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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 news@pacepress.org!

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 10038www.pacepress.orgeditor@pacepress.orgCopyright 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

ateditor@pacepress.org!

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