 2011
Post winter blues may leave you feeling a little bit SAD
in the frozen tundra of NYc, snow days
and slush can be accompanied by a form of
depression known as Seasonal Affective
disorder (SAd). People can experience a
shift in mood during the darker months,
which can potentially develop into clinical
depression.
According to the Mayo clinic’s website,
shortened days and less sunlight reduce
brain stimulation and vitamin d levels,
causing a chemical imbalance in the section
of the brain which controls mood and activ-
ity level. the Mayo clinic is a not-for-profit
group medical practice with doctors who
specialize in a variety of fields.
Signs of SAd range from loss of sex
drive to suicidal thoughts, with fatigue and
irritability also being common effects.
“i feel much more down in the winter
and even the fall, whether [that’s] because
[i’m] stuck inside or because of [the] lack
of vitamin d from the sunshine,” sopho-
more Stephanie Lee said.
one of the most popular treatment op-
tions for alleviating these symptoms is an-
tidepressants. Zoloft and Prozac are often
prescribed, but fears of the side effects have
driven many SAd patients to find homeo-
pathic remedies.
Phototherapy is one emerging method,
in which patients absorb light from a special
lamp or light box. the light sources used in
light box therapy are designed to mimic
sunlight, and are commonly ten times more
powerful than a common light bulb. Most
require the patient to absorb the light for 30
minutes daily, but the length of time can
vary with the intensity of the particular light
source used.
A dawn simulator is another kind of
phototherapy in which a light source is
timed to gradually grow brighter as the
body begins to awaken. Similar to a silent
alarm clock, a dawn simulator mimics the
sunrise and can last anywhere from 30 min-
utes to two hours, reaching its brightest just
as the person wakes up.
People with SAd who find using a light
box inconvenient may prefer this method,
because it does not interfere with their ac-
tivities during the day.
“dawn simulation is a bit cheaper plus
more accessible, and doesn't depend on fol-
lowing light box schedules,” sophomore
Ben Knight said.
Most insurance companies require a
prescription in order to cover the cost of an
at-home light box or dawn simulator, which
can run into the $200 range. Light boxes
such as the caribbean Sun Box, available at
Lighttherapyproducts.com, use Led lamps
at a cost of $204.
SAd sufferers looking to avoid costs
often try holistic remedies such as aro-
matherapy. Scents like lemon, jasmine and
neroli are said to have a brightening effect
on mood, and are often used to treat SAd.
they work by stimulating the olfactory
nerves at the back of the nose, which are
connected to the limbic system in the
brain.
“You just need a little lemon and
some vitamin d” sophomore Made-
lyn Farris, who has relatives ef-
fected with SAd, explained.
craving carbs and comfort food
is one of the symptoms of SAd and
switching to foods rich in protein is
usually recommended. Fish oil, which
contains omega-3 fatty acids, has also
been connected to reducing the effects
of SAd.
A recent study by psychiatrist Andres
Magnusson found that iceland has relatively
few cases of SAd compared to countries
with similarly severe winters. He attributes
this fact to the amount of omega-3 con-
sumed by citizens of iceland, who average
225 pounds of fish per person every year.
Bergamot fruit, a crossbreed of lemon
and bitter orange, has been used by Native
American tribes like the chippewa as a me-
dicinal plant for treating depression. the
bergamot plant can be cooked in a tea or ap-
plied as an oil and can be used by SAd pa-
tients for its uplifting citrus scent. its use
in the treatment of SAd is usually accom-
panied by a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
and regular exercise, which
produces endor-
phins to
coun te rac t
effects of
this sea-
s o n a l
d i s o r -
der.
kERRY MCBRooME
StAFF writer
Restaurant Week returns to NYC with deals on dinner
café 101 has a variety of food and drink op-
tions to cater to everyone’s taste buds; even the
vegetarians. After a few weeks into the semester,
however, the menu can become routine. instead
of swiping your meal plan card, treat yourself to
a three-course gourmet meal at one of over 300
acclaimed restaurants in Manhattan during NYc
restaurant week from Jan. 24 to Feb. 6.
NYc restaurant week was originally created
as an event to draw tourists to restaurants during
the 1992 democratic National convention by
well-known food critic tim Zagat and restaura-
teur Joe Baum. their main goal was to allow
everyone a chance to dine at some of the city's
best restaurants, for less than half the normal
price. it has since evolved into a highly antici-
pated occasion for native New Yorkers and
tourists alike.
diners are able to get lunch at the prix-fixed
price of $24.07 and dinner for $35. these low
prices make it possible for college students,
tourists and everyday residents to afford and
enjoy some of the city’s most lavish spots.
Smith & wollensky serves as one of the
best spots for steak. Based on reviews, the filet
mignon is delicious. take advantage of restau-
rant week’s low prices and discover the steak
yourself.
if you are looking for a place to impress
someone, one if by Land, two if by Sea is the
perfect match. it is known as one of the most ro-
mantic restaurants in the city, as diners are sur-
rounded by flowers and fireplaces and lulled by
a pianist.
to taste some South American flavor, head
over to Nuela. this new restaurant, located in
the Financial district, offers South American
food in an energetic environment. Nuela can seat
up to 200 people, offering a separate dining and
bar area.
Sushi lovers may find SushiSamba to be
their favorite location for restaurant week. this
well-known eatery offers an extensive menu list
during the week providing visitors with a mod-
ern and colorful atmosphere.
to visit France without boarding a plane,
stop by Le Perigord. this popular French restau-
rant is known for their tasty French cuisine and
unforgettable elegance.
"restaurant week is a blessing for all col-
lege students, because some places in the city
are just are too expensive," Fordham university
junior Ariana Hayward said.
As NYc restaurant week only comes twice
a year, during the winter and summer, it would
be a mistake to let the opportunity of dining at
some of the most expensive restaurants in the
city for a fraction of the cost pass by. the overall
experience will leave your pockets and your
stomach happy.
To check out a list of restaurants partici-pating in NYC restaurant week
visit: nycgo.com/restaurantweek
foTINI sAChPATzIDIs
coNtriButor
newyork.cbslocal.com
WEB
comingupforair.net