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News: The Uncertain Fate of an Old Brooklyn Nook

2007-05-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

Construction for a school continues on Franklin Avenue as Crown Heights becomes a focal point for gentrification. Photographed by Sam Lewis.

By Kevin Dugan

Nigel lights a cigar and looks out from his deli onto the neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Outside, storefront churches dot the streets where, with some luck, the garbage trucks pick up the day's trash.

Inside, he tapes up money for good fortune over a thick-paned window: 50 Haitian gourdes, 50 Jamaican dollars, and above them, 50 Euros.

But Nigel may not stick around to see how long his fortune lasts.

"It's not worth it to me," he said. Nigel, a New York native who declined to give his last name, has been in Crown Heights since the early 1960s. He says the neighborhood has seen better days, and that gentrification will only make life harder for local residents.

"These kids don't realize how easy it is to replace them," he said, referring to young, black Crown Heights residents.

White residents have been moving to the city in droves in the last decade or so, transforming ethnic neighborhoods like the Lower East Side and Williamsburg into bohemian enclaves. As rising rents displace the locals, they are forced to find new homes in other poorer areas. Old residents often feel bitter, causing tension between new and former tenants. Displaced residents have, rightly or not, charged landlords with racism and preferential treatment for younger, white inhabitants.

But New York's neighborhoods have always been shape shifting, often in tandem with the ups and downs of the economy. What is unique about gentrification is not the displacement of one ethnicity over another, social scientists say, but an influx of amalgamated cultural values. A century ago, an Italian neighborhood certainly looked very different from a Jewish one. Today, white cultures have largely been lumped together, in part because far fewer immigrants come to the United States from Western Europe.

The gentrifying process often follows the same script. First, new residents, typically young professionals and students, cannot afford richer areas and move into poorer ones. As the demographics begin to change, landlords raise their rents to profit off of the influx. This prices out many of the former residents, who find refuge in other affordable neighborhoods. Then, banks and businesses move in, looking to capitalize on the new market. Old businesses often cannot compete, and the local character evanesces.

Crown Heights seems on the cusp of such a transformation.

Lying east of Prospect Heights and south of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights is in the heart of Brooklyn. African-Americans and black Caribbeans make up most of the neighborhood. According to the city, the 77th precinct, which includes Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant, was 80% black in 2000, the last date available. There is also a sizable Hasidic Jewish community centered around the Chabad-Lubavitch international headquarters on Eastern Parkway.

Andrew Lewis, a Heights resident and student at Medgar Evers College, said that the area is getting "rougher" and that it won't end up "like Williamsburg." According to the city, 30% of residents live at or below the poverty line.

But Nigel sees the hard days in the neighborhood as only the first step in mass displacement. He expects "crazy, crazy gentrification," and says the warning signs are obvious. Residents have no choice but to "prepare for their own slaughter," he said.

"The best thing that can happen to Brooklyn and Queens is for the economy to crash," he added.

Within the last year, numerous buildings in the neighborhood have undergone major renovations. The Landmarks Preservation Committee voted to preserve 472 buildings as landmarks in April. The Landmark status keeps residents from changing their building's facade without commission approval.

According to The New York Times, "the beauty of the architecture owes much to a lack of money in the 1970s and 1980s."

The Committee wants to form "a historic district that will serve as the cornerstone for establishing similar districts in the neighborhood," according to their website. Nearly one thousand more buildings have been proposed for landmark status.

In 1985, a Crown Heights studio apartment could cost between $300 and $350 a month, according to a study by The New York Times. Now, a search through multiple real estate companies and private listings yield prices that begin at $825, but are often in the $1000+ range.

The issue of gentrification has left conflicting emotions for white residents all over the city.

Ivan Raykoff, music professor at Lang and Harlem inhabitant, does not feel personally responsible for gentrification.

"I don't feel guilty personally because I don't exactly see myself as part of the force of gentrification,â€ he said. Raykoff cited "corporate interests" as the main agency behind Harlem's transformation.

Brendon Rist, Lang senior and Crown Heights resident agrees. "I realized that we were kind of the bleeding edge of gentrification," he said. But he "wasn't concerned."

But Sari Ganulin, Lang sophomore and Inwood, Manhattan occupant, differs. "The whole process sucks, and no one should be wrongfully forced out of their home," she said. But gentrification is mostly caused by "luxury condos going in [rather] than my personal renting of an apartment," she added.

"When a Starbucks opens up, it seems to be a sign," she said.

Ganulin and Raykoff both have Eastern European backgrounds. Rist claims to have had family in New York since the American Revolution, but also cites an Irish and Italian background.

Crown Heights has had to fight an uphill battle against its negative image. Extreme poverty in the '70s and '80s forced poorer New Yorkers into the area, where crime rates surged. In 1980, the 77th precinct lead the city in homicides with 88 murders. In 1991, a Jewish man ran over a Guyanese boy, sparking underlying racial tensions into a three-day riot that resulted in the death of one Hasidic man. Racial tensions are still apparent. Several residents interviewed expressed anti-semitic sentiments on the gentrification issue.

The riots are still a sensitive issue for the neighborhood. None of the buildings approved for preservation by the Landmarks Preservation Committee are where the "unrest" occurred, according to The New York Times.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has seemingly given landlords free reign to choose who they rent to. However, he has "asked for a guaranteed minimum of 30 percent affordable housing for area residents, 86 percent of whom rent their homes," according to the North Brooklyn Alliance.

When called for an official opinion, his office declined to comment, citing time constraints.

Markowitz, who grew up in Crown Heights, supports the buildings' new historic standing. Speaking at the Landmark Preservation Committee in 2006, he said the new status "strikes the right balance between preserving the character of some of our most beautiful historic areas while also planning for our bright future."

Chilling at a Franklin Ave. bodega. Photographed by Sam Lewis.

News: Garbage Greening in Fresh Kills

2007-05-09T20:58:00.000-05:00

Lang student checks out a ventilator at the Fresh Kills dump. Photographed by Sam Lewis.

By Ben Kelly

The perspective from Staten Island's Fresh Kills is unparalleled. Standing on one of the four monolithic mounds in the former landfill, you have clear views of downtown Manhattan and south Brooklyn. On one side is the shimmering Arthur Kill canal that separates Staten Island from New Jersey. 2,200 undeveloped acres—a space three times the size of Central Park—spreads out in every direction. And beneath your feet, separated by 15 feet of dirt and polymers, is three hundred million tons of trash; the refuse of half a century of New Yorkers.

The landfill closed in March 2001 after pressure from Staten Island residents and the Environmental Protection Agency, although it was re-opened briefly after September 11 to accommodate debris from the World Trade Center site. The city had a daunting pile of trash—an almost too easy symbol of American excess—on its hands. But rather than leave Fresh Kills as a haunting reminder of the perils of unchecked consumerism, the Department of City Planning wants to throw a picnic on top of the trash graveyard.

According to the New York City Department of Planning, by 2037, Fresh Kills will be transformed from one of New York's most notorious eyesores into a sprawling public space with campgrounds, bike trails, a marina and wildlife areas. The project, designed by James Corner of the firm Field Operations, is an ambitious attempt to reclaim a wasteland and render it green.

"Fresh Kills is to the 21st century as Central Park was to the nineteenth,” Parks Commissioner Benepe told New York Magazine. “It will be the largest park built in the city in more than 100 years.”

If the project seems far-fetched, consider this: Pelham Bay Park and Flushing Meadows were both built atop mounds of garbage. In Germany, an abandoned iron mill was turned into a green "theme park." In Beirut, a bomb site is set to become a public garden.

"It's a very new science," said Lang Professor Nevin Cohen, who arranged a field trip for his Urban Studies classes to Fresh Kills last Wednesday. “But it's a very important science, since we have so much degraded land."

Cohen looked out at the huge expanse of empty land and explained that the project required cultivating an entire ecosystem. "This is an incredible laboratory," he added.

In 1949, Fresh Kills seemed an ideal spot for a landfill. A system of natural canals lead from the land to the Hudson River, allowing trash-laden barges to easily navigate a course from Manhattan. At the time, Fresh Kills was marshland and most of Staten Island was undeveloped. Robert Moses approved the landfill with the intention of it operating for three years. But the spot proved so perfect for dumping trash that it wasn't closed until 2001. Throughout those 50 years, Fresh Kills earned the dubious honor of being the bigger of the only two man-made structures visible from space (the other is the Great Wall of China) and for a time it was the tallest peak on the east coast, stacked higher than the Statue of Liberty.

Now, nearly all of that trash—which, aside from household appliances, is strictly the type associated with fish-heads, banana peels and Glad bags—has been “capped.” Construction-site debris has been dumped on top of the garbage. A sheet of durable plastic, called an “impermeable membrane,” is laid on top. Two types of environmentally sound soil are put over the plastic. Pipes are laid beneath the soil to drain the methane gas that is a byproduct of the garbage's decomposition. Studies are being conducted to find appropriate species to re-seed the land.

"Without the trucks, you'd never know it was a landfill," a Ranger from the Department of Parks and Recreation told the Lang class.

That's not exactly true. While grass grows on the mounds, it is still patchy and somewhat weedy looking. Methane drainage pipes poke out every few feet. The land is eerily quiet and lifeless.

"You can tell it's degraded land from the Phragmites," an alert student pointed out. She explained that the plant, often called the common reed, was an indicator of ecological problems. She added, "It just looks like a capped landfill."

There are a few signs of the greening of Fresh Kills, however. On the field trip, the class saw geese swimming in a rainwater pond, a red-tailed hawk and a nesting kill-deer at the top of one of the mounds.

Now that Fresh Kills has been turned into park, New York's trash is shipped to the south—to Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia, states that bid for the Big Apple's trash contracts. Since it closed, two other landfills—one in California, one in India—have grown even bigger than Fresh Kills. A better solution to getting rid of our waste hasn't yet been discovered. Other options, like burning it, are usually even worse for the environment than burying it. Whether sustainable public places can be built over these areas remains to be seen, but Cohen had a different take on what to do with our trash.

"The question is," he said, "how much can we do to reduce and recycle?"

Park rangers inform students about plans for Fresh Kills. Photographed by Sam Lewis.

Arts & Culture: This is Lang Radio

2007-05-09T20:53:00.000-05:00

Students Launch New Podcasts

By Courtney Nichols

In January, students of Sarah Montague's class "Making A Radio Station" would have believed that formulating and premiering a radio station by April was more of a creative idea than a concrete possibility.

However, through weekly meetings with administration, significant out-of-classroom diligence and the help of more than one person who happen to own the correct technology, The New School's radio station has debuted. On April 23rd, a gala was held in the Eugene Lang cafeteria to commemorate the success of the station. Its goal is to "connect a university that suffers from a lack of community," said senior Amanda Jean-Black.

Though not yet a streaming station online, WNSR is currently an iTunes podcast overflowing with original material from New School bands and solo artists. Also included in the podcast are news segments and DJs broadcasting music and performances from peers.

Asked where she sees the radio station in two or so years, Montague said, "It will depend on budget limitations, but hopefully there will be online streaming in real time."

"In the short time we have podcasts with a wealth of materials," she continued. "In the future, we would like to see the radio station as a training ground for producers in the same way *Inprint* is a training ground for journalists."

Though a formal response listing budgetary needs still needs to be given to the administration, at the moment WNSR has a large stockpile of recordings so the podcast can be consistently updated until an online streaming website is established. Through time and further networking, it is hoped that within a year popular music can be aired on WNSR along with breaking news feeds. As with all her students, Montague is "excited for the enthusiastic response from the administration. Everyone has put so much energy into WNSR already."

“WNSR is definitely going to secure The New School as an arts college," said freshman Jake Weingarten. "Not only will it attract incoming students, but it will connect the entire school through one main source.”

If WNSR continues to build up support, it’s almost positive a New School radio station is here to stay. The final proposal is being presented to the board in one week, and from that point WNSR will be a school recognized institution—and all those who ever stared into a mirror and wailed "Hi, it’s a chilly 40 degrees in our town, but let’s warm it up with some hot new music," will get a chance to shine.

Editorial: What's New at the New New School?

2007-05-09T20:40:00.000-05:00

By Peter Holslin & illustrated by Jeremy Schlangen

There is no building at this university more dismal than 65 5th Avenue, otherwise known as the “GF.” Once home to a department store, the GF hosts faulty elevators, noisy fans and a maze of hallways that lead to classrooms so small that you wonder if they should be used at all. It is not unusual to see students wandering the halls, looking for class.

The New School plans to tear this building down and put a new building in its place—one with a gym, classrooms, innovative Internet and Audio/Visual capabilities and student space. According to a recent paper by Provost Ben Lee, this is a $400 million venture. So far, the administration has raised about $60 million for the project and hopes to begin construction in Spring 2008. That is great, if it happens.

Yet, the administration has even more ambitious plans for the university. Two weeks ago, Lee introduced what has come to be known as the “strategic planning initiative” to a crowd of administrators and some students in the Orozco room in 66 West 12th Street. The administration, he said, intends to overhaul administration and budget rules, develop the Faculty Senate and introduce a new series of cross-divisional programs that will use projects and civic engagement as an innovative pedagogical method.

In Lee’s paper, a working document entitled “What is ‘New’ at The New School?,” he argued that the traditional university system is no longer equipped to address global issues like terrorism, economic crises and environmental decay. Traditional disciplines—a major in English, for instance, or History—pigeonhole these problems into outdated frameworks. Addressing them requires a collaboration that will address complex issues and lead to incremental improvements, not sweeping ideologies. Lee calls this a “micro-democratic” process.

The New School already has a number of programs that work in collaboration with institutions in India and China, or offer social services in New York City and across the United States. This university also has hundreds of courses in different divisions that address urban and environmental issues. The problem is that most of these do not fall under one program. “We call them orphaned courses,” Lee said.

The idea is to turn these disparate programs and courses into university-wide programs. The signature building will be a collaborative and technologically-advanced space for the programs to flourish. The New School recently hired IDEO, a design-consulting firm, to research student lifestyles and help design the most accessible student space possible.

It was only last summer when Lee kicked off meetings with the deans to discuss bureaucratic hurdles and tensions over the university’s budget, so this process is at its earliest stages. Even so, it will be an immense challenge to execute these revolutionary projects.

The university will likely depend on full-time faculty that are willing to work in these budding programs, or at multiple divisions. But last semester, one dean told me the complexities scheduling courses for professors who work at more than one division are sometimes “beyond human comprehension.”

Tuition drives this university, but The New School lacks space for offices for all of its professors and communal areas for students. Too often, there are complaints that there is scant free space for students and student organizations to meet. Securing this space can be a monumental hassle. These limitations aside, the university still needs to build an undergraduate class and a bigger reputation. This way, undergrad divisions will grow and graduate divisions, which administrators say typically run on a deficit but require prestigious lecturers, will not go bankrupt.

Fundraising for the building throws more demands into the mix. Recently, Lang Dean Jonathan Veitch said strategic planning would grind to a halt if the university cannot raise enough money in time.

Even more pressing is the fact that some of Lang’s curricula is still in flux—requirements and core courses mutate every year for departments like The Arts and Science, Technology and Society. Students from any concentration can sometimes fill up space in popular courses, shutting out the students who need to take them. As Lang administrators shift their attention to a university-wide curriculum, they must still keep working at these complex issues and developing our budding concentrations.

To be sure, the strategic planning is moving along: New School President Bob Kerrey told *Inprint* last week that securing real estate, working out schedules and recruiting full-time faculty are integral parts of this process. Professors recently voted to approve the new Faculty Handbook, the work-rules for faculty at the university, Kerrey said.

Veitch said that committees are currently developing structures for Environmental Studies, Media Studies and International Studies. Kerrey said administrators expect to finish structuring programs by the end of the '07-08 school year, so they can begin hiring faculty and recruiting students the following summer.

In the Orozco room, Lee was blunt: The planning should be in a much more developed state six months from now. Otherwise, he said, “this process has failed.”

After the event, as senior administrators and Kerrey gathered in the hallway, I boarded an elevator with three school officials. Just as we sunk below the fifth floor, the elevator ground to a halt. One of us pressed an emergency bell, and a metallic trill reverberated through the halls.

This was a familiar ring. From time to time, the elevator will stall and this emergency bell will sing its song. When you’re playing with $400 million, it's little things like these that can become big setbacks.

After all, in our quest to create a bigger and better space to meet with students and attend class, the last thing we would want is another GF, a labyrinth-like network of hidden hallways and cramped rooms. But overcoming bureaucratic red tape, rethinking our curriculum and building this new space is no simple feat. So now that we know that the university has a comprehensive plan for the future, we need to make sure that these plans actually come to fruition.

Photo Essay: Crossing Lands

2007-05-09T20:15:00.000-05:00

By Rob Buchanan, Nadia Chaudhury & Sam Lewis

Bridges are (usually) above bodies of water. While crossing a bridge, you cannot fall into the water, normally. You are not on solid ground, you are in transit. You are up in the air, like being in an airplane, except, if you're walking, you are experiencing your temporary suspension.

Bridges conform to nature and necessity, are suspended through air and, most importantly, bring you from point A to point B.—Nadia Chaudhury

Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, between Kingston & Rhinecliff, NY. Rob Buchanan

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City. Sam Lewis

Verazzano Bridge, New York City. Rob Buchanan

Manhattan Bridge, New York City. Sam Lewis

Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Tampa Bay, FL. Nadia Chaudhury

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA. Nadia Chaudhury

Tappan Zee Bridge, between Nyack & Tarrytown, NY. Nadia Chaudhury

Photo Essay: How to Build a Boat

2007-05-09T19:55:00.000-05:00

By Nadia Chaudhury & Photographs by Rob Buchanan

In the course of a semester, students in "Lang on the Hudson," one of several new 'Lang Outdoors' classes, cut, sawed, glued, planed and completed their final project: a 25-foot Whitehall gig—a rowing boat based on a traditional New York Harbor design. The boat can be seen in the windows of the Albert List Building on 14th St. just east of Fifth Ave. where it will remain until its launch date, May 4, at 10 a.m.

News: There to Help

2007-05-03T16:05:00.000-05:00

Where to Go When Things Get Rough

Noel Garrett, director of Student Support and Crisis Management. Photographed by Nadia Chaudhury.

By Nadia Chaudhury

Noel Garret works twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Armed with his pager and cell phone, he is constantly available to deal with problems that arise for students at The New School.

Garret has been the director of Student Support and Crisis Management (SSCM) for three years. SSCM, along with Counseling and Health Services at The New School, deal with students who need help: physical, mental, emotional or some combination of the three. Students can turn to any of these offices if they feel they want to talk or get some answers.

For his part, Garrett offers anxiety-ridden students a place to sit down and just say, “I am overwhelmed.”

Garrett works closely with Eric Garrison, director of Health Education, who years ago chose to work at The New School over Virginia Tech—the site of the recent tragedy where a student gunman slaughtered students and faculty. Garrison’s key objective is to educate students about their mental and physical health. The lessons he teaches tend to be preventative, in order to avert any future harm.

“Our goal is to create a healthy student, not for now,” Garrison explained, “but forever.”

Common issues New School students face include eating disorders, anxiety, symptoms of bipolar disorder and depression. These issues, Garret said, are common among college students. According to the National Health Assessment, the top three issue that New School students face are stress, anxiety and depression.

Garrison stressed the importance that all students should feel comfortable seeking help. “There’s a myth that only people who are in dire need of help go to counseling services,” Garrison said. “One of the things that I do is I try to tell everybody that the happiest, healthiest straight-A student should be in counseling right now, to stay that way.”

“If you do have a mental illness, you could still function as a student and graduate,” he added.

Garrett’s office is next to Counseling Services, Financial Aid and Housing on the fifth floor of 79 Fifth Avenue. Rather than send students twenty streets away, the common location “takes the legwork away,” Garrison said, which makes getting help more accessible.

University offices, faculty and even other students refer students to Student Support. Garrett works with students, faculty and staff to identify when someone needs help and then reach out to that person.

During regular workshops, administration and faculty learn how to deal with potential situations. They study the science and symptoms of depression. They also learn to pick up on signs that indicate a student might not be well—like if a loyal student is suddenly absent for three classes. In this case, the faculty member will approach a student and ask if everything is okay.

“It’s really a conversation about identifying a student who may be having some difficulties, for some reason or another, before it becomes problematic,” said Linda Reimer, Senior Vice President for Student Services.

The New School coordinates with a number of outside programs, such as drug rehabilitation centers. The dormitories have protocols set in place with local hospitals, Garrett said. Also, the university is affiliated with New York City police precincts. If needed, someone from Student Support will walk a student over to the police station and be present as the student files a police report, just so the student is not alone.

In case of any health issue, there is nurse phone line (212-229-1671) available at any hour of the day. With this service, a registered nurse can direct students to a local hospital, pharmacy, or any other location they might need. Students can also call if they are off-campus or out of New York City.

During freshman orientation at undergraduate divisions in the university, information about Student Support is given to new students and parents. This includes different types of incidences that occur within New School grounds, which mostly consist of drugs and alcohol.

However, not every freshman attends orientation.

“We’re not blind,” Garrett said. “Students are going to experiment.” He understands that New York City is The New School’s campus. This means that many incidents will occur outside New School grounds. With that in mind, Student Support also educates students on how to deal with “uncompromising situations.”

The main lesson, as Garrett puts it, is to “be careful all the time.”

Last Spring, Lang student Ariella Goldberg dealt with Student Support. Though it was helpful, she discovered it could also be an arduous process. Returning to the 20th Street dormitory after spring break, she found her room in disarray—laundry spilled all over the floor, furniture overturned, unwashed dishes, misplaced items, a missing digital camera and more.

Goldberg and her three other suitemates suspected that the fifth suitemate—a Lang sophomore who was the only one with a key—of foul play. They turned to Student Support. Each suitemate had separate meetings with staff and discussed their role and experience of the incident. Then, they each had to write a personal account.

Acknowledging the process was necessary, Goldberg said. “We were fine doing it only because we hoped it would better improve our living situation,” she said.

In the end, the suspected suitemate moved out of the dorm, but remained in housing at the university.

“We were furious. We felt like our voices only got us so far in the process,” she said. “When we said that we did not feel comfortable with her still living in our [dorm], we felt as though the school should have believed us and taken care of the situation much quicker.”

“This office is about the students,” Garrett said. “We’ll catch more of those people who fall under the radar,” Garrett said, “before they fall.”

The Special: Real Estate: The Hunt

2007-05-03T15:36:00.000-05:00

THE HUNT
New York City Real Estate

Whether you're in New York for a year or a decade, you're got to find a place to live. But that's easier said than done. As rents skyrocket and formerly undesirably neighborhoods are made trendy by cleverly worded advertisements, what's a port New York college student to do? This question has been weighing heavily on Inprint staffers' minds. In a city where we play so much for so little space, everyone has a story to tell or some advice to impart. With this in mind, we've compiled all the know-how and sage advice we could dig up, so that you, our loyal readers, aren't alone in the search for your dream home at a dream price...

The Special: Real Estate: NYC Nooks & Crannies

2007-05-03T14:53:00.000-05:00

So Many Places to See, So Many Places to Go
Map designed by Liz Garber-Paul.

FINANCIAL DISTRICT

photographed by Nadia Chaudhury
I too walk'd the streets of Manhattan Island, and bathed in the waters around it.—Walt Whitman

WILLIAMSBURG

photographed by Peter Holslin
I live in Brooklyn. By choice.—Truman Capote

CONEY ISLAND

photographed by Linh Tran

JACKSON HEIGHTS

photographed by Catherine Iftode
The road to Tomorrow leads through the chimney pots of Queens.—E.B. White

FLUSHING

photographed by Nadia Chaudhury

SOUTH BRONX

photographed by Nadia Chaudhury
My whole world before I joined the Navy was my neighborhood in the Bronx.—Tony Curtis

The Special: Real Estate: Breaking the Mold

2007-05-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

How Not to Find an Apartment in Brooklyn

A gaggle of flies congregate at one of 100 S. 4th St.'s few light sources. Photographed by Ryan Hale.

By Peter Holslin

When my current roommate Ryan and I embarked on a search for a new apartment after moving out of Loeb Hall two years ago, our friend Gabe told us not to settle. “Just don’t settle, guys,” he said. “Do anything but settle.”

We settled.

First, we settled for a shady loft deal at 100 South 4th St., in the heart of Williamsburg. The 1,000 square foot area we rented for $2,600 a month, plus utilities, was still under construction. Twenty days after we moved in, we still did not have a stove, a kitchen sink and a door to the bathroom.

Six months later, we settled on some new roommates, Martin and Anthony. We soon discovered they had no bank accounts. They shared an affinity for speed. One had a mental illness and the other had delusions of one day filming a T.V. show in the apartment. About a month before we had to move out, we still owed a few thousand dollars in unpaid rent.

Luckily, 100 South 4th St. did not have a Certificate of Occupancy, so we had been under no legal obligation to pay rent for the entirety of our commercial-loft lease. (See sidebar.) We ditched the loft and found a duplex on Powers Street, just off the Graham stop on the L, in a cozy Italian neighborhood. The apartment had two floors, two bedrooms, a modest back patio and a free grill! Rent was $1,700 a month, including utilities.

No matter that the walls needed a serious paint job and the carpets were disgusting. We settled.

The day we moved in, the apartment exuded a dank, thick smell. We decided the carpets were the problem. We had them cleaned the week before, but they were damp and stained. We tore them out and hired two German fellows off of Craigslist to install cheap tiling. The total cleaning costs exceeded $600.

Still, the apartment stank. We found big black spots all over a closet on the second floor. Ryan soon started to get breathing problems—a biting dryness in the throat, an acidic pit in the stomach. He began sleeping in the basement of Loeb Hall most nights.

Our landlord, Ceasar Pecoraro, never called us back. Our broker—who worked for the Pecoraro family, whose brothers own a number of buildings in Brooklyn—delayed any investigation into these mysterious black spots, and whatever else plagued the space.

We threatened not to pay the rent, and Ceasar came down from the cheese factory he runs in Albany. We showed him the sinister black spots. “That’s just humidity,” he said, as he rubbed the spots with his thumb. “That’s just humidity!”

The next day, a worker from AmeriSpec, a national organization that specializes in home inspections, dropped by to examine the building and collect mold samples. Mold, he said, comes in three varieties: benign, toxic and lethal. It shows up in houses all across the city, as a result of water damage and old wood. Any form, he added, is not good for you.

We walked him through the apartment. He pointed at what looked like black dirt or paint on the wall near the floor: mold. He pointed at faint spots showing through painted walls upstairs: mold. He pointed at dry, black muck that covered the stairs: mold. Then he went to the dark, dank basement and shone a flashlight on the corners by the radiator, caked-over with black mold.

“Gentlemen,” he told us, after the tour, “you have mold.”

He took three samples around the building with a sucking device and returned to his office. A week later, AmeriSpec told us we had a mold spore count of 160. Without proper protection, a house with 500 is uninhabitable, they said.

The Pecoraros simply did not believe that the mold was a problem—so they covered it up. Over the course of the month, a construction crew showed up at 7:00 a.m. every day to plaster stucco over the wood shingles on the building’s exterior, hiding thick layers of mold. The crew also painted over the black spots in our second-floor closet.

After two months, Ryan and I agreed with the Pecoraros to break the lease. And on a random, rainy night, our friend Peter—an undergrad who works in the rare practice of fair and equitable brokerage—showed us a newly renovated, spacious two-bedroom in Bushwick. I often refer to this neighborhood as “Blade Runner territory,” for its towering subway platform and ramshackle storefronts. But the apartment was almost brand new, the J train was four blocks away, rent was $1300 and Peter promised to cut half of the broker’s fee.

Here was an offer we could trust. We settled. And for now, at least, our nightmares are over.

The Special: Real Estate: Learn How To Play Hardball

2007-05-03T14:20:00.000-05:00

By Peter Holslin

Before putting any money down on a new apartment, be sure to know your rights.

New York Statute 50-7-235-b states that the landlord is legally obligated to ensure that a space rented out to a tenant must be "fit for human habitation and for the uses reasonably intended by the parties and that the occupants of such premises shall not be subjected to any conditions which would be dangerous, hazardous or detrimental to their life, health or safety."

If you encounter any problems with your landlord, document everything. Mail letters of complaint. Make sure they are certified and return-receipt-requested. For added support, forward the letter to a local tenant's rights organization. Also, take photographs and send emails to build a paper trail. Never agree to anything with a shady landlord in person. Hearsay has no legitimacy in a courtroom.

Be sure to consult the Department of Buildings homepage on nyc.gov. This website is rife with information about building codes and housing court. It has links to community organizations and law agencies in every borough. Best of all, it hosts an exhaustive search engine that reports Certificates of Occupancy (C of O), permit requests, violations and other statistics for nearly every building in the city.

A search for 98 South 4th St., my old loft apartment, revealed 16 complaints, 26 Dept. of Buildings violations, 16 Environmental Control Board violations and scans of two C of O documents. One was signed December 7, 1928 and the other December 18, 1949, for a single story building. The building, known as the "Rocket Factory," currently has eight stories. The landlord recently applied for another C of O, but it was never finalized.

An article in The Village Voice last summer reported that landlords renting out buildings with at least three dwellings, specifically under a commercial lease (as opposed to residential, which is the lease you sign for most apartments in the city) are not legally allowed to charge rent, sue for back-rent or evict tenants for not paying rent, if the building does not have a C of O.

After discovering my loft had no C of O, I consulted a lawyer. He charged $250, looked up my building on the Dept. of Buildings site, noted this law and recommended that I stop paying rent.

Nyc.gov also has home pages for the Department of Housing and the Loft Board, which have even more information about tenant rights and housing regulations.

The Special: Real Estate: A Former Rental Agent Comes Clean

2007-05-03T14:13:00.000-05:00

Six Things to Know Before You Begin Your Search

A student checking out possible apartments in Union Square. Photographed by Sam Lewis.

By Liz Garber-Paul

I used to be a Manhattan real estate agent. It’s a hard thing to admit if you live in New York. People look at you with shock and disgust, like they’d look at someone who just admitted they enjoy opening car doors on bicyclists or have a thirst for infant blood. My supervising brokers taught me the real tricks of the trade, like how to get the landlord and the renter to pay the fee. But I’ve changed, I promise. No longer do I dream of vacant lofts and the dimwitted clients who’d spend $4,000 a month on them and pay my full fee. However, the experience wasn’t in vain. Though I never made much money, I did learn how to use agents and agencies in the most effective way. So, because I’m such a sweetheart, I’ll reveal what they’re good at and what you’re better off doing on your own.

Know what their job really is.

An agent's job is to match the renter up with the apartment they like and can afford. They cultivate relationships with management companies in order to have exclusive rights over a building or a group of buildings. They also share their listings with brokers all over the city, so most brokers are going to have a lot of similar listings.

They meet with clients to figure out the clients needs and match them up with a reasonable apartment. In exchange, they ask for a commission of around 15% of one year’s rent, which is about two months rent—quite a sizable fee given the average price of a Manhattan one bedroom is $1,750.

Do your homework.

It’s always better to do research before you go talk to a salesman, especially when their commission will be in the thousands. A few months before you move, start looking around the internet. Check out sites like NYC.gov and the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (at Housingnyc.com) to understand your legal rights, like which fees they can charge you and what is illegal.

Keep an eye on rental message boards, like Craigslist, to get an idea of what kind of space you can get in each neighborhood for your price range. When you start to see a favorable trend, go check out the neighborhoods to see if you could handle living there. Try the restaurants, peek into the laundromats, see if they have your brand of iced tea at the deli—these are the things that will make you feel comfortable if you end up there. Also, look around for signs put up by owners or managers. It may seem simple, but calling them directly is still the easiest way to find a place on your own.

Decide what’s most important to you.

Price, location or space: you can only choose two out of three. First, figure out what you can qualify for. If you want an apartment between $1,000 and $1,250, you need to have proof of a salary of at least $50,000, which is 40-50 times your rent. But if, like some New Yorkers, your income is made up of part-time hours and under-the-table babysitting, you’ll have to get a guarantor that makes at least 80 times the monthly rent. Each application can only have one guarantor. If you and your friend are going in on a $2,400 apartment, that means one of you needs to have a friend or relative, usually in the tri-state area, that pulls in $192,000 a year and can prove it.

When you’re ready, find someone you can trust.

Not everyone needs to use an agent. For some, a quick look through the online classifieds will yield the apartment of their dreams. But for others, a months-long search can leave them empty handed. If you end up in that second category, using an agent might be the answer.

A good agent can find you a place in less than a week. Prepare yourself by gathering last year’s W2s, a pay stub, a letter of employment and a recent bank statement to bring with you. If you’re relying on a guarantor, take their documentation and, if possible, the guarantor themselves. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with a place and losing it while you’re waiting for your mother’s fax machine to start working again. Believe me.

At your first meeting, be as specific as possible. Go in with a few location options and know what your price range is, and what your minimum square footage is. They should be able to take you out to see three or four locations that day that meet some, if not all, of your requirements. If they don’t meet your standards, ditch the agent. All they’ll do is waste your time and theirs.

Realize that most times, they can get you a better deal.

Agencies spend years cozying up to Manhattan’s most prominent owners. That means management companies will let agencies do all the advertising and applicant screening for them, and not post any ads themselves.

Ngoc Cong of Best Apartments Inc. says that it’s her job as listings manager to build and maintain exclusive relationships with these accounts. “These landlords have problems marketing their apartments to the public,” she says. “All they have to do is just receive paperwork, get a glimpse of what they’re being presented with and do the approval process.” That cuts their job in half, so many don’t even bother working with the public.

Understand that it’s in their best interest to find you the right place.

Miracles in Manhattan are few and far between. “I’ve seen great deals that are posted by individual landlords who have maybe one or two buildings or a brownstone,” says Cong. “The only thing is, that it’s very competitive.” A beautiful two bedroom on the Upper East Side can be legitimately listed at $1,500, but chances of you winning over the landlord are slim. Landlords, like many professionals, are predictable. They will always choose a single or a married couple over a roommate situation, and they definitely prefer the renter to have an acceptable income instead of dealing with a guarantor. (Some don’t even accept guarantors.)

If your plan is to live with a few friends to drive down cost, it may be harder than you think to get the manager or landlord to call you back. The thought of three people living in their one bedroom may make some ill. But a good agent knows which landlord will let you in. After all, they get nothing for showing you out-of-reach apartments; they only make money if you sign a lease on an apartment they show you.

The agent will make you sign a form before they’re allowed to show you anything. All it should say is that if you decide to take an apartment they show you or an apartment in the building they show you, you owe them the fee. If you’ve already seen a place with one agent, don’t take it with another. You might end up paying the broker’s fee twice.

Like with all major transactions, trust your gut. If you emerge from a meeting feeling slimy, chances are you should find another agent. While the vacancy rate is at 1%, an all-time low, there is never a shortage of agents who are willing to work hard for you—for a price.

The Special: The Grueling Adventures of Lang Commuters: Dana Angelo

2007-05-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

By Estelle Hallick

Dana Angelo
20, Junior

Concentration: Playwriting

Commuted for: A year and a half, 2-3 days a week

Current Residence: East Village

Where did you live? I started commuting an hour and 15 minutes from Raritan, N.J., then my parents moved to Point Pleasant, N.J., turning my commute into a three hour journey.

Why commuting? I lived in the dorms at the School of Visual Arts my freshman year and hated it. I then transferred to Lang. I made plans to get an apartment with different friends and that fell through, so instead of subjecting myself to dorm life again I chose to commute.
My morning started at: 6 a.m. to catch a 7 a.m. train (Raritan) and 5-5:30 a.m. to catch a 6:42 a.m. train (Point Pleasant).

I can’t leave home without: Coffee and a non-school related book.

One time I forgot: To take an umbrella and had to buy one in the city because it was pouring out.

Cons: Getting up at the crack of dawn. But what was even worse was the commuters. All I could think is how I never wanted to be any of these people. The businessmen and women looked so miserable and void of any happiness in their lives. It was sad.

Pros: Time to do homework or read. I had tons of time with nothing to do except work. Now that I live in the city I have to force myself to sit down and get work done.
At the end of the day I felt: Tired and would usually whine to my parents about how much I hated commuting because my train was late or because some random person decided to talk to me.

In a perfect world I could: Own my own place at some point, instead of paying rent forever. That could happen more realistically in Brooklyn, although I hope that someday, somehow, I can afford to own an apartment in Manhattan. I would love to live over in the West Village or Chelsea, although I do love the East Village.

The Special: The Grueling Adventures of Lang Commuters: Dana Collins

2007-05-03T12:12:00.000-05:00

By Estelle Hallick

Dana Collins,
22, Senior

Concentration: Writing, Poetry

Commuted since: Fall semester of '04.

Current Residence: Deer Park, NY in Long Island

Why commuting? I lived at Union Square the semester before that, but it wasn't for me. I need to be at my home where my band and friends are, but I love the city too. I think I get the best of both worlds.

My morning starts at: 5:30 A.M.

I can’t leave home without: My yoga mat, Odwalla bar & Zune.

One time I forgot: I've forgotten papers that were due before, so now I usually send a backup copy to my email just in case.

Cons: I hate paying so much money for the LIRR. It feels like most of my money goes towards traveling to school. I definitely feel like I'm disconnected from the school.. If there's an event on a day that I don't commute, I'm likely not to go because I don't want to spend over twenty dollars to get there. Plus, I don't get to hang out with people from school too often because I'm usually on Long Island in the evening.

Pros: I love falling asleep on the train. It's good nap time.

At the end of the day I feel: Happy to be back and closer to the people I love.

In a perfect world I could: All I want right now is to be able to move out of my house into an apartment on Long Island somewhere. I'm going to have to save a little bit more still because Long Island is so expensive.

The Special: Living With Roommates: A Dream or a Nightmare?

2007-05-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

Photographed by Sam Lewis.

Beware of Scammers
I share a common nightmare with most other college students: adding to the student loan debt I’m already in. However, by the end of freshman year a common dream I share is getting out of the dorms. Where do I go? Craigslist. Everyone uses it, right? That’s right, everyone—including people with the same moral values as your average bank robber. So I followed the hordes and got the Brooklyn apartment, signed the lease, and went back to Craigslist to sublet the apartment for the summer, until school begins again in the fall. Now I’m not more gullible than the average person, and I’m smart enough to be in college. So when I got huge checks in the mail from potential roomers I had been corresponding with for three weeks (via internet and phone), I thought if anything they were the idiots in the situation. They sent me, a total stranger, a check for three grand, and trusted that I would keep the first month’s rent and send the rest of the money back to them. I should have know it was too good to be true… A week or so later, after most of the money had been transferred back to them (and how unfortunate, they can’t sublet anymore due to a “fatal family car crash”), the check bounces and my bank account is drained. I barely had anything in the account to begin with, so one morning I woke up to discover the amount had plummeted into the negative thousands. This may all seem like an obvious plot, but I can promise you these people are great at what they do and it really only takes one hopeful college student desperate to sublet, to run such a scam. So yes, everyone uses Craigslist, but not everyone has three grand to send you or the ethical standards to let you know if they don’t. Now I’m stuck with more debt to pay off, rooms to sublet, and police reports to file.
—Pip K. Francis

Extreme Actress
Imagine coming home from a sunny day in the park to find that your roommate has separated the fridge into two with tape to ensure that you wouldn’t touch any of her precious macrobiotic food. Well, if your roommate’s a self-absorbed anorexic actress, this is what happens. But it didn’t stop there—imagine visits from her porky Russian mother who critically asked, “Are you really going to eat that?” to whatever your dinner was. What about your roommate installing a lock on her bedroom door to ensure that you didn’t steal her quarters for your laundry? Well, that was my roommate freshman year. My only advice, avoid actresses.
—Barbara Nauhu
Union Square Hardcore
During my freshman year, the four floors of apartment style dorms in Union Square had more disciplinary write-ups than any of the other, much larger, residence halls. At the center of this maelstrom was my apartment. Two of my five apartment mates were older, hardcore kids from Philly who had recently graduated from straight-edge to binge drinkers. One was big and stoic, the other small and loud-mouthed—I’ll call him Napoleon. Because of my dread-locks, he referred to me exclusively as ‘shit-locks’ and constantly threatened to shit in my pillowcase.

Early on, somebody found a box of terrible records on the street. Three hours and a dozen 40s later, we were smashing records across each other and throwing the jagged pieces like death Frisbees, embedding them in the walls. Breaking things became a nightly tradition. As we weren’t cleaning up after ourselves, the task soon became insurmountable. The funny part was that other people loved hanging out there. The ‘anything goes’ atmosphere attracted freshman like a carcass attracts flies. At times, people brought things over for us to smash. When guests left items, especially cell-phones, we would glue them to the ceiling.

One incident was too gross to be proud of or ignore. The shower drain had been slowing down for a long time and when it finally stopped up—I’m not making this up—white, crawly, worm-like creatures emerged from the grate. We called the maintenance guy.

By the end of the school year, Napoleon never had lived up to his word about defecating in my pillowcase. When all was said and done, I proved to be the bravest. No one else thought it was possible to extract the dishes or appliances from the layers of grime. I took the bet and walked away with a full kitchen set, including a toaster and microwave.
—Alex Waddell

The Special: A Look at Where Students Live: David Eisenhauer

2007-05-03T11:29:00.000-05:00

Interviewed & Photographed by Monica Uszerowicz

David Eisenhauer
20 years old, Sophomore at Lang

Neighborhood/Train: South Williamsburg, JMZ
Commute Time: 30 minutes, but an hour if transfers are bad

Rent: $2,000 a month. David pays $650.
Roommates: 2 roommates
Bedroom/bathroom: Loft, 1 bathroom
Signed a Lease?: Yes, but there's no certificate of occupancy.
Average Neighborhood Rent: Not sure

Highlights: "I can do whatever the hell I want—I can swing!" quiet, cheap, better than living in Manhattan. "I really like it a lot."
Drawbacks: Because it's a very Orthodox & Hasidic Jewish neighborhood, lots of places close early on Friday. Also, it's sometimes difficult to get appliances fixed because "the super sucks."

The Special: A Look at Where Students Live: Collin Bay

2007-05-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

Interviews & Photographed by Monica Uszerowicz

Collin Bay
21 years old, Junior at Lang and Jazz

Neighborhood/Train: Historic Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill, 1,A,B,C,D
Commute Time: Just under 30 minutes

Rent: $1400 a month. Collin pays $775 for the bigger room.
Roommates: 1 roommate
Bedroom/Bathrooms: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Signed a Lease?: Yes.
Average Neighborhood Rent: "Totally cheaper than $1400. $400-600."

Highlights: Has a real neighborhood vibe, quiet, great park, St. Nick's Pub—has its own Sugar Hill Brew, really good food (including a Mexican restaurant that features Mexican pop stars), ability to practice instruments loudly, everything is cheaper.
Drawbacks: There was a break-in and people who were living illegally upstairs were hurt, the commute gets old (but it's not bad), the weather that far north isn't always so great, no elevator, no good grocery store (makes it impossible to eat healthily), apartment is a bit small.

The Special: A Look at Where Students Live: Dena H. Saleh

2007-05-03T11:09:00.000-05:00

Interviews & Photographed by Monica Uszerowicz

Dena H. Saleh
24 years old, Junior at Lang
Neighborhood/Train: Prospect Heights, 2/3 or Q/B
Commute Time: 35 minutes

Rent: Rent-controlled, $1240. Dena pays $415.
Roommates: 2 roommates (friend & girlfriend)
Bedroom/Bathroom: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath
Signed a Lease?: No. Her roommate's girlfriend had the place for a while (hence the rent-controlled bit), moved to Chelsea and essentially handed it over to her girlfriend. The girlfriend invited Dena and her own girlfriend to move in—Dena didn't have to sign a lease because it's under the other two girls' names. So it's legit.
Average Neighborhood Rent: $1700-$2000, although it's sometimes less, sometimes more.

Highlights: Lots of restaurants, Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Really chill neighborhood, close to everything, has beautiful architecture. "It's a really great pocket of Brooklyn."
Drawbacks: "Lots of dog poop everywhere."

Op-Ed: Paron Moi?

2007-05-03T10:25:00.000-05:00

How does one “live” etiquette? In other words, how do I become charming?

The mechanics of etiquette can be taught to a certain extent, and you may know that I taught them for a living before college. It only takes a few minutes to figure out what goes where on a proper dinner table, how to tie a bow tie and whose cigarette you light first in a group. Most of this information is available in classic and contemporary etiquette books and, if you look very carefully, on the internet. You should read about these mechanics, but more importantly, put them into practice. Attend or host a formal dinner or cocktail party, get yourself invited to a barristers ball or society wedding, or dust off your giant jaunty hat and take a trip to the Kentucky Derby. I once advised a reader who was distraught over the low-end liquor served at parties to get a higher class of friends. If you find yourself with infrequent opportunities to groom your social graces, it would serve you well to do the same.

The universality of charm is somewhat limited because of divergent tastes. The two unrelated Hepburns, for example, are both undeniably charming, but if you like one very much, you may find the other repellant. Consider your audience and the sort of people you would like to attract.

Like most things in life, archetypes and tropes are the keys to the kingdom. Enumerate people with an appearance of being charming and consider their commonalities. They’re usually smart but more importantly, they are clever. They keep their cards close to their chest, revealing the least significant ones as a teaser when accused of being too opaque. Drinking and smoking are to be expected, but never to status-compromising excess. Being good-looking never hurts.

You can become a rogue like Marlon Brando or an ingénue like the heroines of Neil Simon, a hero like Rock Hudson or a perennial damsel in distress like Lois Lane, a mysterious misanthrope like James Dean or an unrelenting socialite like Tracy (Red) Lord to Cray Grant's lovable charlatan in The Philadelphia Story. Be aware that whichever type you choose, it must have practical applications with regard to your own life. If you must be surrounded at all times by your giggling gaggle of friends, the misanthropic route is not for you. Likewise, if you have even a shred of agency and can’t quite get the hang of a constant expression of doe-eyed wonder, than the ingénue is not for you.

I think what you’re really looking to do is cultivate a little affectation. Very few people are genuinely charming—I can count fewer than four among everyone I’ve ever known. For most, however, cultivating a few nuanced idiosyncrasies is enough to get by. Invent a signature cocktail for yourself (Parisians are taken), address everyone you meet with an affectionate moniker, never read anything written after 1950 and listen to unrecognizable jazz. And when you are choosing what type to mimic, please don’t overlook perhaps the most charming type of all: etiquette columnist.

Dearest UCC,

2007-05-03T10:22:00.000-05:00

To many New School students, you are just another place to score free printouts for class presentations and catch up on missed episodes of Lost. To Inprint, however, you are more than just an occasional fling or one night stand during finals week: you’re our better half, and without you, producing the newspaper would be impossible.

Every other week, nearly a dozen staff members gather at workstation K to pound out another issue of the paper, chugging coffee and scarfing bagels from Murray’s to stay energized for our late night rendezvous. Since September, we’ve been together every other weekend, drudging through the lousy headlines and deadlines, and everything in-between. With BSB videos and The Office episodes providing background noise and a solid working beat, we’ve gone all the way and back again to put this paper out…and we’ve done it together, UCC, side by side and hand in hand.

As we near the close of our 15th and final issue of the school year, Inprint would like to take a moment to salute you, coffee cups raised dangerously close to vulnerable keyboards.

As the Golden Girls would say, thank you for being a friend, UCC. U rock!!!11111oneoneone

Op-Ed: Critic's Notebook: What Has Film Come To?

2007-05-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

Anna Karina.

By Zach Warsavage

Jean-Luc Godard once said, “All you need to make a film is a girl and a gun.” The same theory can be applied to the contemporary experience of watching films: all you need is a girl and a gun. The gun is for when the film inevitably disappoints. The girl is to blow off steam afterwards.

I went to see Grindhouse on April 20th, and found the experience rather atypical. It was a beautiful day in Manhattan. People everywhere were smiling and enjoying being outside and doing drugs for the holiday. Yet everyone was still isolated and completely disinterested in one another. At 9 p.m., when the sun had gone down, I entered a full theater. Every seat was taken, every eye was on the screen and, amazingly, almost as a single unit, for over three hours, a giant room full of New Yorkers laughed and cheered very convincingly. Granted, this was to be the expected response for a Tarantino production. But the cinematic bond in the theater was powerful. A film had taken a group of people, shut them up, elated them and then sent them off.

I realize that this is what films are supposed to do. Make your eyes glaze over, your head stiff and upright and take your brain to another world. A film is like a dream. The director dreams it, wholly in his or her own image, the audience is invited into the dream world and then the critic analyzes what the dream meant. But this is not the case today. Today, the director, the critic and the audience are isolated from each other and the film as a whole. Film today is like a gluttonous asshole. It keeps stuffing more bullshit into its mouth while charging more and more money to watch it eat. Sometimes what it eats is easy to swallow, like a comedy. Other times it’s harder, like the endless line of biopics, pretentious political thrillers and masturbatory save-the-world films laced with a crappy plot about Africa. The mark of an important American film today relies mostly on the names attached to it, or the deeper pretense it has because George Clooney helped produce it. It is almost a given that each film is a compromise of many values and that no one is actually responsible for the film, as it is collectively fucked all along the way towards its release. This leaves a film with little value, and leaves the critic with the spineless role of creating sound bites that will be chopped up with some ellipses, and then finally left at the bottom of the hundredth commercial for it…Fantastic!

Tarantino and Rodriguez’s two films within Grindhouse were different. They demonstrated a true cinephilia and love of film history, and a true authorship over their films, having written and directed them. This immediately made me think of the French Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) for its obsession with films and its auteur theory. The theory was first introduced in print in the article, “A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema,” in the great French film magazine Cahiers du Cinema. Written in 1954, by the then young critic Francois Truffaut, the article stressed the need for the director to author the work. Cahiers had many young critics who would go on to become famous directors, and they gained their influence for this autonomous style from geniuses like Hitchcock, Hawks, Renoir and Cocteau. I could not agree with this concept more. Just as no one would want to read a novel written by 15 different people, no one can fully enjoy a film that has no true author. When there is a lack of an author, the dream suffers on all levels. The vision is unclear, the audience thus cannot appreciate the film and the critic has no one to blame and little to analyze. This is why directors like Tarantino and Wes Anderson are so popular today. Both of them have their own worlds, and both of them carry out their fantasies uninhibited onto the screen. It should come as no surprise that Anderson has said one of his favorite films is Truffaut’s first film, the masterpiece The 400 Blows. Tarantino not only dedicated Reservoir Dogs to Godard, but he also named his production company A Band Apart, a reference to Godard's Bande a part.

Tarantino is a known film aficionado, with a propensity to mimic genre films, such as Kung Fu, Blacksploitation, B Films and the New Wave. The young Cahiers critics were the exact same way, except many of them were inventing new forms. The Cinematheque in Paris, which was frequented by cinephiles, and portrayed in Bertolucci’s The Dreamers, was a nest of obsession. This is what we need today. People obsessed with films, who appreciate above all the role of an author in a film, and who have the creative drive to continue this tradition. Truffaut, Godard, Rivette, Charbrol and many of the other young critics/auteurs exemplified filmmaking as a 20th century modern art. These young artists wanted film to be the most important modern art and, while they did their part, their art, and art in general, changed after their main era.

These young Cahiers served many roles that do not exist today. First of all, they were able to contextualize an art that was still elusive in its role. The Cahiers wrote essays on what films are, and what they should and could be doing, and then went ahead and broke all the rules. This kind of rebellion does not happen very much today, as many of the edits and jump cuts and the overall realism of their stories can merely be copied. Godard revolutionized editing with his first film A Bout de Soufflé (translation: Breathless) by breaking norms and even allowing characters to wear different outfits within the same scene. There simply is not as much room today for innovation in camerawork, so this then leaves the innovation to be on the side of the concepts the film deals with. Films today need to be like poetry, or literature, and redefine the human condition, or redefine what it means to tell a story. In this regard, films today are embarrassing failures.

While some directors, if given the freedom, create great films, the industry does not produce enough. I cannot imagine crowds of youths squeezing into a cinematheque to get their art fix in this generation. The Cahiers loved American films, and while the tradition of filmmaking changes, Hollywood stays in a direction of smug inferiority. Films need a one of a kind touch, whether it's David Lynch or David O. Russell; movies made in this era should be more about thinking and less about politics. There are only a handful of films each year that I see at the theater, and rarely do I think I have seen something new. The Nouvelle Vague was new. When I first watched The 400 Blows, featuring Truffaut’s alter ego, Antione Doniel, I thought I was reading a novel lived by the author. Truffaut’s first film, and many thereafter, were his own tales twisted into a realist dream. His film is like a piece of first person narrative literature. Godard for Breathless, and most of his other works, used Raoul Coutard as his director of photography. Coutard filmed footage in the military, and Godard loved the idea of his films blurring the lines between fiction and documentary. To watch these New Wave films is to live in the dreams of the author, and not on the outside looking in.

What I especially love about the New Wave, Tarantino, Anderson and any auteur in general, is that for an author to make up his own characters, casting is essential. A dream can only be realized with the right players. The best example of this is Anna Karina. Unlike today’s films, where casting is about names and potential profit, Godard discovered Karina in a soap commercial. Godard knew that her face, her looks, the way she walked, talked, and simply sat still had unprecedented enigma. This is what cinema needs: people born for the screen. To watch Une Femme est une Femme (A Woman is a Woman), Bande a part, Alphaville, or Pierrot le fou, is to watch Karina, and her character, through the eyes of Godard, her creator. In this the style is seamless in its approach to authorship, and this results in great cinema where the audience and the critics role’s are valuable again. Godard married Karina, more fully blurring cinema with life.

Godard may have been right when he said all you need for a film is a girl and a gun. But today, it seems you might need that girl to be accompanied by a few other girls. And they should be unaccompanied by well fitting clothes. You might also need a bunch of guns. Probably a cannon, as well. If Nicholas Cage is available, then make sure you also have explosions and plots where people can see two minutes into the future. Godard proved he too could see into the future, when he once said, "I pity the French cinema because it has no money. I pity the American cinema because it has no ideas."

Op-Ed: Neighborhood Tales: Yorkville, Manhattan

2007-05-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

Fire escapes in Yorkville. Photographed by Sam Lewis.

By Linh Tran

The Upper East Side has a secret hidden between East 59th Street, East 96th Street, Third Avenue and the East River—it’s called Yorkville. Yorkville is the less trendy, less polished, less expensive section of the Upper East Side.

The Upper East Side is not all Park Avenue penthouse apartments and expensive Madison Avenue boutiques. Beyond Lexington Avenue to the east, Yorkville boasts small thrift stores and antique shops, and the only area on the Upper East Side where you can find self-service laundromats.

I’ve lived in Yorkville for a little over a year in a small two-bedroom, railroad-style apartment two blocks away from the East River. At the end of the two blocks, right along the FDR, is John Jay Park. It’s a real gem and everything I think a park should be. It has a playground, an extensive network of slides and swings and a large fountain for kids, and the occasional college student, to run through in the summer heat. For me, the defining feature of the park has to be its large swimming pool. For a college student who can’t afford a gym membership, the free public pool in John Jay Park is a great resource.

If you head west after an afternoon in the park, you’ll hit York Avenue, a lovely two-way street running north and south that is dotted with cafes and bakeries. My favorite Saturday afternoon café is Beannochio’s. The patrons reflect the type of residents of this section of the city—young couples, college students and lots of children.

Yorkville is a great place to wind down, especially after spending all day downtown. There are very few bars and clubs up here. It’s quiet and the streets are relatively vacant of drunken twenty something’s. The atmosphere is as laid back as New York City can get. In Yorkville, you feel like you’re away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, but not too far away from it.

Op-Ed: Neighborhood Tales: Briarwood, Queens

2007-05-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

The streets of Briarwood. Photographed by Nadia Chaudhury.

By Nadia Chaudhury

No one’s ever heard of Briarwood, my quiet, small neighborhood off of Queens Boulevard, tucked in the outskirts of Jamaica and Kew Gardens. My credit card statements are addressed to Jamaica, New York, as if Briarwood doesn’t even exist to Citibank. Though, the MTA recognizes the neighborhood enough to create a subway station there: Briarwood-Van Wyck, home to the F train.

Whenever I tell people I live in Queens, they gasp and say, “Oh my god, that’s so far away! How long does it take you to get to school?” Forty-five minutes to an hour, I answer, depending on the train. Then they gasp again, “Oh my god, that’s so long!” Compared to my hour-and-a-half trek to high school in the Bronx, going to Lang is a breeze. Even getting home during the late hours (or early morning, whichever way you choose to look at it) is easy because the F train never stops; although there might be a twenty minute wait.

I live on 85th Road, on top of a hill. One side is so steep for several blocks that it rests on Hillside Avenue. The other slide slants slowly, twisting and meshing into other streets, until it comes to a stop on Queens Boulevard.

Outside my apartment, there are two other similar buildings, all part of the same apartment complex. In the center is the circular pathway where I learned to ride my bike, going round and round until dark and the pathway that became a make-shift baseball field, each entrance substituting for the bases. A stout, wide bush where I saw my first robin in spring sat in the very center of it. Children walk to the elementary school just across the street, and when they’re a bit older, they walk a bit further to the junior high school right behind that elementary school. The sky’s clearer above and I can count how many stars I see with two hands.

Despite this calm and serene atmosphere (and because of it), Briarwood is not very exciting. Besides the Little League parade every spring, not much happens in this little neighborhood. I spend most of my time in Manhattan, where it’s livelier.

Going home, though, is an indulgence I get to relive every night, because it’s a break from the constant motion of Manhattan, walking through the quiet, hilly roads of Briarwood where I used to play manhunt through the streets and buildings of the neighborhood and watched in awe as a friend threw a ball up to the roof of a six-story apartment building. Briarwood is where I grew up, and for now, it’s nice being here.

Op-Ed: Neighborhood Tales: Staten Island

2007-05-03T10:04:00.000-05:00

The entrance to the South Ferry terminal. Photographed by Nadia Chaudhury.

By Audrey Quaranta

Well, I’m from a borough of New York City, anyway. It isn’t Brooklyn, it’s not Queens and no, it isn’t the Bronx either. That leaves “the forgotten borough”–Staten Island. I’ve lived in the ultra-suburban New Dorp area my entire life and continue to commute to and from Lang via the MTA express bus for about 3 hours daily. It’s the place where if you’re not Italian you’re in the serious minority, fake tans are a key trend amongst the youth (yes, they do turn you orange, so don’t try it), and the world’s largest landfill can be spotted from outer space. The MTV program True Life: I’m a Staten Island Girl exemplified the ruling social class–super suave, sporting perfectly gelled hair and gold jewelry bought with mom and dad's credit card. And yes, we all have those accents. Mine is not that bad, but I’m often surprised when a classmate asks “Where are you from?”

Still, it isn’t as painful as it sounds. One thing I’d never give up about Staten Island–besides having a car–is the close-knit group of friends that is so easy to form. Neighborhood hangouts draw the same people you went to high school with, and as years pass it is still easy to stay connected. If you’re broke on a Friday night, there’s nothing to do but congregate in a parking lot or in someone’s basement, but at least we’re all doing it together and turning it into a good time. And it’s such a small world over here that it’s almost like Cheers, where “everybody knows your name.” As out of place as I may sometimes feel on Staten Island–I don't buy my clothes at the mall or drive a nice car, and I wear what I want to when I want to–I know I’ll always have my childhood friends a short drive away. And when I’m really starting to hate this place, I just remember that it's the home of the Wu-Tang Clan and all feels right with the world.

Op-Ed: For the Lang Students That Aren't Rich, Living Ain't So Easy

2007-05-03T10:01:00.000-05:00

Illustrated by Jeremy Schlangen.

By Connor Molloy

Sometimes, in an attempt to make conversation, I ask, “So where do you work?” Only at Lang do I get the response, “Oh, I don’t have a job.”

How can you not have a job? I quote directly from my little brother’s email when I say, “I mean, if you don’t work, doesn’t natural law kinda say that you starve?”

We talk constantly about awareness at Lang, but no demographic is more consistently unaware of reality than the upper class. The majority of them are totally oblivious to the daily math that goes into the earning and spending of your own money.

Someone who lives in the West Village and works 6 hours a week is living an entirely different existence from someone who works over 30 hours and then goes home to Sunset Park. In fact, this difference is comparable to the divergent realities of male and female, or black and white, or Muslim and Christian. Class, however, is never brought up in the demand for diversity at Lang. Nor, like the black kid in an all white seminar, are we ever asked to empathize with our less affluent peers.

Rent can cost as little as $650 a month, but you’d have to live pretty far into Brooklyn, spend over 10 hours a week commuting, and spend $76 monthly on a MetroCard. That is $726 already, and you haven’t eaten yet. Give yourself $10 a day to spend on food, including all meals, snacks and drinks. It might seem fine, but kids drop that without thinking on one lunch alone, maybe a burrito and soda at Chipotle ($9.26), or for the health-conscious, a salad and juice from Cosi ($9.06).

That’s $300 on food in a month, so now you’re at $1,026, but you haven’t bought toothpaste, Kleenex or shampoo, haven’t bought that book for class or done the laundry. We’ll add $124 for that, which brings our monthly expenses to $1,200. In this equation we are ruling out Netflix, a new blouse, aspirin, the Of Montreal CD and giving to the homeless.

And that’s forever, too; we’re not “putting it off till next month,” because next month is the same formula. You can go see Joanna Newsom at Webster Hall for twenty bucks, but then you can’t eat for two days. The anxiety is there with every purchase, every rent check and every store you can’t go into.

To make this budget work with a $9 per hour job, you need to work over 31 hours a week. That is on top of class time, homework, commutes and anything else you need to do just to get through the week.

There is also the subtle, dirty and unspoken shame. It comes up at times where no one else even thinks twice. Kids will say, “Come on, I’m hella broke too, let’s go to Joe Juniors—the sandwiches are only five bucks.” Yeah, well actually they’re $5.95, and that doesn’t include tax, and after a tip it’s an $8 sandwich, which you don’t think twice about but which only leaves me $2 for the rest of the day.

Instead, I say, “uh, naw dude, I’ll just peace out.”

But the differences are as fundamental as they are subtle. Someone with a 30-hour-a-week job and a 10-hour-a-week commute spends 40 hours simply not being able to do homework. Not only do other kids get a 40-hr/week head start on homework, they could spend those 40 hours sleeping more, or flirting with a girl, or learning how to skateboard, or writing a fucking novel. But kids without jobs go on bitching about being “so poor” or living in an East Village apartment that’s “ghetto as fuck.”

At a college where the student body is constantly preoccupying themselves with raising their critical consciousness concerning race, gender and sexuality, it would do everyone a great deal of good to work class into that equation.

News: Lang Students Vexed by Building Hours

2007-05-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

Jonathan Veitch, Dean of Lang, addressed students' concerns last week. Photographed by Emily Alexander.

By Peter Holslin & Hannah Rappleye

At a Dean’s Forum hosted by the Lang Student Union last Tuesday, Lang Dean Jonathan Veitch and other Lang administrators encouraged students to write a petition that would open 65 West 11th St. and 55 West 13th St. buildings for 24 hours during the school year.

The handful of students in attendance brought up a litany of concerns, including gripes over the university’s unpredictable building hours. Students also questioned the lack of scholarships, requested copy machines in the Lang building and expressed doubts over the quality and cost of the cafeteria food offered by Chartwells, the university’s cafeteria service.

The deans agreed with students that current building hours are inconvenient and that the students could benefit from additional technology in the Lang building, like copy machines and printers.

Amos Himmelstein, Assistant Dean at Lang, noted that opening the buildings for 24 hours would demand that university staff re-organize work schedules. He also said it could raise safety concerns.

Nevertheless, Guinevere Molina, director of Lang’s office of Student Development and Activities, noted that university security is headquartered in 55 West 13th, which could help the students’ cause.

The next day, the LSU wrote the petition and are now looking for student support. LSU can be contacted at LSU@newschool.edu.

Students also said there is a lack of support for those who are interested in pursuing service projects that address social justice issues, especially those that relate to people of color in New York City.

“It’s really hard to get support if you don’t have connections, if you don’t know this person in this office or this part of the administration,” one student said. “It’s hard to do work that’s genuine and responsible.”

Ella Turenne, Director of Special Projects, said that administrators and faculty are working to ensure that students are able to get involved in community building. She said that next spring, Lang will introduce a three-year program that focuses on long term service projects, but in the meantime, students should speak out if they have an idea for a project.

“If you have ideas, you should let us know,” Turrenne said. “It doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in conversations with faculty and administration and students, because it take a lot of time and resources to put that kind of thing together.”

Turrenne also said that students should reach out to organizations like LSU and the Student Life and Outreach Committee. “Sometimes it’s better that the administration is not part of what you’re doing,” she added.

Himmelstein responded to concerns that Lang was not receiving any money from the BA/FA program, saying that Lang should receive at least 30% of the funds next fall.

Students also asked why Lang is introducing majors and minors, expressing worry over what they feel is the “mainstreaming” of The New School.

Associate Dean Kathleen Breidenbach explained that by law, Lang is not allowed to require that students state concentrations because the only undergraduate degree the college offers is Liberal Arts.

The majors should not be any different from the concentrations, Breidenbach said.

“All we’re doing is trying to certify what we’re doing already,” she added.

Earlier, Dan Schulman, an LSU facilitator, asked why financial services took away the merit-based scholarship of a student he knew. Veitch said this student should contact the Dean’s office directly, and explained that the only way students could lose such a scholarship would be if they either failed to submit an application on time, or if their GPA sunk below the required average.

About 70% of students at Lang receive some kind of financial aid and most of students’ awards reflect their financial needs, Veitch said. On average, there is a 38% discount to families in need.

News: With IDEO, You Design

2007-05-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

A proposed floor plan for the first floor of 65 Fifth Av. Provided by curbed.com

By Cait McGinn

Come Spring, 2008, you can kiss the old New School goodbye, when ground is expected to break on an estimated 400 million dollar project to create a new “signature” building for the university. Part of the “new” New School project is a plan to demolish the Graduate Faculty building at 65 5th Avenue, and rebuild a structure, that according to a working document on the University website entitled “What is 'new' at The New School?,” will be a “pedagogical innovation that will not only speed the transformation of The New School, but also be a model for higher education in a globalizing world.” (For more on this topic, see editorial on page 2.)

Assisting the University in achieving this academic utopia is IDEO, an innovative design team based out of Stanford, California. IDEO researchers have been interviewing, shadowing and even videotaping students in the Lang courtyard for the past few weeks in an attempt to create a “human-centered design” based on student experience and concerns, according to Gitte Jonsdatter, an IDEO researcher.

“We spend time with students, faculty, administration, and visitors who use the space to gather stories about what is working well and what’s not so great,” said Jonsdatter. “As a design team, we gather all these stories together and look for themes or recurring issues that are the most important, and try to come up with solutions to those problems.”

Another way the design team is engaging students is through a blog. Some blog topics include “Secret Places,” where students go to get away from it all, as well as “Favorite places to study.” Incidentally, many responses listed the GF as their preferred place to hit the books.

New School student and IDEO blogger Aaron Jaffe voiced apprehension about the University’s decision to demolish and rebuild.

“It is not altogether clear to me why this procedure is necessary,” Jaffe said. “The building meets all the New School needs and it intuitively seems more cost effective to buy or rent other space nearby in the city than to destroy and rebuild what is already a critical functioning element of The New School.”

However, Jaffe, a graduate student at The New School for Social Research, did applaud the University’s decision to involve IDEO in the process.

“To explore student usages of space at the current building, the IDEO approach is a welcome change of pace,” he said.

News: Reporter's Journal: Seeing Rikers Island

2007-05-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

By Emily Alexander

On Friday, April 20, my Lang mural-painting class visited Rikers Island, New York’s largest jail facility, housing over 14,000 inmates. We met with a class of juvenile inmates attending Island Academy, a high school on Rikers (the others serve older GED candidates). The purpose of our visit was to meet students and discuss the artwork decorating the school and its meaning.

A few weeks before the trip, Ella Turenne, Lang’s Director of Special Programs, stopped by our class to give us some background information. In 20 minutes we attempted to learn the history of Rikers, some background on the students, security protocol, what not to wear and what not to say. Still, I had no idea what to expect.

My class, made up of seven students, mostly females, was told to wear loose-fitting clothes. We had originally intended to wear our college-issued bright orange Lang Mural Project t-shirts, but later received an emphatic email: “...DO NOT wear the orange Lang Outdoors t-shirts,” it read. “Some of the incarcerated men's uniforms are bright orange. Any other colors are fine.”

The day of the visit, we took the F train to Astoria then transferred to the Q101 bus—basically, the Rikers shuttle. Once at Rikers, we put all of our belongings except photo IDs into a locker. We entered the first holding room while Ella checked us in, then waited about 40 minutes. While waiting, I discussed with my friends in the class my own brushes with the law.

We cleared security and received blacklight stamps on our hands and waited for the Rikers shuttle bus. The bus brought us to Island Academy high school. The building looked exactly like all of the other prison buildings: big, grey with few windows and surrounded by barbed wire.

Mr. G., the school's outgoing assistant principal, greeted us. He led us inside where we walked through a second security checkpoint. He gave us a brief tour of the main hallway that was decorated with several childish paintings of smiling, bigheaded figures walking on a curvy sidewalk towards a giant diploma. There was a black line painted down the center of the hallway; we were told the prisoners were required to stay on the right side of the line, close to the wall.

Near the hallway's end we saw the mural we had come to Rikers to discuss, entitled “Choose Your Green.” The painting depicts a man kneeling beneath a razor-wire fence, trying to climb out. The figure is dissected in two; his left half is dressed in a traditional prison uniform and his right side, closer to the fence, is clad in military camouflage. A mask and night vision goggles conceal his face.

I was the first to enter the classroom, and was greeted by wide-eyed stares and a lot of murmured comments. It was a poetry and hip-hop class of about 20 young men between the ages of 16 and 18, all of color, and many about to be transferred to the adult section of Rikers. They represented all five boroughs of New York City. I was struck by the fact that most of them were only one year younger than me.

By Lang standards my class is very racially diverse. However, I perceived that as soon as we had all entered the classroom the students probably saw us all as exactly the same—just the way we are conditioned to see them.

Ella instructed us to play an "icebreaker." We introduced ourselves to one another, and asked each other questions like, “What do you do for fun?” What was I supposed to say? One of the guys asked me if I smoked pot and had sex, because that’s what he used to do for fun.

I answered “yes,” partly because I don’t think the purpose of visiting Island Academy was to pretend to be some sort of shining example for the students there. Instead, the idea was to meet people with different experiences and have some sort of artistic exchange, while learning something about the reality of U.S. prison systems.

After the icebreaker we broke into groups and talked about the “Choose Your Green” mural. We asked the students what they would like to be different if it were to be changed, and to draw pictures of what they’d like to see.

One student said that there was no way he would ever join the army. Some of us understood how it might be another way of being held captive by the U.S. government. We asked what the students’ plans after their release were. The answers varied from traveling, to working in construction, to attending Hunter College in the fall. Some didn’t know what they were going to do. This is something I think our correctional system should help prisoners, especially juveniles, figure out.

Since our visit I have been thinking a lot about America’s prison-industrial complex, and how our current correctional system focuses more on making money than lowering crime rates or rehabilitating criminals. Prisons provide the US with low-cost labor and mainly house members of society that are economically disadvantaged and therefore politically underrepresented. America holds over 2-million prisoners, more than any other country in the world. According to the US Department of Justice, 64% of prisoners belong to a racial or ethnic minority and an estimated 32% of black men will enter state or federal prison in their lifetime.

These young men will be labeled for the rest of their lives by something they did when they were teenagers. Like many young people, I did a lot of stupid shit when I was in high school and still do some stupid shit now. But I am a middle-class, white female and no one is looking to get me into trouble. If I ever do get caught, it’s unlikely I’d be punished in the same way.

Arts & Culture: Taking a Stroll Through Woodlawn Heights

2007-05-03T00:15:00.001-05:00

Here on a Monday noon, all is calm—except for these "proper" drunks. Photographed by Bob Lewis.

By Connor Molloy

I went to the northernmost Bronx hoping to find the exact spot where the city meets suburbia—a place where rugged inner city life comes crashing up against the opulent lives of the suburban elite. What I found instead was a predominantly Irish neighborhood called Woodlawn Heights. Woodlawn Heights is a place largely forgotten by its urban neighbors to the south as well as its suburban ones to the north. That is something that seems to sit just fine with the rosy-cheeked people who call this place home.

Exiting at the last stop on the 4 train, one thing struck me immediately. The area was spread out, a foreign concept to people in Manhattan. I tried to find a comparison to my surroundings. The first place that came to mind was Chicago with it's exposed subway and platforms that take you over the highway. There was a strange emptiness to the place. Maybe a clump of cars at a traffic light or a group of people pushing out of a bar, which made me think of St. Louis, Missouri, and Arlington, Virginia. Absent were Manhattan's hordes of people pushing past each other and the never-ending stream of cars threatening to wipe out pedestrians at every intersection. There were apartment buildings, but also homes with driveways, gas stations, trees, and flags—Irish flags, everywhere.

I walked up a hill and found two men sitting on a bench I assumed to be a bus stop, but later learned was simply a bench next to the road. They offered no explanation as to why they were sitting there at 3 p.m. on a weekday. They were the ones who told me about Woodlawn's overwhelmingly Irish heritage and about the neighborhood's borders. The Bronx River Parkway separates Woodlawn on the east from "the minorities," the men said. To the north is Yonkers, to the west is Deacon Parkway, and to the south is the sprawling Woodlawn cemetery, the eternal resting place of such famous New Yorkers as Lionel Hampton and Irving Berlin.

The four borders of Woodlawn might as well have walls built around them, because what you find within is so different from the rest of the city. The Irish seeps into everything—Irish newspapers are on the newsstands, Irish cola is stocked on the shelves, and here and there signs are posted in Ireland's native language, Gaelic. There are pubs everywhere, two a block on the main drags of McLean Parkway and Katonah Avenue. Residents of Woodlawn are always saying hi, unlike the other New Yorkers who are quicker with a "fuck you" than a "how do you do?" If they recognize you as living there they will talk your ear off anytime you pass them.

I met a woman originally from England who had an easygoing job at a video rental store. She told me Woodlawn reminded her of small-town England—no Blockbusters or Rite Aids, just a half dozen corner shops staffed by boys with shaved heads, short sleeves, and tattoos of shamrocks running up and down their arms.

I drank an orange-flavored Irish soda in a cafe adorned with crosses and four leaf clovers. I talked to a woman who had just moved to the United States six months ago and another waitress who had come from Galway two years ago. They enjoy the United States, they told me, but want to end up back in Ireland. "Ireland's my home," said the one from Galway. Clearly, Woodlawn helps ease the pain of being away.

What are the issues in Woodlawn? Not much, I'm told.

One of the waitresses responded to my question distractedly. "People are here to get on with their lives," she said. That seems to be the case. Everywhere I went on the sunny late afternoon people were smiling. Men nursed beers in bar windows and young girls rambled on to each other in an English I could barely understand.

Perhaps the biggest testament to these peoples' genuinely carefree attitude can be seen in their near total lack of carryover regarding the North/South, Protestant/Catholic infighting that is so rampant in Ireland. "There�s none of that here," the girls tell me. "Maybe with some young men if they're proper drunk, but even that's rare."

I�m so glad I went to Woodlawn. It allowed me to come up for air from the incessant hustle and flow that is the norm in Manhattan and West Brooklyn. It is a place I could get lost in, and one I felt more than a little sad leaving. Actually, I did get a bit lost on my walk back to the train. But in a way I think it's better that way. Getting lost in Woodlawn is a lot like staggering home drunk in Dublin. You know any bar you stumble into will greet you with a song and a beer, any stranger you run into will offer you a smile and directions, and any shop you walk into will be staffed by cute South Irish girls with even cuter accents.

News: What's the Haps? Issue #15

2007-05-03T00:08:00.000-05:00

By Najva Soleimani

Ok, ok. It�s finals time. I get it, but does that mean you aren't going out at all? New York City hasn�t shut down just so you can do your latest philosophy paper. If you're having trouble finding time, consider these events as part of your assignments for the week. Just call them your "cultural studies" homework. And for all you broke kids, there's only one listing that isn't free!

Indie-favorites Brazilian Girls are DJ-ing Cheeky Bastard, a free party at Hiro on Thursday, May 3 starting at 10 p.m. The party is hip, the music will be slammin'—just drink your vodka-redbull and dance all night. Sweating is good for you. It makes up for the fact that you haven't gone to the gym all week.

Friday is journalistically-themed with Docu-Jam 2007, a free Youth Documentary Showcase at 4:30 p.m. at the Museum of Television and Radio. Go see what other kids are doing and indulge in a few hours of idealism.

Following that is a reading of Best American Magazine Writing 2006 at Barnes and Noble at the Lincoln Center at 7 p.m.** Finally, you get to listen to good writing purely for pleasure. Maybe you can give Inprint some tips.

Cinco De Mayo comes Saturday, which is, of course, an excuse to party. If you want to rally to "party" legally, go to the World Wide Marijuana March starting at Washington Square at 1 p.m. If you do actually indulge and want a destination with better ambiance than a protest, then consider dropping by Studio B in Greenpoint at 10 p.m. where Moby is spinning a special rave DJ set. Tickets are $10.

Though that final week of school is probably your vision of hell (yes, you procrastinators), there�s one event that's bound to make you feel better: Chuck Palahniuk is reading at Union Square Barnes and Noble on May 9 at 7:00 p.m. Whatever disturbingly satirical and nihilistic tale he tells will make your life seem peachy keen. Just be prepared—so far over 60 people have fainted at his readings.

When all is said and done, all you need is love. So when school's out, stick around the city on May 19 for New York�s First Annual Love Parade—a dance parade that goes from 32nd St. to Washington Square. Over 42 different styles of dance and 6,000 dancers are to be represented, and that's just who signed up. The parade begins at 2 p.m., and ends whenever your legs give out. Celebrate self-expression, movement, and freedom from your laptop. Remember, all work and no play makes you a very dull college student.

News: Bizarre in Brief, Issue #15

2007-05-03T00:06:00.000-05:00

By Estelle Hallick

WTF? Did you know that texting championships existed? Me neither, but a 13-year-old from Pennsylvania was crowned the new champion by texting "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" in 15 seconds. She admitted that she sends 8,000 text messages a month to friends and family. Wow. In other news, a NASA astronaut does not let a little planetary distance stop her from completing the Boston Marathon in a little over four hours. While her sister ran on the Earth, Suni Williams ran on a treadmill in space. And the weirdest news to date: the semester is almost over.

NEW YORK (AP) —A New York couple is headed toward retirement—by taxi. Like many in the city, the couple does not drive and refuses to fly (due to their cats). So when they met a friendly cab driver a few weeks ago, they offered him $3,000 plus gas, lodging, and food if he would drive them to Arizona. The cabbie ultimately agreed to what he said would give him �good memories.� The couple saved about $2,000 with this alternate form of travel.
P.S. The couple and the cabbie made it to AZ in one piece, last week.

LONDON (Reuters) —After a night out with his friends, a 24-year-old British man woke up with a phone number running through his head. On a whim, he text messaged the strange number. The receiver? A 22-year-old girl that was a little wary of answering at first. But in fairy tale fashion, she replied, they met up, fell in love and are now married. This text messaging Romeo still has no idea how he came up with the phone number.

LOUISIANA (AP) —A 48-year-old man was arrested this past weekend for driving drunk�on a lawnmower. Police noticed the intoxicated man driving by, not once but twice. The second time he was driving in the middle of the street. The lawnmower was later returned to his mother and he was released on a $650 bond. Let this be a lesson to us all—drinking alcohol and maintaining your landscape is a bad mix.

GERMANY (Ananova) —Beware of lakes, boys�or at least lakes in Bavaria. A 15-year-old-boy�s penis suffered minor injuries when a turtle bit through the boy�s swim shorts. But apparently that wasn't enough for the turtle, who also left a bad wound on the boy's hand. He later needed stitches. There have been no signs of the turtle since the incident, but the lake has since remained swimmer-free.

News: Around the Courtyard: Neighborhoods

2007-05-02T23:56:00.000-05:00

What is the best and worst thing about where your neighborhood?

Interviewed by Cameron Paine-Thaler & Photographed by Amy Costello

"It's small—that's bad, but it's quaint—that's good."
13th Street Dorms
-Sam Diamond, Freshman

"The quiet is good, but the lack of subways is bad."
Alphabet City
-Ander Henderson, Senior

"The worst—I live on the 2nd floor and there are two bars on the same street. But, Coldstone is a block away."
86th & 1st
-Christina Dallons, Junior

"I get cigarettes for five dollars! Worst is living above a coffee shop with late nights."
Bed-Stuy
-Catherine Boutwell , Senior

"The best is it's cheap, the worst thing is the L train."
Williamsburg
-Harlan Levine, Junior

Arts & Culture: Who WIll Visit the City for Hot Concerts?

2007-05-02T23:52:00.000-05:00

By Alexandra Sourbis

Nothing amps up New York pride like hearing your favorite band say, as they assemble their instruments on stage, "It's great to be back." It's not just you: bands get a thrill being in New York City. Of course, why wouldn't they? It is the best city in the world. For those who will be around this summer, don't miss these acts, in town to show New York City some love:

Although pricey, Arcade Fire at United Palace Theatre on May 7th and 8th will definitely be worth it. Head over and plow through the tourists to catch the show before the band's ego rises from to their increasingly unbearable popularity. 8pm, $35

While Elvis Costello & The Imposters, playing at the Nokia Theater on May 16th, may hark back to your mom's generation, it could make a great Mother's Day gift that even you can enjoy. 8pm, sold out

On May 25th, head over to BB King Blues Club in Times Square to catch this once in a lifetime old timer opportunity: The Jimi Hendrix Tribute: Voodoo Child. 11:30 pm, $1 advance tickets

On June 2nd, the bizarre bass virtuoso Les Claypool will play the Nokia Theater. 9 pm, $28

It doesn't matter who's playing, the Central Park SummerStage concerts are sure to be memorable. You can catch Keane with Rocco Deluca on May 30th, Joss Stone on June 8th, Bob Weir and Ratdog with Keller Williams July 9th, and The Decemberists on July 16th.Various times, free unless listed otherwise

Cross the East River to Brooklyn's Galapagos Art Space to hear Bothan Spies play a benefit for PETA. Lang Student Dana Collins plays keyboards for this kick ass band, so keep June 14th free. 8 pm, $10

Arts and Culture: Rehab for a Specific Audience

2007-05-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

By Courtney Nichols

Augusten Burroughs' second memoir, Dry, gives a brutal account of Gay AA meetings and the subsequent torture associated with not only being labeled as an alcoholic, but as a homosexual alcoholic.

Today, however, Gay AA meetings provide a comfortable forum for those intimidated by classic AA settings. Established with a sense of community, Gay AA follows the same 12 steps and bylaws as other AA meetings, yet draws upon the idea of similar people in similar backgrounds living with the same addiction. It�s common for neighborhoods in NYC to have at least one Gay AA center that caters to lesbians, homosexuals, transgendered individuals, transsexuals and anyone questioning their sexual orientation.

"This is not a place where we all hold hands and sing Cher," noted a weekly Gay AA member on The Lower East Side. "This is an arena for us to feel comfortable in our own skin so we can battle our problems thoroughly and effectively." Along with Gay AA meetings, AA also hosts specialty forums for those who are above 50, veterans, teenagers and other particular groups.

Recently, those serving the Gay AA community have established The Big Apple Roundup, which hosts various events around New York City, including Trailer Trash Drag Bingo at the NYC Lab School on March 31st. Further information on upcoming galas are scheduled to be released shortly.

The importance of Gay AA is not to single out those who are homosexual, but instead to make people aware that there are accessible locations that provide a safe environment to those who happen to be gay and alcoholics.

For more information go to http:///www.gayalcoholics.com

Arts & Culture: A Museum Hopper's Guide

2007-05-02T23:40:00.000-05:00

[picture by Amy Costello]
Skyscraper Museum. Photographed by Amy Costello.

By Estelle Hallick

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West @ 79th St.

Opening May 26:

Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns, Mermaids

The cultural and natural historical roots of some of our favorite fantastical creatures.

Frogs: A Chorus of Colors

Hop into one of the largest frog collections in the world!

Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Ave. @ 82nd St.

Opening May 1:

Frank Stella on the Roof

Frank Stella's first solo presentation at the Met: abstract paintings and sculptures in an outdoor space overlooking the New York skyline and Central Park.

Opening May 15:

Hidden in Plain Sight: Contemporary Photographs from the Collection

Contemporary photographers bring out the beauty in the most common, everyday things in 35 pieces of work.

Skyscraper Museum

39 Battery Place

World's Tallest Building: Burj Dubai

Learn all about the over-the-top features of the newest skyscraper phenomenon (to be completed in 2008) with models, drawings, and more.

The Museum of Modern Art

11 West 53 St., between 5th & 6th Ave.

A little bit for everyone: Some Picasso starting May 9, Early 20th Century Film Posters starting May 23, and Re-picturing the Past/Picturing the Present featuring early and contemporary artists starts June 16.

New York Aquarium

502 Surf Ave. & W. 8th St., Brooklyn

With over 8,000 animals, how can you go wrong? Jellyfish, walruses, adorable sea otters, oh my! Ring in the Coney Island 50th anniversary celebration at the aquarium on June 9 and 10.

New York Transit Museum

Boerum Place & Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn Heights

The Triborough Bridge: Robert Moses and the Automobile Age

Celebrate the 70th birthday of the Triborough Bridge through an array of photos, artifacts, and more.

Arts & Culture: The Sims and Parsons Meet

2007-05-02T23:35:00.000-05:00

Jessi Kempin won a contest to reimagine The Sims. Photographed by Josh Kurp.

By Josh Kurp

In a project blending reality and near-reality, Parsons and California-based game manufactor Electronic Arts (EA) came together at the Chelsea Art Museum two weeks ago to showcase artwork created based on the video game The Sims.

A game that can be played on both the computer and a video game system, The Sims lets players simulate the day-to-day life of a simulated character, or Sim.

The work displayed included machinima (using a game engine to produce animations), paintings, drawings, toy design, and interactive media�which included such things as Sims expansion packs that gave the characters different plagues and a make-your-own Sims game called "mySIM modular toy."

"What I like the most about the game is a lot of possibility for narrative," said Parsons sophomore Roxanna Vizcarra, whose painting "Nervous Outsider" was showcased. "The character "Nervous Outsider" is an outcast and a lot of fans don�t like him. But I think he�s sort of a saintly figure."

On the night of the opening, EA gave awards to the best work in two categories: Open and Machinima. The highest prize in the Open category went to Ed Chow, who won $2,500 for a set of toys with interchangeable pieces. But the largest prize of the night, $5,000, went to Glendon Jones and his piece, "The History of the Luddites."

Jones' "History" was a machine that needed the turn of a crank and a close look to see the death of the Sims.

Employees of Electronic Arts heard about the quality and originality of Parsons students' work and thought collaboration would be a perfect fit. "This project started a year ago," said Jack Lew, Global University Relations Manager for Art Talent at EA, "And I know by the reputation of Parsons that the artwork wouldn't be easy or safe."

Jessi Kempin, a junior from Parsons won $1,500 in the Open category for her piece "Accessorizing.�"The work shows a gray body, but on top there is a colorful head decorated with a Sims suburban house and a giraffe. Kempin said she wanted to, "Bring color into a colorless world."

The event runs until May 12 at 556 West 22nd Street.

Arts & Culture: Lang Ensembles Rock Classics & Pop

2007-05-02T23:28:00.000-05:00

Conrad Chu conducts the Arts Ensemble. Photographed by Lauren Gautier.

By Linh Tran

On April 25, 120 people filled Wollman Hall for the Second Annual Spring Serenade. The Lang College Singers and the New School Arts Ensemble played a 90-minute concert of classical and modern pop music. Conrad Chu, a part-time faculty member who instructs the Lang College singers, directed.

Both groups, conducted by Chu, performed a diverse mix of songs, such as the College Singers' Elizabethan madrigal and the Arts Ensemble's James Bond Medley.

In 2005, Chu pitched his idea for a New School Arts Ensemble to the Office of Provost's Faculty Development Fund.

"It was an ambitious idea of mine to develop an orchestra based in Lang but open to the New School community," said Chu. He was given a $5,000 grant to start the organization, which was used to begin building a library of sheet music for the group.

Chu, who graduated from Mannes with a degree in conducting, began directing the Lang College Singers while he was completing his degree in 1998. As a pianist, Chu's objective was to provide a performance outlet for amateur players who once participated in their high school marching bands or orchestras.

Initially Lang offered the Ensemble as a course in spring of 2006, but was cancelled due to lack of interest. That didn�t deter Chu or those who were interested in performing. The group became an extracurricular activity that was open to the entire New School community.

"We are very grateful to Lang for allowing us space without charging us," said Chu. "We don't charge a membership fee. It's a very collegial, open environment."

The orchestra primarily plays music from their library. Other costs, such as practice space fees, are kept to a minimum. Though the group is open to everyone, Chu hopes to attract a larger number of Lang students. Currently there are three to five Lang students at any given practice. Most of the current ensemble members are New School staff and faculty.

"It gave me an outlet to continue playing music," said Elise Yablon, a Lang sophomore. "I have been playing the flute for about 11 years continuously and to be able to keep playing in college is great."

Arts & Culture: Hide and Seek

2007-05-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

Summer Hideaways for the Criminally Inclined

Relax and enjoy yourself in Tudor City, photographed by Matthew Mann.

By Nora Costello & Julia Schweizer

With summer fast approaching, it's time to roll those doobies and settle somewhere outdoors in the muggy June air with a forty of Old English cloaked in a paper bag. Here are the best spots—abandoned places, tucked away streets, and public parks—that are great for living it up, illicitly or otherwise, without the hassle. Get out and sop up the romance that NYC summers have to offer, just be warned that these Inprint staffers offer no guarantee that you'll avoid a fine. But what fun is summer without a brush with the law?

McCarren Park & McCarren Park Pool, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Lorimer St. & Bedford Ave.

The Pool
A new fence has recently blocked the back "entrance," seemingly made by a Hulk-like stretching of two wrought iron bars. Though dinky, the sharp wires present the potential for injury. However, the pool, which opened in 1936 and closed for more than fifteen years, can be accessed by scaling the front fence—a greater climb, but lesser risk if you can land on your feet. Three times larger than an Olympic pool, complete with stair-accessible watchtower for exploring and howling at the moon, this waterless pool is great for star-watching with lovers and friends on those magical summer nights. The pool is a host to daytime concerts and film screenings, open to the public. Last summer, the pool showcased the likes of Of Montreal, Deerhoof and Bloc Party.

The Park
Across the street from the old pool, this sprawling park offers a track, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, dog runs and giant trees under which friends, families and couples alike can be seen barbecuing and taking slugs from jugs of Carlo Rossi. On Sundays, teems of hip kids flock to the park for a kickball tournament.
L to Bedford Ave.

Tudor City, Manhattan
1st & 2nd Ave., between E. 41st and E. 43rd St.

Since the little old ladies and teacup terriers hide in the $2-million apartments from 9 p.m. onward, this 3-block enclave overlooking the United Nations is the perfect locale for evening mischief. South Park and North Park are located at either side of Tudor City Place, the street that runs above 1st Ave. between 41st and 43rd St. As a bonus, the two playgrounds, which are (ahem�) easy to break into after their sundown closings, allow for many open container opportunities for you and friends.
4,5,6,7 to Grand Central; M15 to 42nd St.

Grand Ferry Park, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Between Grand St., West River St. and the East River

Despite the adjacent power plant, this waterfront is a gorgeous hideaway too tucked away to be bothered with by local authorities. This NYC park is complete with makeshift dog run, benches and gate-free access to the (filthy) East River waves lapping against the rocks. You could literally crawl down and touch the water, if that's your thing. It's perfect at twilight with a bottle of cheap red and a blanket, as you watch the city's tallest buildings fall asleep floor-by-floor.
L to Bedford or Lorimer

The Promenade. Photographed by Sam Lewis.

Brooklyn Heights Promenade
This 1/3-mile stretch of park located next to the BQE is scenic and conducive to summer smokin�. Sit back, relax and make out with a cutie on a park bench while taking in views of the East River and South Street Seaport. Got the munchies? Hit up nearby Grimaldi�s Pizza for some of BK�s finest.
A,C to High St; 2, 3 to Clark St.

Gay Street, West Village
This tiny street is full of pride, but barren of nosy neighbors. Have a seat on any stoop and toke discretely in the cool summer evening. Then head over to the numerous head shops to explore wigs and dildos, a guaranteed delight.
1,9 to Christopher St; F,C,E to West 4th St

Gay Street. Photographed by Matthew Mann.

Arts: Strangers With Cuddles

2007-05-02T23:10:00.000-05:00

By Julia Schweizer and Najva Soleimani

Thirty people hobble on their hands and knees, mooing atop piles of blankets, in a downtown yoga studio.

"Imagine you're a magical cow in a magical padded field,� says a grown man wearing Monopoly-themed pajamas. "What's a cow's greatest enemy? Why?" A few seasoned crowd members respond: "Drunken college students! Cow Tipping!" Everyone pretends to be tipped over, and the man jests :and that's how you get a room full of people to cuddle together."

A momentary love fest ensues, and then many retire to a nearby snack table, or to pillows arranged on the floor, for one-on-one cuddle sessions and plain old conversations.

The man, 39-year-old REiD Mihalko, looks like a blond cheerleader and acts like a class clown. The martial arts-trained actor turned masseuse co-created Cuddle Party with relationship counselor Marcia Baczynski in February 2004. According to cuddleparty.com, the event's purpose is "for adults to explore communication, boundaries and affection."

Held in yoga and dance studios across the country, the monthly, three-and-a-half-hour-long parties have been covered in GQ, Newsweek and elsewhere, and are the butt of Gawker.com and SNL's jokes. Last Sunday's party began like any other, with a welcome circle to break the ice and explain the rules. Perhaps the most perplexing one is "You are not obligated to cuddle."

In fact, participants aren't obligated to do anything but follow the rules, which include receiving verbal confirmation (for example, "Is it OK if I rub your arm?") before any physical contact, not taking rejection personally and only non-sexual touching. This means keeping the pajamas on at all times, even in the case of accidental erection, which Baczynski assures the group is not something to be ashamed of.

A Cuddle Party seems like a breeding ground for perverts and outcasts, but the level of respect that cuddlers have for one another is surprising. Many participants are regulars, so the nervous energy is limited to newbies who quickly find themselves at home with all the TLC.

Although there is no screening process for participants, Mihalko reports that only six people have ever been kicked out in three years of cuddle parties. Oddly enough, even these few incidences didn�t stem from participants� bad intentions, simply misunderstanding of the event. For example, one cuddler was unable to ask before hugging, namely because he didn�t speak English.

There is a minimum age of 18 to attend, but no upward limit. The cuddlers are as diverse as New York City, representing most ethnicities and ages. A black, 20-year-old college student may find herself in a spooning chain with a middle-aged, Jewish MTA worker and an Asian, retired crisis counselor.

Depending on socio-economic status, people cite different reasons for attending (or returning to) the Cuddle Party. The students, counselors and new age-types are generally interested in having fun and relieving stress. On the other end of the spectrum are businesspeople, who use the party as an antidote to human touch deprivation.

During the closing circle, Mihalko asks the group if Oxytocin, "the feel-good chemical in the brain," is coursing through their bodies. Apparently, after lying around for three hours caressing, spooning, massaging and chatting while enjoying cookies, grapes and cider, the group should have a warm fuzzy feeling. Glancing around the room at cuddlers� dopey smiles, coupled with their reluctance to leave, it was obvious that Oxytocin was working its magic.

Skeptics may raise their eyebrows at the theory that cuddling with strangers is therapeutic. Luckily for them, the coordinators offer an opportunity for them to leave after the welcome circle, they�ll even provide a full refund of the steep $30 ticket.

Even the most skeptical could not contest that the participants are good intentioned and easy to talk to. But if members suspend disbelief, they may find themselves getting a simultaneous foot and back rub from two different people while having an emotionally fulfilling conversation with a third.

Cuddle Party is far from the typical New York attitude, where a request for flared jeans at a store is met with a disapproving glance and every smile is an opportunity for rejection. In the cuddle world, people ask for what they want and either get it or don't, with no consequences and no judgment.

Reviews: Music: Patti Smith's Twelve

2007-05-02T22:52:00.000-05:00

Patti Smith and guitarist Lenny Kaye performing at the Bowery Ballroom, photographed by Josh Kurp

Patti Smith, Twelve
&
The Bowery Sessions, Apr. 24

By Josh Kurp

Covers have been an integral part of Patti Smith's career. On her debut album Horses, "Gloria," the first song, borrows some of its lyrics from Van Morrison's pre-solo group, Them. Meanwhile, "Land" has Patti chanting the familiar melody of "Land of a Thousand Dances."

So it should come as no surprise that the Patti Smith Band, consisting of Smith, Lenny Kaye, Jay Dee Daugherty and Tony Shanahan, would release an album of songs by artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Nirvana and Jefferson Airplane.

What does come as a surprise is how average Twelve is. It's an album that isn't quite good but can't be called bad, either. When that�s the case, you usually think it will probably only get better with time. But after the first few listens, it lacks something.

Part of Smith's staying power for over 30 years, while having only released one truly great album (the aforementioned Horses), is because of her intensity in delivering songs regardless of who the artist is. But on Twelve, although it's clear she has the utmost respect for songs like Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" or Neil Young's "Helpless," they come across with a forced restraint.

For that reason, all those in attendance, myself included, were glad to have seen the final show of her Bowery Sessions. On April 24, Smith and her band played three consecutive shows at 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30 pm at the Bowery Ballroom. Although I was only present for the last one, from what I heard by the audience, it was the right one to be at.

Kicking off the concert with a slightly stagnant "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones, followed by REM's "Everybody Hurts" (a song that doesn't appear on Twelve) and a decent version of a terrible Beatles song, "Within You, Without You," I was beginning to worry that my reaction to Twelve: The Album would be similar to Twelve: The Concert. But the next (and final) four songs of the evening proved me wrong.

Although The Allman Brothers Band's "Midnight Rider" didn't overwhelm the crowd, Smith seemed to care more about it than the songs beforehand. That trend continued with one of the highlights of both the album and the concert, "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane. I'm no Airplane fan, but Smith gave the song everything she had, especially with her husky and powerful vocals reaching their peak in lines like, "Go ask Alice/When she's ten feet tall." The night ended with "Smells like Teen Spirit," which sounded like it could have been right off Nirvana�s Unplugged album, and a great rendition of "Gloria."

If Patti could have lent the same enthusiasm to Twelve that she did to works like "Rock 'n' Roll Nigger," "People Have the Power" and the version of "White Rabbit" I heard live, a good but safe album could have become a great and rockin' tribute to the artists that have inspired her the most.

Reviews: DVD: Twin Peaks

2007-05-02T22:48:00.000-05:00

illustrated by Jeremy Schlangen

At long last, the second and final season of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, starring Kyle MacLachlan as a detective assigned to figure out who killed prom queen Laura Palmer, is out on DVD. Grab a slice of cherry pie and a damn fine cup of coffee and get acquainted with the quirky and mysterious town of Twin Peaks. - Almie Rose Vazzano

Arts: Five Best: Songs about the Sun

2007-05-02T12:51:00.000-05:00

By Josh Kurp

5. “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks

The Kinks were masters of irony, and this song, which appeared on Face to Face, is one of their best examples of it. It tells of a rich man who is getting taxed heavily and has to rely on nothing but “this sunny afternoon.”

4. “House of the Rising Sun” by Duran Duran

Although the song was written in the 1930s, it didn’t become a Top 10 hit until, after hearing Bob Dylan’s version, The Animals covered it. Years later, Duran Duran would take a stab at it—and add a bitchin' guitar solo. And yes, I realize it has nothing to do with sun other than its title, but ain’t that enough?

3. “Who Loves the Sun?” by The Velvet Underground

Not everyone.

2. “The Sun Never Sweats” by Spinal Tap

I’m so pumped about Tap reuniting in July that I would have fit them onto any list. Too bad this Five Best isn’t “Best Album Titles About Smelling Inanimate Objects,” because Smell the Glove would have topped it.

1. “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles

I’ve written about The Beatles before in this column, but this is the ultimate song about the sun bringing brighter and happier times. It’s also one of the most literal songs ever, because George wrote it in Eric Clapton’s garden as the sun came out.

Reviews: Television: Flavor of Love Girls, Charm School

2007-05-02T12:47:00.000-05:00

Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School. Sunday, 10 pm, VH1.

Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School (or VH1 Program Development: Out of Ideas) is off to a slurry, jiggly, inauspicious start. In the premiere episode, the ironically-cast host cum headmistress Mo’Nique strips the contestants cum students of the nicknames Flavor Flav gave them in the original series, Flavor of Love. This was a counter-intuitive move because, as every good debutante knows, cutesy calling cards like Kitten or Muffy or Mimzy are the hallmark of high society. Maybe “Buck Wild” (Christian name of Becky) isn’t quite what a young lady of distinction would like to be called, but at least it’s a start.

Later in the same episode, Mo’Nique reveals the Ten Commandments of the acrimonious academy. Mixed metaphors aside (perhaps producers should consider “codes of conduct" in lieu of “commandments,” in the unlikely event this series gets picked up for another season), Charm School has got it all wrong. The commandments amount to little more than bizarre non-sequiturs, seemingly strung together after too many boxes of wine. “Check thyself before thou wreckest thyself” is a nice sentiment, and the faux Bible-ease is a fun touch, but its relation to etiquette is tangential at best. Other directives, like “Thou Shall Goeth, Girl,” and “Thou Shall Represent,” sound more like abominable tokens of third-wave feminism than phrases you’d hear sipping Tom Collins’ by the pool at the country club.

Ultimately, Charm School is hindered by conceptual problems: its execution is antithetical to its concept. Reality television is inherently lacking in acceptable decorum. All of the subtlety of climbing the social structure is lost on the girls in favor of cat-fights, temper-tantrums and uncontrollable sobbing. The real test will not be to determine who comes out a lady, but rather who can fake it long enough to take home the fifty grand. - Amber Sutherland

Rating: When charm is on the line, there are no winners.

Reviews: Film: Waitress

2007-05-02T12:44:00.000-05:00

Waitress. Directed by Adrienne Shelly. Starring Keri Russell. Opens May 2.

Possibly the best part of this heartfelt yet unfunny dramedy is Jenna (Russell of Felicity fame) dealing with her repressed emotions through her confectionery creations. Imagine Pregnant-Miserable-Self-Pitying-Loser pie.

Set in the Deep South, complete with archetypal Southern character clichés, Jenna is an unsatisfied waitress pregnant with an unwanted child, with no chance of escaping the life she loathes. Her two pals who work with her at Joe's Pie Diner, Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (writer/director Shelley, who was brutally murdered in her West Village apartment in November) seem to have good intentions, but their advice always falls flat, and so do their jokes. Whether one calls it empowering or just a chick flick, Waitress is downright adorable. - Julia Schweizer

Rating: Pies and Thighs

Reviews: Music: The Plutomatic Plutomatic's So Nice Say It Twice

2007-05-02T12:42:00.000-05:00

The Plutomatic Plutomatic's So Nice Say It Twice.

You can't find The Plutomatic Plutomatic on the internet and when something doesn’t show up on Google, be wary before listening. The drummer may have it down, but the lyrics, tune and style are likely to give any listener a severe headache. Why the new British rock band The Plutomatic Plutomatic felt the need to include the song “Monster” twice on their new album So Nice Say It Twice*is beyond me. Out of the four songs on the album, this one is definitely the worst. The song "You Shout, You Shout, You Shout, You Shout" not only has a repetitive title but monotonous lyrics. It sounds like a garage band from high school somehow got their rich daddies to buy them a sound studio and, without any guidance or instruction, they made an album. If you like this sort of thing, head on over to Virgin Records and waste $9.99 on this vociferous and unsatisfactory album. Come on UK, just because you've got Joss Stone, The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys and even Sir Elton John himself under your belt, doesn't mean you can get to be lazy. - Alexandra Sourbis

Reviews: Music: Tom Morello's One Man Revolution

2007-05-02T12:40:00.000-05:00

Tom Morello AKA the Night Watchman's One Man Revolution.

It seems a shame that Rage Against the Machine, the first radically political band to seduce the mainstream since the 70s, had to break up before our country found itself under the reign of the most piss poor president in history. Zach De La Rocha would have more material than ever for his lyrics. But until the Rage reunion tour (Rock The Bells), this July there's One Man Revolution, the solo album by Rage guitarist Tom Morello.

Morello's acoustic rock style sounds like your least talented friend's open mic performances. The vocals resemble Nick Cave if he lost all tonality and the lyrics are as generic and awkward as a pair of crotch-suffocating khakis. If you want folk songs about revolution, try the bands on Plan-It-X Records. Until then, RAtM are best off saving their mosh for the reunion. - Jon Reiss

RATING: What the world needs now is rage…sweet rage.

Reviews: Theater: A Year of Magical Thinking

2007-05-02T12:37:00.000-05:00

A Year of Magical Thinking. Directed by David Hare. Starring Vanessa Redgrave. 95 minutes. Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St. Limited engagement until August 25.

Death is never easy to talk about—especially when someone says: This will happen to you. The details will be different, but it will happen to you. For those who go to the theater to escape reality, Magical Thinking may be a bit too daunting. But if you are a fan of Joan Didion and are curious to see how her highly-received memoir translates to the stage, this is a theater experience worth embracing. The elegant, soft-spoken Redgrave shines with humanity and spirit in the role of Joan Didion, simultaneously dealing with the unexpected death of her husband and mysterious illness of her only child. Haunting, simplistic and distinctively intimate, A Year of Magical Thinking is a rare theater experience and one that stays with you even after the stage goes black. - Estelle Hallick

Rating: Let it move you.

Reviews: Film: Paprika

2007-05-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

Paprika. Director Satoshi Kon. Starring Megumi Hayashibara. Toru Furuya. Opens May 25.

After giving Paprika an hour and a half of undivided attention, I still have no idea what the plot is about. The images in my mind are indeterminate and disjointed, leading me to believe that instead of showing an actual movie, Sony somehow injected acid into the bloodstreams of those of us in the preview audience and sent us on a feature-length trip. Paprika is an anime movie, so maybe some of the confusion is to be expected. According to the press packet, Paprika is about a dream detector that is stolen. Through a series of criminal activities, the dream world and reality become one. However, according to me, Paprika is about naked Japanese heroines fighting evil paraplegics with tree branches as arms while armies of porcelain dolls and refrigerators march in unison. Under no circumstance should you see this movie while sober. - Courtney Nichols

Rating: No domo arigato, Mr. Roboto

Letters to the Editor: Ruane Internship

2007-05-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

RE: Lang Interns Teach Kids to Love Books, Issue 14, April 17, 2007

Dear Inprint,

A reading studies program used by Lang’s Ruane interns is more accepting and tailored to individual learning than a program offered by No Child Left Behind, according to Aaron Jenkins, a student coordinator.

The Ruane Internship sends students to work in some of New York City’s public schools. The key program is to get Lang students to help out at schools that use Accelerated Reader, a computer-based reading comprehension program. The interns assist in implementing the program and make it more effective while earning academic credit.

Jenkins said the program is, “a really meaningful work experience. With out the hands on practice you don’t really know what its like.”

He added, “In school you can come up with ideas and solutions to make things better, but when you really get down on the ground you see that a lot of students in the classrooms go out the window.”

President George W. Bush passed No Child Left Behind in January of 2002, to “reduce the achievement gap” between “poor” and “rich” public schools in the United States. “It doesn’t have to be this way,” Bush said, as the bill was passed.

One of the proficiency reforms set up by the No Child Left Behind act is the Reading First program. Reading First only allows certain books to be taught in the classroom. Schools will buy these commercial products made by huge publishing companies that were written by the same panel that selected them to be used in the classroom.

Therefore, not only are these panelists recommending their own books for the classroom, but also the readers they produce are incredibly explicit. They manufacture readers that have pre-described lesson plans and scripted reading materials for the whole class to use.

“If you have a block for literacy, you can teach only Reading First textbooks during that time, which is terrible for the kids because not everyone is on the same level and it leaves no room for creativity,” Jenkins said. “With Accelerated Reader, you can use any book and work one-on-one with students at any time during the day.”

“There is no group tracking system, wherever you are at we will meet you there. Weather you are reading on a first or second grade level, wherever you are we will meet you there and work up,” he added.

So far the program has been effective. The interns say they have seen a lot of growth, not only in the charts on the computer that test phonetic and comprehension levels, but also in the student’s desire and enthusiasm to grasp and appreciate the literature that they are reading.

The importance and love of education does not come from receiving a high test score, interns said. In this way, children are taught to love books, not just decode them.

- Gabrielle Steinhardt

Wanna Get Student Space?

2007-04-29T15:12:00.001-05:00

By Zeno Levy

I, not only as a representative of Sustainability Committee but of New School students and student organizations as a whole, propose the creation of a permanent Student Activist Center on campus, designed, programmed and maintained democratically by student organizations.

I intend to create this space in the basement of 79 5th Ave., which opens on 16th street and is currently under construction. As of now, the space is to be used as a study center and makeshift lunchroom. The basement is really two spaces, separated by a staircase. My vision is this: Bring the lighting down, make the colors darker and less jarring, blacks and browns as opposed to the overwhelming white room with the orange stripe.

For more information, email me at levyz715@newschool.edu or contact Roger Ward, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs.

News: 20 Students Arrested in Anti-War Protest

2007-04-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

New School Students Protest Military Recruitment

Sam Lewis
About fifty students held a campus walkout on March 12th to commemorate four years of war in Iraq, then staged a sit-in at a military recruitment center.

By Hannah Rappleye & Peter Holslin

Twenty members of Students for a Democratic Society at The New School and Pace University were hauled to jail in police trucks on March 12 after besieging a military recruitment center on Chambers Street, blockading the door, and refusing to leave.

The protest stemmed from an SDS-sponsored “Campus Walkout” at The New School, which marked the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War. About 50 New School students gathered in front of the New School building on 65 5th Avenue at 10:30 a.m. to protest. Students waved signs and chanted, passed around a bullhorn and made speeches denouncing the war on the steps of the building.

“We as the New School can say we don’t want this war anymore,” shouted Lang junior and SDS member Lucas Hartstone-Rose. He said U.S. citizens must pressure Congress to use the “power of the purse-string” to cease funding the war.

Sam Lewis
SDS Members inside Chambers St. recruiting center.

After half an hour, students announced they would invade a recruiting center and headed down 5th Avenue, through Washington Square Park and into Chinatown. Lang freshman Kyle Jacques played drums on a garbage can as the group chanted, "It's bullshit, get off it, this war is for profit!"

Minutes before reaching the recruitment center, New School students met a group of SDS members from Pace University. The two groups merged and rushed through the doors of the recruitment center. About 100 students remained outside, shouting anti-war slogans and songs.

As military recruiters slammed and locked their doors inside the center, students gathered “Go Army” recruitment pamphlets and threw them onto the street, then dragged a large pamphlet rack over to the entrance of the center.

Once the door was blocked, the students sat down in the narrow hallway, locked arms and announced they would not leave until the war was over.

Soon, 40 New York police officers arrived at the scene. Officers kicked in the flyer display the students had set up and sealed all entrances to the office. They deliberated for around 40 minutes while the students remained inside.

After the standoff, a marine in fatigues entered the office and said that any students who left voluntarily would not be arrested. One protestor who had just arrived from Florida and an Inprint reporter left.

Police videotaped the event and a plainclothes officer took photographs of the students. Most of the students turned their heads or covered their faces with posters while being photographed.

When asked why police were videotaping the protest, Sergeant Ceccarelli, an NYPD officer who declined to give his first name, said “There is no way in hell I’m going to tell you that.”

NYPD officials declined to comment.

The students were searched and photographed before being put into two police trucks and transported to the detention facility at 100 Centre Street in Manhattan. They were held for about 25 hours and charged with 3rd degree criminal trespassing. Their sentencing date is May 23.

SDS members said they are satisfied with the outcome of the protest.

“I would do it again,” said Lang sophomore Diane Taha.

Matt Bathlei, a junior at Lang who is not an SDS member, wasn't planning on attending the event because he was not sure if he agreed with supporting an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. "I'm strongly against the war," he said, but added that "Iraq will just descend into more turmoil” if the United States withdraws troops.

However, Bathlei decided to attend because he wanted to show solidarity with SDS.

"The student body does have a position on the war," he said. "Some action needs to be taken."

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News: Show Me My Money

2007-04-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

What $40 Grand Will Get You
Revenue Sources. 2005-2006

Source: The New School

By Alex Waddell

One afternoon in early March, beneath stark murals of oppression and uprising in 66 West 12th Street's Orozco conference room, students and administrators discussed The New School's $236 million operating budget at a seminar led by Nancy Steir , Vice President for Budget and Planning.

The seminar, "Developing the 2007/2008 University Operating Budget," gave insight into the challenges of financing a university in the midst of expanding and consolidating its resources. Thanks to the half-dozen Lang students in the room, the seminar was also a forum for a range of suggestions and complaints.

Steir assured that the university's budget is healthy and getting stronger every year, but did not hesitate to say that The New School's financial situation is weak compared to the universities it competes with for Princeton review rankings.

"Our finances are good, but we are not a Harvard, we are not a Yale, we are not schools that have massive endowments and large amounts of grants and gifts," Steir said. "That means we have to rely more heavily on tuition for our operating costs."

Student tuition accounts for 74% of the university's revenues, with gifts, grants and contracts comprising only 10%, money from the dormitories and health center 10%, money from the endowment only 3%, and 1% from governmental aid, reported a paper Steir wrote, distributed at the seminar.

The New School doesn't receive many government grants because, according to Steir , the majority of grants are for scientific research and The New School doesn't have a core science program. She later added that the university doesn't spend much on research, either.

Salaries and fringe benefits for faculty and administration make up 63% of the university's expenses, according to the seminar paper.

"Higher education is a labor intensive industry," Steir said, looking at the group of students. "It's all about having a faculty member teach a student and that's what we spend most of our money on."

Salary increases for full-time faculty and administrative staff are outpacing the cost of living increase. According to the seminar paper, salaries rose by 4% in 2006/2007, while the Consumer Price Index in New York rose 3.4%.

In fall 2006, The New School hired 30 new full-time faculty members and is in its second year of boosting its full-time faculty with new hires. As part of the university's general initiative to grow and integrate its largely independent divisions, many of these teachers have been hired jointly by two divisions of the university and will teach classes at both.

Despite the university's reliance on tuition, The New School's yearly tuition hike, averaged across its many divisions, has stayed within the national average of 5.5-6.5%. Tuitions for the 2007/2008 year have been recently announced on the The New School's website, with the largest increases of 7-8% at Lang, Mannes, and the Jazz and Contemporary Music divisions, and an average increase across divisions of 6%.

The amount of tuition revenue that goes back to students in the form of university scholarships, called the tuition discount rate, has also grown. "For every dollar of student tuition collected in 1983 we only gave back 8 cents in financial aid," Steir said.

Now, "25% of the amount of money we collect in tuition is turned around and spent on financial aid," she added. "So, as tuition rates have gone up we have been spending more and more money on financial aid."

While financial aid is making The New School a possibility for lower income students, tuition is nearly as high as many Ivy League schools, and has much fewer resources available to students.

One Lang student at the seminar noted that the student body of undergraduate divisions is growing dramatically, while graduate divisions have declined, and asked the administrators if they had done this deliberately.

Another Lang student suggested that many students do not support a growing undergraduate body and complained that students have not been part of the discussion.

Steir agreed that the undergraduate body is growing, but denied that it was at the expense of other divisions and mentioned that the seminar was meant to address student concerns. She asked one student if he thought that there was anything to be gained by growing in size.

"You gain and you lose," the student said. "You gain more options in classes and more professors. You lose community and you lose the sort of relationships you have with the university.”

Jim Murtha, Executive Vice President of The New School, weighed in: "Not to cite this as fact, but there is a lot of discussion, for example, that 2000 students is the right scale for a liberal arts college." He added, "We're not at that size yet and we haven't made a decision that that should be the size of Lang College, but there is a lot of discussion about that."

When asked if they could suggest any improvements on the budget, students asked for 24-hour study facilities, a student center, space and money for a student radio station, and a better sound system for the sky bridge.

The administration announced The New School has hired a consulting firm, Innovative Design Offerings, to track how university facilities are used and suggest improvements and plans for new construction and renovation. In one part of this process, students can volunteer to be shadowed by employees of the firm.

One student asked for a list of every investment of the endowment and the names of the companies and individuals behind every gift, grant, and contract. Administrators gave a basic description of the variety of ways the endowment is invested and said that information about most of the university's gifts, grants, and contracts will be available in the forthcoming 2006/2007 Annual Report.

Arts: Arabesques & All the Rest

2007-04-03T10:48:00.000-05:00

Lang students prance and leap for academic credit

By Estelle Hallick

On a rainy Friday afternoon in Room 001 on 12th St., everyone is barefoot except one girl in white socks and professor Rebecca Stenn in blue socks. Five mirrors, five pillars, a piano, and a barre surround the circular studio.

In the 1930s, modern dance pioneer Martha Graham used this space for classes and lectures. Today, Lang students use the studio to create movement and use dance as their bridge to other realms of art.

Lang has entered year four of its dance program. Originally its own concentration, Dance recently joined Theatre, Music, and Arts in Context as a track under the Arts Program. Dance boasts about 40 concentrators and is overseen by 14 part-time professors. Some professors run their own dance companies and others have danced with well-known organizations like Pilobolus.

The interdisciplinary framework of the program sets Lang apart from dance conservatories, where students practically live in a studio and do not have the opportunity to explore other subjects. Lang recognizes the current direction of dance, as more artists are enlisting visuals, music, and text to create pieces. Since the integration of the arts last fall, there has been a substantial boost in the amount of non-dance students enrolling in the classes.

“The history of the arts and The New School was based on collaboration,” said Jaime Santora, director of the arts program at Lang. A faculty member for the past seven years, Santora has seen the program progress since it’s birth. “All students take classes which look at art—historically, socially, culturally, and politically.”

For the past two years, students in spring dance performance learned classic pieces of choreographers like Graham and Jose Lemon. Half of the semester has been spent perfecting technique, and the remaining time celebrates the history of the artist and the context of the piece. “All of these things are supplementing and adding to your background as an artist," Santora said. "You have to open yourself up.”

Maia McCoy, a Lang senior, understands the importance of intermingling the arts. “My dancing is fueled by everything…poetry and literature,” she said. And even photography classes have inspired her to create “scenes” for the audience. For her senior work, Maia’s choreography blends influences like garage band music and Sylvia Plath with a handmade oven.

McCoy was also a part of Lang’s first showing at the American College Dance festival at Williams College. Two pieces (featuring five students) were chosen by Lang faculty to perform in the festival, which included 30 other colleges. The students took part in workshops and participated in three performances where they received critiques from three professional artists. “I think people are really starting to recognize Lang College because there was a certain little buzz going around,” Santora proclaimed proudly.

From technique classes to improvisation to body politics, the dance program, as any four-year-old, is still taking shape—adding and experimenting with guest artists, classes, and the first Spring Arts Festival to be unveiled this April. “I think a lot of people think dance is just physical…and that’s what we are trying to change.” Santora concludes with a huge smile: “It’s [also] about engaging intellectually, showing how the arts connect to a larger world.”

Editorial: Iraq, What Do We Owe You?

2007-04-03T10:44:00.000-05:00

Jeremy Schlangen

By Peter Holslin
Two weeks ago, the Iraqi government reported that around 2,300 Iraqi families have returned to their homes. Evidently, the war-torn country’s new joint security plan has brought newfound peace and stability.

Still, the experience of one family, a 67-year-old widow, her daughter and two teenage granddaughters, tells a dark story. A few weeks ago, when they arrived at their house in the deserted Amil community in Baghdad, their car packed with their belongings, they could not stay long.

Someone had spray-painted a note in red on one wall. “Residents of this house, your blood is wanted,” it read. “Leave.”

Over the past few weeks, Congress has jockeyed over an emergency-spending bill that would allot a hundred billion dollars for the war and institute benchmarks ensuring service members are adequately prepared before they are deployed to the country. Both the House and the Senate voted to include an amendment that calls for a troop withdrawal to begin in 120 days, and for troops to be out of the country by March 2008. Some lawmakers voted against the amendment. They demanded an even more immediate withdrawal.

There is no end in sight to violence in Iraq, but the American forces are pursuing a security plan that has shown some success. It is a wonder why democrats in Congress are demanding a speedy pull out so soon. As it is, this bill neglects these families, who have escaped their own homes and now fear for their lives.

Between March 16 and March 25, 560 civilians lost their lives in Iraq, according to the tracking project, Iraq Body Count. The majority were kidnapped, tortured and executed, or killed in bomb attacks. As the family in Amil escaped their old neighborhood a second time, four family members in the village of al-Buajeel, including a baby, met a grisly fate. Insurgents met them in their house and shot them dead.

Congress needs to keep these families in mind when it plans how long the American forces should stay in Iraq. At this point in the war, the American forces can finally offer some security. But if our troops leave Iraq in less than a year, America should consider what else we owe Iraq. This nation has a complicated history and we have laid groundwork for a chaotic future.

The nation of Iraq gained independence from the British in 1932, and Iraqis persevered through decades of monarchical rule and military coups. With a diverse body of Shia and Sunni Muslims, Christians and Kurds, the country retained a rich artistic and political culture.

Then, in 1968, the Baath Party took control of the country and they subjected Iraqis to terrifying panoptic controls. The Baaths led “Fifth Column” raids. Saddam Hussein rose to the presidency in 1979, and escalated a ruthless torture program dubbed “The Instrument of Yearning.” The party liquefied real and imaginary dissidents alike, running them through kangaroo courts, torture chambers, and prisons. In 1980, Hussein attacked Iran, and scores of Iraqis were sent to die in a war that lasted eight years.

When the United States finally ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraqis were no doubt relieved of this catastrophic burden. We could have brought stability, but instead we ensured for these people a great instability.

The top U.S. administrator in the country, Paul Bremer, dissolved the Iraqi Army. The U.S. government helped form a parliament that subjugated former Baath members and offered advantages to the country’s majority Shia population and the Kurdish minority, further sowing sectarian resentment. Donald Rumsfeld, then the U.S. secretary of defense, deluded by grand ambitions, cut troop levels. Looters overwhelmed Baghdad’s museums and troops could not effectively contain Baghdad’s streets, put down militants, and prevent suicide and roadside bombings.

The government also alienated Iraqis sympathetic to the American occupation. Inside the U.S. Embassy, Steve Coll wrote recently in The New Yorker, American officials—typically ones who knew little about Iraq—ignored Iraqi employees who had a special knowledge of the nation’s people, politics and culture.

Iraqi translators, drivers and office workers kept at their jobs, but had to hide their identities, sleep in cars and live in fear of the militants who killed more and more of their coworkers. Meanwhile, many U.S. diplomats treated them with great suspicion and purged them from their offices, preferring Jordanian employees instead.

Now, over four years after invading Iraq, we have adopted a new security plan that probably would have been effective at the war's inception. There have been some signs of hope: Families have been able to return to their homes and the Iraqi government is beginning diplomatic talks with insurgents.

But Congress is not satisfied: they are saying we should leave this country as soon as possible. The Iraqis should head up the parliament that we helped build, contain the violence that we helped foment, and control an uncertain future that we helped define.

Indeed, the Iraqis should have control over their own fate. Nevertheless, the United States must offer more to Iraq than a speedy pull out, because the problems are complicated: today, terrorists impersonate security forces, the Bush Administration refuses negotiations with Iran and innocent families in Iraq cower in fear. Iraqis will not simply forget what we have done to their country, so when our troops no longer patrol their streets, we must still consider what we can do for Iraq.

Photo Essay: Spring Breaks 'Round the World: Rome, Italy

2007-04-03T10:30:00.000-05:00

By Nadia Chaudhury

Narrow, cobblestoned streets where cars, scooters and people alike make way for each other. Vias e vicolos. Gelato. The seven hills of Rome. Palm trees standing next to fig trees. Hail falling through the ceiling of the Pantheon. Piazzas. The Tiber. Old, weathered, beautiful buildings. Detailed churches and statues. Restored architecture. THrowing a Euro into the Trevi Fountain.

From top to bottom: Streets of Rome; Piazza Santa Maria; The Roman Forum, Basilica of Saint Peter in Piazza San Pietro

Photo Essay: Spring Breaks 'Round the World: Georgetown, South Carolina

2007-04-03T10:22:00.000-05:00

By Peter Holslin & Ryan Hale

The ornate mansion and lush grounds of the Chicora Wood plantation have been perserved, in part, because Jamie and Marcia Constance bought and renovated the area in the mid-1980s. They now operate a turf farm, and harvest about 800 acres of green grass, which they sell to the neighboring communities. Old rice flanked the creks off the Pee Dee River, reminding one of Chicora's past.

From top to bottom: The owner of the Chicora Wood Plantation points out a schoolhouse while floating down the Pee Dee River; the entrance to the Chicora Wood house.

Photo Essay: Spring Breaks 'Round the World: Barcelona, Spain

2007-04-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

By Julia Schweizer

I spent my time here in very un-vacationy 35 degree weather. Not one for the surging, techno music of discotecas, I opted for an Afro-Cuban experimental jam session at Club Jamboree in La Plaza Catalunya or the smoky Harlem Jazz Club at night, to name a couple. Despite a week full of "ques?" due to ignorance of Catalan, the native language of Barcelona, the week was a blast.

From top to bottom: The top of Barcelona's Museu de Zoologico on an overcast day; a view from La Rambla at sunset.

Photo Essay: Spring Breaks 'Round the World: Boston, Massachusetts

2007-04-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

By Sam Lewis

"One if by land, & two if by sea;
& I on the opposite shore will be."
- Henry Longfellow

from top to bottom: North End of Boston; Charles River walkway; Boston University sailboats along the Charles

The Special: The Board of Trustees

2007-04-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

There is a mostly faceless group of 54 men and women who serve The New School. They are elected in four-year terms and may serve an unlimited number of times. They give the school money for education and get buildings named after them. But if you were to see them on campus, you wouldn’t recognize them—even though they play crucial roles in each student’s experience at The New School. They are the Board of Trustees.

Jeremy Schlangen

The Special: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain: The Board of Trustees

2007-04-03T09:52:00.000-05:00

In Whom We Trust: The Members of the Board

By Josh Kurp

Henry H. Arnhold
Born in Dresden, Germany, Arnhold moved with his family to New York in 1937. He has been a member of the The New School's Board of Trustees since 1985 and serves on the advisory board for The New School’s World Policy Institute. He is co-chairman and director of Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder, Inc., an investment banking firm and international securities brokerage. The firm employs nearly 90 professionals with over $29-billion in profits. Mr. Arnhold is also the president of the Arnhold Foundation, which donates money to the New York Foundation for the Arts, among others.

Arnold H. Aronson (Vice Chair)
-Director of Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation
-Chairman of the Board of Governors at Lang and serves on the Board of Governors at Parsons
-Has also served as chairman and CEO at Saks Fifth Avenue, Inc.

Diane P. Baker
Elected to the Board of Trustees in 2001, Bewkes began her career as a producer for ABC News, during which time she helped launch 20/20. She’s a rare breed at The New School—she won an Emmy for her production efforts at 20/20. In the early '80s, she won a Writers Guild Award in Outstanding Television Documentary for a piece about Love Canal, an area in upstate New York that was used as a toxic waste dump by Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation. Outside of producing, she also writes and directs for television and film journalism. As if that weren’t enough, she is also on the Advisory Board for the Museum of Natural History.

Franci J. Blassberg
- Attorney at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
- Named one of the "100 most influential lawyers in America" by The National Law Journals
- Named Dealmaker of the Year by The American Lawyer

Steven H. Bloom

Richard J. Bressler
Now here’s a career: Bressler began at the Ernst & Young accounting firm in 1979, moved to Time Warner Inc. in 1988, and from March 1995 to June 1999, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the company. Then, from 2001 until 2005, Bressler served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Viacom, Inc. He currently works a “humble” job as Managing Director at Thomas H. Partners, an equity firm. Not a bad resume for a 49-year-old.

Robert E. Denham
- A partner at Munger, Telles & Olson LLP
- Former Chairman and CEO at Salomon, Inc.

Beth Rudin DeWoody
- Presides over her family's philanthropic foundation, The May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.
- Grandfather, Samuel Rudin, was an early supporter of the New York City Marathon and the race's trophy is named after him

Strachan Donnelley
- President and founder of Center for Humans and Nature
- Also serves on advisory boards at the University of Chicago, Yale Institute of Biospheric Studies and National Humanities Center, among others

Nancy Dorn
- Professional lobbyist
- Special Asst. of Legislative Affairs for Reagan Administration from 1988 to 1989. Held same position for George Bush, Sr. until 1990
- Appointed Budget Director at the White House by President George W. Bush

The New School
Douglas D. Durst
Durst is co-chairman of New York Water Taxi, a way of getting around town by boat instead of foot. He also co-owns of one of the largest organic farms in New York. He is on the Board of Directors for The Town Hall, a non-profit organization that hosts different arts events, and is the third generation to run the Durst Organization, a real-estate developer. Among other accomplishments, the Durst Organization is currently building the “world’s most environmentally responsible high-rise building,” according to their website, which will be located at One Bryant Park. He also owns the CondeNast tower on the Upper West Side, and the Lorillard Building. But his real claim to fame is the national debt clock near Times Square, which his father built in the 1980s.

Walter A. Eberstadt
- Limited Managing Director of Lazard Freres & Co. LLC, a private investment banking firm
- Chairman of the Advisory Board for the World Policy Institute

Cheryl Cohen Effron

Michael B.G. Froman
- Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Citigroup Alternative Investments
- Has served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Assistant of Security for Eurasia and the Middle East in the U.S. Department of Treasury under the Clinton Administration
- Former editor of the Harvard Law Review

Michael J. Fuchs
- Founder of the Michael Fuchs Charitable Foundation
- Former head of sports and original programming divisions at HBO
- Former Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group, but resigned under pressure

Nancy A. Garvey
- Volunteer, advisor, fundraiser and board member at Bronx Preparatory Charter School
- Former senior financial analyst at General Motors

Michael E. Gellert (Vice Chair)
- Presiding Independent Director for Six Flags, Inc.
- A director of Humana Inc., a health insurance provider

Paul A. Gould
- Managing Director and Executive Vice President of Allen & Company, an investment bank (a factor behind the Disney and ABC merger)

Susan U. Halpern
- President of the Sirius Fund

Jane D. Hartley
- Vice President of Westinghouse Broadcasting and Cable
- Former Associate Assistant to President Jimmy Carter

William E. Havemeyer (Vice Chair)

William H. Hayden
- Senior Managing Director of Bears, Stearns and Co.
- Sat on President Lyndon Johnson's National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders
- Has raised billions of dollars for pet projects in Atlanta and New York

George W. Haywood
- Private investor
- Former Managing Director for Lehman Brothers, a global investment bank

Leo J. Hindery, Jr.
- CEO of Global Crossing Ltd., a worldwide telecommunications company
- Chairman and CEO of GlobalCenter Inc., “Australia’s Premier Data Centre”

Robert T. Hoerle
- Member of Reich and Tang, an assessment management company

Michael J. Johnston

The New School
Richard Kauffman
Ever wonder what it’s like to have a rather important job in a company that's worth over $3-billion? Well, if you see Kauffman wandering through the halls of The New School, be sure to ask him: Kaufman is Chief Executive of Good Energies, a large investor in renewable energy. He also serves on the New York Philharmonic's board, Foreign Policy Association (a non-profit organization that looks to educate the public about U.S. foreign policy) and Yale School of Management's Board of Advisors, among others.

Bob Kerrey
- President of The New School
- U.S. Senator of Nebraska, 1989-2001
- Actual first name is Joseph

Eugene Lang
- Founder of the I Have a Dream Foundation and REFAC Technology Development Cooperation
- Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton in 1996
- Has a college named after him

Bevis Longstreth
- Retired lawyer; now writes books
- President Reagan appointed him Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission

Robert B. Millard (Treasurer)
- Managing Director of Lehman Brothers, Inc., a global investment bank
- Director of L-3 Communications Corporation, a manufacturer of electronic communications equipment, principally for the defense industry

Robert H. Mundheim
- Counsel to Shearman & Sterling, an international law firm
- Former Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Salomon Smith Barney Holdings, Inc.

Eileen Naughton
- Head ad salesperson at Google
- Former Time magazine employee

Jonathan Newcomb
- President and CEO of Cambium Learning, a company that provides materials and technology to K-12 school programs

Nancy Peretsman
- Current Director of Priceline.com
- Managing Director and Executive Vice President of Allen and Co. LLC, an investment bank
- A Trustee at Princeton University.

Richard Reiss, Jr.
- Chairman of Georgica Advisors, LLC, a private investment management firm
- Director at The Lazard Funds, Inc., also an investment firm

Ramon J. Rodriquez

The New School
Joshua Sapan
Sapan has the distinction of being the only member on the Board of Trustees to be on IMDb.com, along with Regis Philbin and Bob Balaban. Sapan leads Rainbow Media Holdings LLC., which has created such television networks as American Movie Classics, fuse, Independent Film Channel and Women’s Entertainment. He began his tenure at Rainbow Media as president. Four years later, he switched to Chief Operating Officer. Since then, the company has annually posted net revenues of over $1-billion. Outside of serving for The New School, he is also on the board for the American Museum of the Moving Image and the International Radio and Television Society Foundation.

Philip Scaturro (Chairman)
- Managing Director at Allen & Company, an investment firm.
- Treasurer of the Board for Lincoln Center's New York City Opera

James C. Slaughter
- Philanthropist
- Trustee at The School of American Ballet and Carnegie Hall

Malcolm B. Smith
- Professor at The New School for Social Research

William J. Snipes
Snipes is a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, a prestigious law firm. He has also been involved in antitrust litigation with the crude oil industry, the NFL and “Big Tobacco” companies. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1986. Otherwise, information on this fellow is hard to come by.

Elliot Stein
- Chairman of Caribbean International News Corporation
- Owner of a San Juan-based newspaper, *El Vocero de Puerto Rico*

Julien J. Studley (Vice Chair)
- Principal at Studley New Vista Associates, which is currently involved in real estate investments, providing affordable housing and consulting
- Founded Julien J. Studley, Inc., a commercial real estate brokerage firm, in 1954. Its employees bought out the firm in 2002

Sally Susman
- Executive Vice President for Global Communications at The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc.
-Had several high-level communications and government relations posts at American Express Company

The New School
Stephen C. Swid
As Chairman and CEO of SESAC, Inc., one of the only three performing rights organizations in the United States, Swid is at the forefront of pushing for songwriters and publishers to be compensated for their music. Without SESAC and the other two companies like it, people would essentially be able to steal other people’s music with no retributions. Some of the artists that have used SESAC include Justin Timberlake, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. Swid has also sponsored events at the MoMA, Metropolitan Museum and Guggenheim.

Tomio Taki
- Japanese textile magnate
- Gave Donna Karan, who gives a lecture series at Parsons, a job
- Developed his own style of Japanese management that allows each employee to work in any capacity

John L. Tishman (Vice Chair)
- Chairman and CEO of Tishman Real Estate Services
- Played a crucial role in building the World Trade Center and Epcot, of Walt Disney World

George Walker (Vice Chair)
- Global Head of the Investment Management Division at Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.

William D. Zabel, Esq.
- Secretary for the American Foundation for AIDS Research
- Member of the Board of Doctors of the World, an international organization that deals in health and human rights services in disenfranchised areas

The Special: Manhattan's Moral Millionaire

2007-04-03T09:47:00.000-05:00

Profile: Bernard L. Schwartz

By Liz Garber-Paul

Bernard Schwartz’s office looks like something out of a Cary Grant movie. His computer-less desk is messy and covered in stacks of papers. He is framed by two geometric, clear glass lamps positioned on another table behind him. There are two pictures of him laughing with Bill Clinton and another of him on the cover of New York Times Magazine. He is an elderly man, wearing a tailored grey suit and a tie covered in multicolored school buses.

But despite the location—a corner office 30 stories over the Bergdorf Men’s Store with views of Central Park—he is the kind of millionaire you don’t see in the news very often.

Schwartz, an 80 year-old business executive and philanthropist, has served on The New School’s Board of Trustees for three years. As a native New Yorker, Schwartz says he has focused his philanthropic efforts on giving back to the city that made him who he is.

”It takes a lot of effort,” Schwartz says. “This is not an easy city because the energy level is so high in every direction, but the rewards are so great.”

Schwartz says that although he and his family have three general philanthropic areas of interest—medical research, educational initiatives, and cultural and civic organizations—they must all have a connection with New York.

“This is the most exciting city in the world, which is distinguished by the fact that there are so many competing cultural things that are going on,” he says. “We want to advance that competition and that activity.”

Schwartz has another passion—the Democratic Party. According to NBC, he was the single largest contributor between 1992 and 1996, when Clinton was in office.

“It’s easy for me to be supportive of a democratic leader who has a view of his world similar to mine,” says Schwartz about the former president. He also supports Hillary’s run for the White House, and attended her fundraiser in March. “It was a love-in!” he says.

During the time he spent in Washington in the 1990’s, Schwartz became good friends with Bob Kerrey. So when the former Senator became the president of The New School, Schwartz came on board as a trustee and made it a prime example of his philanthropy. He gave a grant to The New School’s Center for Economic Policy Analysis in 2004—a center that concentrates on economic growth, unemployment and inequality, with a specific focus on the U.S. economy—renaming it the Schwartz Center.

Last spring, he and his wife initiated the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Merit Scholarship Challenge at Lang. The challenge invited other donations to be used for any scholarship purpose; their matching contributions go to the self-named fund in order to recruit top students.

Schwartz also helped establish programs at other institutions, including Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, The Council on Foreign Relations (a non-partisan center for scholars, students, and policymakers) The Brookings Institution, and Tel Aviv University. He also serves as a trustee of the New York University Hospitals Center, the New York Historical Society, PBS channel 13, and Baruch College.

Even his love of education eventually leads back to his love of New York—not just because it’s the financial capital, as he says, but because of its unique culture. His wife is a trustee at the American Ballet Theater, and he is the vice chairman of the New York Film Society. But he doesn’t think you need to be a millionaire to experience the best things the city has to offer.

“You can do New York city on a very low budget,” Schwartz says. “It’s just being aggressive in determining what they are, and taking advantage of it. That’s part of the education. It’s not just about what happens in the classroom.”

Schwartz has a long history with New York City, not just with giving money to New York’s organizations.

Raised in Bensonhurst, Schwartz went on to receive a B.S. from City College, the same institution that later awarded him with an honorary doctorate degree. During World War II, he was stuck in American army training because he was too young to be deployed into combat.

“I say I’m lucky now,” he says. “But I didn’t think I was lucky then.”

Until 1996, Schwartz was chairman of Loral Corporation, a Fortune 200 designer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art defense systems, for 24 years. Schwartz proved to be a very successful leader: starting in 1972, Loral posted 96 consecutive months of increased earnings, and between 1972 and 1996 the value of the company rose 200%, from $7.5 million to $15 million. In 1996, when the company shifted its focus from defense systems to satellite manufacturing and changed its name to Loral Space and Communications, Schwartz stayed on as chairman and CEO for another 10 years.

Despite his corporate background, what stands out most are his philanthropic efforts.

“His greatest contribution is his enthusiasm for the mission of improving the quality of our undergraduate efforts,” says Bob Kerrey. “His confidence infects others who may doubt our capacity to succeed.”

The Special: BET Co-Founder Funds New Building

2007-04-03T09:43:00.002-05:00

Janet Hitchens
Sheila Johnson at Market Salamander, her award winning food market.

By Linh Tran

Four years ago, Sheila Johnson walked through the old Parsons building on 13th Street and 5th Avenue on a guided tour. Immediately, Johnson noticed a long line of students in the small lobby, waiting for one of two cramped elevators.

"One little line to get into one skinny little elevator,” Johnson recalled. That, to her, was a “glaring problem.”

Recently, Johnson, who joined the Board of Trustees of The New School in September 2003, donated $7 million to rebuild the outdated Parsons building. The building has been renamed the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center in her honor.

She commissioned Lyn Rice Architects to design the new building. Several plans were proposed and Johnson chose the most innovative design.

"There were some wacky designs that came out first,” she said. Most of the focus was on finding a design that paid attention to physical details. “We wanted to design a space where students can start interacting with each other.”

The building, which is currently under construction and slated to open sometime in 2008, features new updated galleries and “smart” lecture halls, meaning they will have audio-visual capabilities. The new building will also include an indoor urban quad, a new take on traditional outdoor quads that are common on college campuses.

“I think what I’m doing is a catalyst for other buildings on campus,” Johnson said, in reference to the planned reconstruction of 65 5th Ave. “We really need to pay attention to the physical elements of the university.”

The new building won the American Institute of Architects award for design this year. Ms. Johnson also recently won a design award for her food market, Market Salamander. The market is part of Ms. Johnson’s hospitality company, Salamander Hospitality. The company also includes a luxury resort and spa. It is located in Middleburg, Virginia where Johnson currently lives on the 200-acre Salamander Farm.

Ms. Johnson became the first female African American billionaire in the country, hitting that milestone even before Oprah Winfrey, in 2003. She gained her fortune by co-founding Black Entertainment Television (BET) with her former husband in 1980.

In addition to her farm, she owns a home in Arlington, Virginia, a home in Palm Beach, Florida, and an apartment at the St. Regis in New York City. She did not tell Inprint what kind of money she had in the bank.

She is currently on the board of the Whitney Museum, American for the Arts, the VH1 Board, the board of the University of Virginia, and the board of the University of Illinois.

Ms. Johnson has a lifelong interest in education. She taught music for 18 years at the junior high school level. She was also a youth symphony composer and conductor. After selling BET to Viacom for $2.3 billion in 1997, Ms. Johnson had the financial means to further education in other ways.

“[The sale] gave me the financial status and means to switch roles so that I could make a bigger impact,” she said. “What I can do financially helps me play an even bigger role in affecting the lives of young people.”

Ms. Johnson’s interest in The New School reflects her interest in supporting arts education. Her donation to Parsons is going towards providing a more modern and functional space for students and professors.

“I felt like I could provide something that could not only help the students, but the faculty as well," she said.

Op-Ed: Lang's Naughty Numbers

2007-04-03T09:43:00.001-05:00

Facts, Figures, and Fabrications

Gender
Women enrolled at Lang: 71% [The New School Fact Book, Fall 2006]

Men: 29% [Fact Book, ‘06]

Chance for girl-girl-boy ménage-a-trois: 23% [math courtesy of Eric Hollerbach]

Number of women at Lang: 757

Chance a Lang woman will find a date among the 646 Parsons men: 0

Student Culture

In-state students: 24% [Collegeboard.com]

Students ripe for corrupting: 76%

Students accepted with a High School GPA below 2.5: 1% [Collegeboard.com]

Students reminiscent of sexy sorority sluts: 1%

Number of intercollegiate sports offered at Lang: 0

Number of intercollegiate sports offered at Columbia University: 33 [Collegeboard.com]

Instances of date rape at Columbia for every one (1) at Lang: 33

Average GPA of students congregating in northeast corner of courtyard: 4.20

International Student Body

Number by which the entire Lang student body out-numbers international Parsons students: 84 [Fact Book ‘06]

Number of Lang international students: 36 [Fact Book Fall, ‘06]

Chance for sexy accents at Lang: 3.7%

Chance Parsons international students would overthrow Lang in a coup: 4%

Race and Ethnicity

Approximate number of times an average student will hear the word “diversity” on a given day at Lang: 12

Number of reported white women enrolled: 465 [Fact Book, Fall ‘06]

Number of reported African American women: 29 [Fact Book, Fall ‘06]

Number of reported white men: 228 [Fact Book, Fall ‘06]

Number of reported African American men: 9 [Fact Book, Fall ‘06]

Rank on The Princeton Review Best 361 Colleges category “Lots of Race/Class interaction": 10

Op-Ed: 300: Iranian Insult

2007-04-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros

By Najva Soleimani

After 300*came out, I got an e-mail from my mother titled “300 is not just a movie: it is Persia Bashing” with links to a few articles. Although the trailer for 300 hadn’t appealed to me, apparently the rest of the U.S. went to see it and it grossed $70-million at the box office. 300 had the third biggest R-rated opening ever. Oh, and Iranians, my mother included, were pissed.

An adaptation of Frank Miller’s comic book, 300 is loosely inspired by the Battle of Thermopylae. Very loosely inspired. The Iranians, as well as various journalists, identify many historical inconsistencies: the Spartans are portrayed as blue-eyed Aryans while the Persians are African, Xerxes is practically a drag queen, and the Persians are dressed like barbarians. Not to mention numerical inconsistency: it was actually 300 Spartans plus 700 Thespians and 6,000 other Greek volunteers against about 150,000 Persians—not 300 against one million.

Given the politically tense atmosphere in contemporary Iran, it’s easy to see why such an unflattering depiction of their Persian heritage would have the entire country in a frenzy. Constant threat of war and recent negative press about Iran has made the country paranoid. 300 abets this paranoia perfectly.

But 300 is just a Hollywood movie. Hopefully, no one would take it seriously. The same way no one took The Passion of The Christ seriously, right? Aside from all those people who wrote hate letters to the Jewish community, of course. The major concern is that a large portion of America actually believes what they see on the screen. That’s assuming those ignorant enough to do so can even make the connection between Iran and the Persians.

My real worry isn’t a bunch of under-30 men watching homoerotic, buff warriors rip each other up. It’s that people are shocked that Iranians would be offended and boycott a film that is slandering their culture. I, like almost all of the outraged, won’t spend my money seeing 300. But my gay friend Matt loves it.

Op-Ed: Uplifted: Pimp My Tits

2007-04-03T09:32:00.000-05:00

Emily Alexander

By Amelia Leeah Rossburndt

Brassiere couture is capturing the hearts and minds (among other things) of women of all ages and endowments. Over spring break, a couple of Inprint staffers partook in the bona fide trend of custom bra fitting, and entertained the wisdom of the most vocal champion of the very up close and personal practice: Susan Nethero, owner of the growing Intimacy Bra Fit Specialist chain.

Nethero hawked her wares on Oprah last year and revealed that 85% of all women are wearing the wrong bra size. Surely publicizing this dirty secret is enough to scare any lady straight, but what exactly does it mean for a bra to be wrong?

I already have a handful of fantastic bras—the kind that strike the magic balance of great construction and snazzy appearance. These bras seem to lift not only their contents, but also the spirit of the wearer. On a good bra day, the sky seems bluer, the birds seem to whistle a happy tune and the men seem more handsome. Other bras aren’t wrong per se, just not particularly extraordinary. I don’t feel as though I’m being mishandled when I wear them, only a little less special.

Bras perform myriad tasks. They can lift and separate or they can push up and together. There are convertible models and bras that enhance or compress. Some boast invisibility while others conspicuously flout the good girl’s notion of modesty. They are sporty or sexy, utilitarian or frivolous but rarely any successful combination thereof. According to Nethero, however, the wily mechanisms must do even more.

Counter-intuitively, only 10% of support should come from the shoulder straps. The often-neglected band should bear the bulk of the burden. A bra should fit firmly on its loosest hook so that you can use tighter ones as back-ups for years to come—economical enough, but the idea of ageing with my bras is a little depressing. A seam should run down the center of the bra to prevent “show through.” Your cups should never, ever runneth over. And the proper position of the bra band is . . .well, somewhere I’m still uncertain of, but Nethero would have you know that yours is probably improperly positioned.

Nethero also warns against falling prey to the bra technology profiteers, but her noble work doesn’t seem that much better than the annual parade of Victoria’s Secret mediocrity. The Intimacy stores may even be more nefarious, because initially patronizing one begs a lifetime of follow-up visits. Intimacy’s real hook catches the ego: invariably, what women discover after their custom fitting is that they are a cup larger and a band size smaller. All the new bra really does is augment the ego: the real bust line stays the same.

The nature of sizing—at least off the rack—is erratic. Finding seven different bras of five different makers in six different sizes and having most of them fit essentially the same way is partly what makes shopping for bras fun. Susan Nethero and her army of second-base stealers can kill joy in someone else's lingerie chest.

Op-Ed: Pardon Moi?

2007-04-03T09:29:00.000-05:00

By Amber Sutherland

Do you always have to say hi to acquaintances?

Maintaining relationships with your social circle fringe is time-consuming and prohibitive to your autonomy. If you must endure regular run-ins with everyone you’ve ever met in your life, you will likely be tardy to other engagements and preclude real introspection into your relationships.

Few things are worse than taking a leisurely stroll through the Village, perhaps sipping a stimulating beverage and enjoying your anonymity, only to be disturbed by the piercing call of your name from across the street. Suddenly you’re ripped from an internal monologue that was only moments away from a breakthrough—for instance, about which of the unholy trifecta of Brooklyn writers named Jonathan is worse—and seduced into a good old-fashioned round of “What are you up to?”

If a would-be pal approaches you, it is generally recommended that you indulge them for a moment, lest you endure the dreaded “he used to be cool” the next time you come up in conversation. Exchange pleasantries and politely excuse yourself. A warm smile and a jovial sock to the arm will punctuate your camaraderie. Just remember: every time you are excessively social, J. D. Salinger gets a chill down his spine.

Is it OK to renege on a suicide pact?

Your co-conspirator will be understandably miffed that you want to dissolve your contract. Be sympathetic about the obvious inconvenience you are causing. Explain to him or her that your life is on an upswing right now and the idea of ending it all has lost its initial charm.

Rationalize your exploitation of the escape clause very precisely to avoid any appearance of poor follow-through on your part. If you stand to inherit a large sum of money in the foreseeable future, for example, be honest. Do not merely claim to be in a different place now/have found Jesus/want to see how this season of American Idol turns out.

But do not leave your former partner high and dry. Provide recommendations of anyone you know who might be interested in taking your place. As always, send a note a few days later, preferably something with a somber tone. Handsome Devil Press, for one, has a greeting card inspired by Morrissey. This is a great way to say, “To die by your side, the pleasure, the privilege is mine,” without, you know, making the commitment.

News: Reporter's Journal: Spring Break: In Tel Aviv, Hanging with the IDF's Bomb Squard

2007-04-03T09:24:00.000-05:00

Julia David
Tal Engel taking a break at his military base in Israel. "We have no choice because this is the situation we are living in."

By Julia David

On my first day in Israel over spring break, I discovered what it is like to be both a local and a soldier.

Across the street from the restaurant where I was eating in Tel Aviv, there was a bomb warning. Several Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers, padded with explosion protection, were ushering pedestrians away from the potentially dangerous scene. I stayed inside the café and watched as a bomb-detecting robot whirred its way towards a large black bag resting ominously on the sidewalk.

I have never been one for war and violence, but seeing these soldiers risk their lives first hand made me appreciate Israel’s mandatory military service. In Israel, it is difficult to call yourself an Israeli if you have not served in the army. Despite 2-3 years of mandatory service, serving in the IDF is a great honor for the majority of its soldiers.

“The threat of death lives in our country,” a soldier who chose to remain anonymous told me. “Most people aren’t in a hurry to face this threat, but we must, and that makes us stronger.”

I could go into the politics of the crisis with Palestine. I could also admit that not everything Israel has done has been ethical. But these soldiers are trying hard to achieve peace with the Disengagement Plan. I could also mention the fact that, despite Israel offering land for share with the Palestinians, they prefer "all or war." I could mention all of this, but ever since the "bomb" incident, I became more interested in the personal experiences and thoughts of the IDF soldiers rather than politics or tactics.

Every Israeli, man and woman, must enter the army at age 18. They become fighters, intelligence, pilots, and instructors, and each job is as important as the next. It is a life that is always on the edge, always sensitive to the dangers on each side of the Israeli and Palestinian border. It is a life that must be lived.

“You have to understand,” said Israeli commanding officer Tal Engel. “There is no other way. We have no choice because this is the situation we are living in.”

Each soldier has his or her own story to tell. Lior Kirshner, a head sergeant in the IDF, and Liran Azrad, an IDF sergeant, have both been to the Gaza Strip. Once, Kirshner, along with his unit, weighed down by a 60-pound pack, had to tightly press himself against a wall before forcing his way into the house of a known terrorist. Azrad participated in a unit that built bombs and aimed them at the terrorist’s homes.

“It’s always scary but in time you get used to it,” Azrad said with a shrug of acquiescence.

Engel, who patrols the borders of the Palestinian city of Schem, was once driving with fellow soldiers through a nearby Palestinian city, when a Palestinian radical threw a bottle of gas into the car. They jumped out of the vehicle just before it exploded.

It is extraordinary to see such enduring patriotism and loyalty to the country and to fellow soldiers. “I love my country. I love my people,” said Dana, a short-term participant in the army. “It doesn’t matter how much or how little you contribute in the army, I just feel good doing something.”

Every time I go to Israel, I am reminded of the threat and risks that lie in wait. I will eat at a café that had been destroyed only months before by a suicide bomber. I will go shopping on the infamous Sheinkin Street and see soldiers my age walking through the area with M16s slung around their shoulders.

The sentiment for the majority of IDF soldiers, as well as Palestinian citizens, is the same. “We want to live in peace, but right now, it just seems like that just can’t happen,” Engel said. “You end up with having a lot of question marks, but at the end of the day, you just have to do what you’re told.”

News: What's the Haps? [April 3-April 16]

2007-04-03T09:22:00.000-05:00

By Liz Garber-Paul

Finally, spring. There are only a few weeks left until Midwestern tourists begin to take over New York for the summer. Before the streets are too packed to navigate, get out of your apartment and get some culture.

Wondering what a graduate program would actually do to your writing? On Thursday, April 5, at 7 p.m. Elton Carter, Rob Ostrom and Sarah Smarsh will be reading at KGB Bar as part of the Columbia University Writing Division Faculty Selects series. Held on the first Thursday of every month, the series showcases exceptional students who have finished their coursework at the Writing Division, but have not yet found a publisher for their first book. Use this as an excuse to get to know one of New York's premiere literary spots, the cozy KGB which holds readings nearly every night.

New media is taking over the New School, if not the whole world. On Saturday, April 7 from 9am until 6 p.m., PodCamp NYC is holding a one-day "unconference" in Tischman Auditorium, presented by The New School Department of Media and Film Studies. The event will focus on networking and sharing information concerning different types of new media--namely, video and audio podcasts, and blogging. If you want to get a head start on networking, go to the Podcamp NYC's Perfect Pitch Party at Slate in Chelsea on Friday April 6 from 6p.m. to 9 p.m. Both events are free, but registration through podcampnyc.com is recommended.

Don't think Factory Girl gave you the whole story? On Sunday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m., the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria will be screening Ciao! Manhattan as the finale to their "The Real Edie Sedgwick" series. Ciao!, directed by John Palmer and David Weisman, is a semi-autobiographical film about socialite and Warhol superstar Sedgwick. It combines footage from Warhol's Factories along with scenes of the fictional Susan Superstar portrayed by Sedgwick. The 1972 feature will be preceded by an 8-minute clip from Lulu 1967, footage of Sedgwick directed by Richard Leacock.

It's a well known fact that the best way to get drunk for free in New York is to attend second-rate art openings. But how cool would it be if you actually wanted to see the art? From 7-10 p.m on Thursday, April 12, be at Williamsburg's Riviera Gallery for the opening of True Believers, an exhibition that is featuring original work from some leading young designers. The artists all come from different backgrounds, but the general inspiration seems to come from the early skateboarding, hardcore and hip-hop cultures. The exhibit features work by Jason Gnewikow, Mark Owens, Garrett Morin, Wes Duvall, Ryan Waller, Wyeth Hansen, Jeremy Dean, Kimou Meyer, Max Vogel, Noah Butkus and Nathan Nedorostsk.

Five Best: Money Songs

2007-04-03T09:16:00.000-05:00

By Josh Kurp

#5. “Money” by Pink Floyd

I actually hate this song but not including it on a list about money would be like not including The Bad News Bears Go to Japan on a list of the worst movies of all-time or “existentialism” on the list of words stupid people use to sound smart.

#4. “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA

-Considering this song rhymes “money” and “funny,” it’s no wonder ABBA is in the top-20 for number of records sold. Ca-CHING!

#3. “Song for the Dumped” by Ben Folds Five

-When this song came out in 1997 , Ben Folds was money…and now he’s sunk so low that he recorded an alternate version of “Rockin’ the Suburbs” for the Over the Hedge soundtrack with William “James T. Kirk” Shatner.

#2. “Carrying the Banner” by Christian Bale and um…other Newsies

-As any self-respecting newspaper (or “papes”) person should know, it’s all about making the money. Or dough, scratch, bits, greenbacks, dead presidents, moolah, simoleons, and other clever names for the green piece of paper or shiny coin.

#1. “Money (That’s What I Want)” by …

-The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Buddy Guy, The Kingsmen, The Doors, Pearl Jam, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Smashing Pumpkins, Josie and the Pussycats (!), The Blues Brothers and The Supremes, among others. It’s definitely the king of money songs and yet, I’ve never met anyone who really likes this song.

Arts: Can't Sing or Just Too Drunk? Who Cares?

2007-04-02T23:50:00.000-05:00

A look at the Karaoke Scene in the Tri-State Area

By Julia David

Karaoke translates literally as “empty orchestra” in Japanese. But the New York bars and lounges that specialize in this imported Japanese pastime are far from empty. Here's a breakdown of some hot "empty orchestra" spots:

Muse Karaoke, 154 W. 26th St.
The bright yellow and green corridors are bewitching, and the patrons are just as colorful. Cheerful, drunk bellowings of men and women in shiny plastic wigs singing "Xanadu" can be heard emanating from behind closed doors of the private rooms. Friday and Saturday nights are busiest at Muse, and as hours get wee-er, the body count grows. The front bar is small, though well stocked, and a larger bar is located in the back lounge that can be booked in advance for large private parties. The smaller private rooms are available first come first serve and offer an impressive repertoire of songs, available in thirteen different languages, including English, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Portuguese, and German.

Karaoke One 7, 29 W. 17th St.
If you enjoy a more communal karaoke experience, here is an after work bar teeming with 21-35 year old yuppies. The arcade game, mosaic wall, and two large flat screens in the main bar give the place a pleasant modernity. Ardent regulars are quite sagacious when it comes to proper song-picking etiquette: 80’s and 90’s classics like “Wonderwall,” “Lost That Lovin’ Feeling," and “Livin’ on a Prayer” are most popular.

Mark, a regular with a strong voice and boundless energy, picks “the kind of songs you sing when you’re cruising down the highway or in the shower.”

Though the only private room visible from the bar is the vast party room, there are in fact nine smaller private rooms one could rent out for $6 per person per hour Monday through Wednesday and from $24 to $64 per room Thursday through Sunday.

Sing Sing Karaoke, 81 Ave A and 9 St. Mark’s Pl.
The atmosphere at every karaoke lounge is the same: infectious and vibrant. But at this spot neon lights and down to earth employees provide a modern yet modest ambiance. It is a good place to crash in the early morning hours, where cheap drinks and a variety of songs are offered.

Bahama Mamas, 215 Washington St. in Hoboken, NJ
For those who enjoy nights out on the other side of the Hudson, here is an ideal place for karaoke every Thursday. This Tiki lounge provides a list of every song imaginable and a brilliant, all night long happy hour offer. If you are a shy singer, you need not worry, for everyone holding a Tiki Mai Tai, Pina Colada, or Key Lime ‘Tini will be singing along with you.

This fun pastime "brings people, who do or don't know each other, together," one zealous singer said. "Even if it's only for a few hours.”

Arts: Reviews: Music: Remixed & Covered

2007-04-02T23:44:00.000-05:00

Christelle Imperial de Castro
The boys and girl of Xiu Xiu. Dirty, eh?

Xiu Xiu, Remixed & Covered. Releases on April 10th.

Xiu Xiu’s eighth release features covers by the unexpectedly folksy likes of Devendra Banhart and Marisa Nadler, with great results. Banhart’s “Support Our Troops” is an acoustic sockhop, down-tempoed by his quivering vocals. Nadler takes “Clowne Towne” to a bucolic plain where nymphet sirens coo haunting heralds from the treetops. With a move away from ambient, antagonizing discords, Xiu Xiu has boldly crossed oceans of genres in their choice of collaborators. They infuse already rich blueprints with cellos and tambourines, spoken word, and gentle dance beats, as in Kid 606’s “Fabulous Muscles.” The results can be chilling, beautiful and consistently fresh.

Less impressive are the remixes, which up the ante on Xiu Xiu’s nails-on-a-chalkboard intensity to the point of almost unbearable tension. Still, they might work in a dance hall. The stand-out track, “Hello from Eau Claire,” mixed by Gold Chains, goes way out there with bare-bones, little-girl vocals: "I can put on my own blouse/I can button up my own pants/I can buy my own cigarettes."

For fans, this two-disc powerhouse is a must have. It may also make fans out of those who aren’t.

Rating: "Mixed" with love and "covered" with a tea cozy.

Arts: Review: Theater: The Pirate Queen

2007-04-02T23:42:00.000-05:00

The Pirate Queen. Playing at the Hilton Theatre.

Underneath the forgettable lyrics and bland set designs, there is a worthwhile story in The Pirate Queen. Unfortunately, the writers of Les Miserables & Miss Saigon (Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg) didn’t get it right this time. Set in sixteenth century Europe, this musical is based on the real-life heroics of Grace O’Malley (Stephanie J. Block, The Boy from Oz), the first woman to lead an Irish clan. Her biggest problem: Queen Elizabeth I (Linda Balgord), who will do anything to bring her down. Sounds empowering—two women in charge at a time when women had no power at all—yet the musical manages to bury the heart of the plot deep within elaborate dance sequences and unnecessary story tangents. (Structure is everything, people!) And then there are the sporadic accents, the over-abundance of gyrating pelvises and the pathetic fight scenes. Still, take a trip to the beautiful Hilton Theatre if you love Riverdance or you want to hear Block’s powerhouse voice. Plus, Hadley Fraser as the male lead is delicious. But get student tickets or you’ll really hate yourself at the end of the evening.

Rating: Even Johnny Depp couldn’t have saved this sinking ship.

Arts: Reviews: Film: The Lookout

2007-04-02T23:30:00.000-05:00

Allen Fraser, Courtesy of Miramax Films
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Matthew Gooode.

The Lookout. Director Scott Frank. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels.

Who knew that lil’ Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Third Rock from the Sun) would have a successful movie career ? Starring in the suspense thriller The Lookout, Gordon-Levitt's main character transforms from an all-star hockey player to a bank robber with short term memory loss. Also featuring the great Jeff Daniels, The Lookout refrains from becoming a cliché coming-of-age story and instead fervently examines a country boy who makes one wrong decision that ends up costing the lives of countless human beings. Not without flaws (such as an awkwardly added scene including abused elders...if I could explain I would), The Lookout is worth the ten dollar movie ticket.

Rating: Oh how I wish Jeff Daniels was my uncle.

News: Mapping Mayhem: Defense Contract Raises Eyebrows

2007-02-27T19:51:00.000-05:00

PIIM’s comprehensive mapping program will be a great resource, Kerrey says

[image of SDS & PIIM woman]

Sam Lewis

Sam Lewis

Nadia Chaudhury
[image of Cline & woman]
(from top to bottom) On February 9, SDS members demanded answers from a staffer for the Parsons Institue for Information Mapping; A PIIM map; Graffiti scribbled on a project that formed the basis for PIIM; The PIIM office on the 2nd floor of 55 W. 13th St; Alex Cline confronting a staffer.

By Kevin Dugan

In an obscure office at 55 W. 13th St., a group of engineers and graduate students sit shoulder to shoulder at computers, poring over thousands of news articles, digitally-rendered maps and satellite images.

Nearby, a huge, arcing window facing 13th Street fills a more spacious room with sunlight. There, a programmer sits at a Macintosh, studying Times Square from the sky. She flies down to street level and lands just outside a featureless, gray rendering of the Empire State Building.

Welcome to the headquarters for the Parsons Institute for Information Mapping (PIIM), a New
School program that collects and organizes endless amounts of raw data—including voting statistics, racial demographics and phone numbers—into media and visual mapping projects.

Unbeknownst to most students, the U.S. Department of Defense signed a $6 million contract with The New School in 2002 for one of the programs, the Geospace and Media Tool (GMT). Faculty and students recently discovered the contract, sparking a wave of controversy across campus.

New School President Bob Kerrey recently told Inprint that GMT, which may be on the market
as early as ten months, will not have a military application. It is designed to streamline communications systems for Congress and civilian agencies, and provide research tools for the university’s faculty and staff.

Nevertheless, PIIM’s executive director, William Bevington, said GMT can still be modified to access confidential information. Kerrey said faculty and students should not be concerned about
The New School’s relationship with the Department of Defense. “If you oppose the U.S. having
an Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps under any circumstances, and oppose the Department of Defense’s existence, period, then you have a consistent argument that we should not be doing business” with the department, he said. “If, however, your only objection is having Bush as commander-in-chief, that’s a wholly different matter.”

Kerrey helped create the institute in 2002 after seeing a Parsons senior-work presentation where students created detailed maps and graphs on specific topics. One student mapped the Battle of Gettysburg while another documented the desertification process of the Gobi Desert. This concept, he said, should be applied to a digital platform.

Kerrey chose Bevington, then a Parsons professor, to head the institute. Bevington recruited a
team of engineers and graduate students to create tools like publicopiniontool. org and Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC), a system that keeps track of military bases inside the country.

That year, Kerrey pitched one of the projects, GMT, to the Defense Department. GMT is designed to make it easier for Congressmen to gather large amounts of information
about unfamiliar topics. Kerrey, a former senator, said that most public officials have trouble
keeping track of important issues.

GMT collects and organizes “open source,” or unclassified, data much like a Google search,
but with far more comprehensive capabilities. According to Bevington, the program can process
almost two million news articles, from sources that include national news wires and community newspapers worldwide.

“You get 12,000 sources of news processing 80,000 stories a day,” Bevington said. For a student, “it would be an amazing research tool.”

Bevington demonstrated the program at PIIM headquarters. He ran a search for “mosque,”
and over one million news hits surfaced. Every article was linked to its area on an interactive map, giving him the opportunity to explore further.

As with most programs that compile data, such exhaustive access to information can have both
its advantages and disadvantages.

For instance, because of the PATRIOT Act, medical records are partially open to the public for hospitals and insurance companies.

With this access, in the event of a disaster, “we can treat more people, more quickly,” Bevington
said. “However, if it’s open, insurance companies can say, ‘I’m not gonna insure you.’”

Open source information could be used to improve intelligence gathering.

For example, the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding
Weapons of Mass Destruction, a nonpartisan group, concluded in a 2005 letter to President George W. Bush that the intelligence community incorrectly assessed Iraq’s nuclear capabilities because it did not rely on open source information.

In response to concerns that GMT could be used for military purposes, Bevington said that that
the military already has access to advanced data analysis technology.

Nevertheless, Kerrey cannot guarantee that once GMT is available to the public, it will continue to gather only open source data.

“I think we should have a conversation about the need for secrets and the need for security,” Kerrey said.

When GMT goes public, Bevington said users will be able to modify its applications. “Could
you put classified information into the tool? Currently, no,” Bevington said. “Could you redesign
the tools to do that? Yeah.”

Some students and faculty believe this relationship runs contrary to the university’s principles,
including the anti-war stance of founders Charles Beard, James Harvey Robinson, Thorsten
Veblen and John Dewey, who left Columbia to start The New School in 1919.

Students discovered GMT on January 22, when graduate student Armon Rezai emailed New
School for Social Research economics professor Catherine Ruetschlin with a link to fedspending.org, a Web site that monitors government contracts and grants. The site reported
that the DoD had contracted The New School for nearly $10 million since 2002, and gave university $6 million in 2003.

“At first look I thought it could be from Kerrey’s service on the 9/11 Commission,” Ruetschlin
said. “Although there wouldn’t be any reason that money should come to our school.”

“It degrades the decisions of all the students who come to The New School in recognition of its
heritage,” Reutschlin added.

On February 9, with endorsement from the University Student Senate and the Lang Student Union, five SDS members marched into the PIIM office, armed with a “warrant” demanding that the administration end their relationship with the military until it is approved by students and faculty.

Bevington was not in the office at the time, and a staff member on hand could not divulge any information.

Kerrey said that the controversey points to a larger issue—that some students have not been receptive enough to viewpoints of conservatives and the military.

“People talk about academic freedom up the wazoo,” he said. “When it comes down to using
that academic freedom to have a real discussion and debate, where is it?”

Neighborhood Profile: Exploring Red Hook, Gowanus Canal and ... I Just Moved Here

2007-02-27T19:37:00.000-05:00

Text & Photos by Matthew Mann

I just moved to Red Hook about a week ago. I still don’t know much about the place. There’s a lot of eighteen wheeler traffic and all the Fung Wah buses hang out in a warehouse about a block away from where I live. I met my neighbor yesterday, his name is James and he has a tiny dog with squinty eyes. I don’t have a bed yet so I sleep on a piece of cardboard on my floor.

(from top to bottom) 37 Carrol Street, the building without a back; Under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway; The Gowanus Canal, pronounced “Go-on-us,” not “Go-anus;” Trash and heavy machinery are common sights.

Editorial: Let's Have a Conversation

2007-02-27T18:50:00.000-05:00

The NYU College Republicans’ tactics were vile & pointless

(l-r) Raphael Rodriguez; fourteenapart via flickr
Over 300 counter-protestors expressed their outrage against “Find the Illegal Immigrant,” a stunt put on by NYU’s College Republicans.

By Peter Holslin

Every year, would-be immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America endure grueling ordeals to reach the United States. Most come overland, and at the Mexican border they traverse miles of desert, often with little food and water, sometimes with fatal consequences. Over the past few years, because the government and volunteer/vigilante groups like the Minutemen have stepped up efforts to patrol the border regions, these desert trails have only grown longer and more perilous.

Many make it across—estimates of resident illegal immigrants in the United States range from 10 to 20 million—and many are able to find jobs and send money home to their families. But some of this human tide is caught—wasting thousands of dollars paid to less-than-reliable guides, or “coyotes”—and others die of exhaustion, heat stroke or dehydration, and their bodies are abandoned.

Essentially, getting here takes more than a jog through the park. That's what made last Thursday's "hunt" in Washington Square Park for Caitlin Kannall, an NYU sophomore from Illinois who wore an "illegal immigrant” placard, staged by NYU's College Republicans, so disgusting. It was impossible to ignore the event's racist, violent and paranoid connotations.

Sarah Chambers, president of the College Republicans, told NYU’s newspaper, Washington Square News, that the group wanted to provoke controversy. Even though no more than a dozen students donned the “I.N.S.” nametags, the group got what they wanted. The stunt attracted a mob of national news reporters and a crowd of over 300 counter-protestors. Struggling to contain them behind barricades, the police shut down one of the park’s adjoining streets.

Only an hour into the debacle, according to WSN, protestors climbed over the barricades, swarmed around the club’s information table and began chanting, “Racists out.”

Like most college students in the United States, these Republicans will probably never have to risk death, isolation, violence and poverty for their freedom. While it is abhorrent to see humans chased like animals, in this case, it was hard not to grin at the spectacle of the hunters becoming the hunted.

Unfortunately, this great debacle didn't lead to much thoughtful discussion or insight. In general, one thing we should hear more about is why so many immigrants continue to risk the strenuous passage to America. Of course, there are multitudes of answers: the opportunity to escape abject poverty or political persecution, to provide a better education for their children, to find hope or a fresh start. But without actually talking to "illegals"—as opposed to chasing them—we may never know for sure.

One also has to wonder how big of a problem undocumented immigration really is. For all of the comments posted on the Washington Square News website condemning illegal immigration, there were few that offered any concrete statistics to explain why it is such a problem. If anything, we have all benefited from immigrants who work horrid jobs to get paid measly wages.

The big question, of course, is what we should do about this influx. Building fences and hunting people down like animals are solutions, but regardless of your political views, they appear to be hopelessly impractical ones.

This is obviously something we need to talk about. So, let's convene a New School conference, invite academic experts, homeland security types, undocumented immigrants, and maybe even some College Republicans...that is, if they agree to check their hunting gear at the door.

Arts: Reggie Workman Sculpts Future Sounds

2007-02-27T18:14:00.000-05:00

Matt Mann

By Kevin Dugan

Have you ever wondered where you could find a cappella jazz, free improvisation groups and middle-schoolers rapping about the Iraq War in one place? Those who attended The Sculptured Sounds Music Festival at St. Peter's Church last week found their answer.

The four-week festival was founded and co-produced by Reggie Workman, a faculty member of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and former upright bass player for the John Coltrane Quartet.

Workman said the festival brought together "futuristic music" that didn't fall into convenient categories. "You can't use a window that doesn't fit,” he said. “You end up in or outside the box."

The theme of the third week seemed to be the role of imagination, free from the restrictions of form and instrument. The Montclair Academy of Dance Drummers lifelessly performed four traditional West-African pieces. Then a team of middle-schoolers delivered an anti-war rap called "Mr. President." The Charles Gayle Trio followed with a weak free jazz set that had all three musicians relying on feeble riffs that never went anywhere. Gayle then went to the piano and played a jejune amalgam of predictably jazzy motifs.

The second half was far more engaging, beginning with Billy Harper and His Great Friends. The Friends consisted of New School jazz instrumentalists and scat-sung vocal arrangements of bop tunes, scored by Harper himself. The soloists—especially Chelsea Baratz—belted out great solos free from the tired clichés that many players rely on.

The final, and best, performance was by free improv group Ashanti's Message, featuring Workman on upright bass. The musicians complimented and paid attention to one another, although the sound did not blend so well in the cathedral. Drummer Tyshawn Sorley and pianist Yayoi Ikawa gave especially impressive performances that carried the music.

Workman quickly denied that he was a perfectionist. "What is important is to have a band of people who have experienced enough of their life, or worked together enough, to understand each other,” he said.

Still, Workman was "not satisfied" with his group. “There were some good moments,” but the group was under-rehearsed, he said.

News: Major Paperwork

2007-02-27T18:07:00.000-05:00

Accreditation, from the dean's office to Albany

Linh Tran

By Linh Tran

As heavy three-ring binders slowly make their way from Eugene Lang College’s mailbox to the New York State Department of Education in Albany, Lang moves ever closer to offering its students state-certified majors.

For years, the only major offered at the college was a Bachelor’s of Arts in Liberal Arts. According to administrators, though, a full list of majors will be offered at Lang as soon as next semester.

“I’m hoping by the end of next year that we could have everything done,” said Kathleen Breidenbach, Associate Dean of Lang.

The Department of Education has already approved four majors. These include Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Culture & Media, which will replace the Cultural Studies concentration. The Dean’s Office is currently preparing proposals for majors in History, Political Science and Social Inquiry, while the Provost’s Office is reviewing The Arts, the new Arts in Context major.

Lang has always offered "concentrations," which are, essentially, majors that have not been registered with the state. The requirements for a concentration are more flexible because they are not accredited.

The accreditation process for an individual major begins when faculty of each concentration review the existing program and create a curriculum for the major. Then, they submit the curriculum to the Dean’s Office to be reviewed. The curriculum is passed back and fourth until both the Dean’s Office and the concentration's faculty agree on a final product. Then, the Dean’s Office begins to compile information on each professor and every class they teach.

“It’s not a top-down thing—it’s a bottom-up thing from the faculty of Lang,” said Liz Ross, Vice Provost of The New School.

The bulk of the work consists of gathering each professor's curriculum vitae, or academic résumé. The curriculum vitae are then collected into a binder along with the syllabi for every class taught in that particular concentration.

The proposals need to show that Lang has the faculty resources to support the major. The Dean’s Office must outline the classes that will be offered within the major and decide how often they will be available. They are also responsible for naming the professors that will teach the courses.

“It’s hard to imagine just how much work it is,” Breidenbach said. “It’s hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of little details.”

The proposal is then passed on to the Provost’s Office for review. Ross and her assistant review its text and forward questions back to the Dean’s Office. Once the Provost’s Office is satisfied, the proposal is sent to all of the different departments of The New School to sign off. Each department has to review their resources and decide if they need to make changes in order to support majors. The binders are then finally shipped to the Department of Education.

On average, the Department hands down a decision after a time period of anywhere from one to eighteen months. The discussion does not end in Albany, though—the Department commonly has questions for the school about proposals. Ross handles all contact with Albany.

The Liberal Arts major will continue to be available at Lang after the new majors are available, administrators told Inprint. Students who have already declared concentrations in approved majors, though, do have the option of graduating with a degree in their specific field, provided they have completed all of the new requirements.

“I don’t think it’s really going to be as drastic a change as people think it is,” said Ava Herceg, sophomore at Lang. “It’s all just semantics. We’re still going to get the same education.”

Josh Kurp contributed reporting.

News: Admins Try New Approach to an Old Challenge

2007-02-27T17:40:00.000-05:00

Upping the Ante on Minority Recruitment

By Alex Waddell

According to The New School Fact Book for Fall 2006, Lang’s student body is 59.5% white, making it the whitest division of the University. Under-represented minorities, which include African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, make up only 10.1% of the student body.

Lang’s population is more ethnically diverse than the national average, but somewhat less diverse than most New York City undergraduate student bodies. And, as the size of Lang’s student body has doubled in the past five years, its ethnic make-up has remained relatively consistent.

“Lang is diverse, but it could be more diverse,” said Jose Padilla, a senior at Lang. “It should be more diverse.”

Thankfully, this school year, Lang has already met its target of raising $100,000 for student recruitment and scholarships, and every dollar will be matched by The Schwartz Scholarship Challenge, a fund-raising incentive financed by Bernard Schwartz, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at The New School. Now in its second year, this five-year project will raise nearly a million dollars for recruiting and scholarships to Lang with a priority for under-represented minorities.

Administrators have also developed a range of programs that actively seek out minority students, such as the Institute of Urban Education (IUE) and new exchange programs with historically black colleges and universities (HBCU). Lang also has a Diversity Committee—a group of faculty, staff, and students— currently reviewing information and forming recommendations.

According to Dean Jonathan Veitch, of Lang, the school is addressing diversity differently than most other higher-education institutions. “Most colleges focus on financial aid and marketing,” Veitch said. “We tend to focus on outreach. So [we are] not just waiting passively for students to find us.”

Nevertheless, Lang faces a distinct set of challenges in recruiting minority students. The amount of financial aid distributed to students is on par with the national average, but Lang is supported by an endowment of only $18 million, far below the average for most colleges of similar size. This means that the school must focus on fundraising to fund scholarships and recruitment.

“Anything new and exciting we want to do, we really have to raise the money to pay for it,” said Preeti Davidson, Director of Development and Alumni.

According to John White, Director of Academic Advising at Lang, non-white-identified students also have a higher rate of attrition than white students. He cited little academic experience and minimal financial aid as the most common reasons for students' leaving.

Padilla said that minorities have been well represented in some of his classes, but not in others.

“It’s not like I’m trying to speak for all Latinos, but sometimes I feel like that’s what people want me to do and that’s unfair,” Padilla said. “It’s like, ‘Okay, so the rest of you in the class get to be individuals, but I have to speak for people.'”

Veitch said there has been a push for entrance level courses that focus on African American studies, Hispanic/Latino studies, Urban Studies and other topics, responding to students' complaints that Lang lacks ethnic diversity in the student body and faculty and strong programs in these areas of study.

With the IUE, administrators have found a way to both serve Lang's need for diversity and the community's. The IUE has a number of programs that prepare young people for college, offer experiential training in high schools for college students and support development and dialogue between educators and youth-oriented organizations.

Founded in 2003, the program now reaches nine public high schools, is training fifty college students, and will soon be holding a Young Writers Conference at Lang for high school students.

“Since we start in the ninth grade we really have a shot at getting students who wouldn’t otherwise go to college,” Veitch said. “We’re getting to a group that hasn’t already decided that it’s not a possibility for them.”

This is the first year that high school students from the program are applying to college and several of them are applying to Lang, according to Ella Turrene, Director of Special Projects.

A new exchange program with Spelman College, a prestigious historically black, all-women’s college in Atlanta, is also currently being finalized. The exchange will be by semester and will include only a “handful” of students, administrators said. Another exchange program with the Katrina-ravaged Dillard University in New Orleans, also an HBCU, is in the beginning phases of development.

Administrators hope that Spelman’s reputation for civic engagement will foster activism on campus. But ultimately, it is the dialogue-based format of a Lang education that makes providing diversity here important.

“Economic and racial diversity is fundamentally important to a seminar college like Lang," Davidson said, "Where the classroom experience is greatly related to student participation, preparation and interest.”

Op-Ed: Lang to City: “Not Tonight, Honey, I’m Tired.”

2007-02-27T16:23:00.000-05:00

Sam Lewis

By Emily Alexander

The key to all lasting, nurturing relationships is reciprocation. I service you, you service me. Sadly, The New School and the majority of the student body do not put this theory into practice when it comes to their intimate relations with the city of New York.

Despite considering themselves politically and socially active, few students participate in community service projects, and those that do receive no recognition from the school for their efforts. The New School has no service-learning department and there are no regularly scheduled volunteer events through the Office of Student Development and Activities.

The blame falls to the disorganized and inadequate administration, which is not to say some administrators are completely insensitive. As Eugene Lang expands, efforts are being made to install more community-related or service-based programs. Ella Turrene, the Director of Special Projects at Eugene Lang, is the sole overseer of these projects, which include the “I Have A Dream” Elementary Education program, the alternative Spring Break trip to Biloxi, MS to work with Habitat for Humanity, and the Newly formed Lang Outdoors division, which offer P/F courses based on community involvement.

The work Ella does is inspiring, but it is too much for any one person. (She did not respond to a number of emails asking for comment.) Case in point: the trip to Biloxi was barely publicized and cost a hefty $330, important information organizers chose not to release until the day of sign-ups.

The disorganized way that the few available service programs are being managed makes it difficult for students to participate. Most courses with a service component are geared toward education or urban studies concentrators and request several semesters of commitment. Also, Lang Outdoors programs involve a substantial amount of dedication for courses that are not even graded.

There should be regular weekly or monthly, free or low-cost community service programs open to the entire New School community. These programs should not be formatted as courses requiring intensive work or long-term commitments, but instead as fun, interesting and voluntary events. They should be designed for passionate students wanting to give something back and get a different experience of the city, or just for students needing to fulfill community service hours for a traffic/subway ticket or marijuana possession citation.

I hear daily complaints about the lack of community among Lang students. Lang-organized service opportunities would encourage students to interact more with one another outside of class. There could also be New School sanctioned scholarships or increased financial aid for students that participate or show a strong dedication to the program or community work in general.

For students still looking for ways to get involved, I suggest the following alternatives:

• Food Not Bombs prepares and serves vegan food for the homeless in Tompkins Square Park. Visit ABC No Rio (156 Rivington St.) Friday or Sunday at 1 p.m. to cook and 3 p.m. to serve.

• New York City Cares offers various projects at all times throughout the boroughs, including volunteer services at museums or programs to teach kids how to use cameras. Inquire about working at one for the LES Gardens, who often need weekend volunteers to garden.

• The Park Slope Food Co-op (782 Union St. in Brooklyn) can lead to 40% grocery savings. It's not quite volunteering, but improving the community nonetheless.

Op-Ed: Promiscuous Monogamy

2007-02-27T14:51:00.000-05:00

By Liz Garber-Paul & illustration by Jeremy Schlangen

Monogamy is pointless in New York. With so many underdressed women and overpaid men, who can pay attention to just one? Everywhere you look, there are model-esque girls in low cut designer dresses and tall, dark, and handsome men waiting to buy a girl a drink.

On the other hand, having someone—someone to cuddle and watch movies with on a cold night, someone who will listen to you complain about that one teacher who’s out to get you—can be comforting to come home to. And there can be a weird satisfaction in bringing the same date to two work functions. Plus, it can make you appear stable.

Still, as a twenty something New Yorker, you can’t help wonder: is monogamy worth it?

One approach to this timeless question is to try to combine the best of both worlds. Last year, New York Magazine described “today’s open hipster relationship” as a serious monogamous relationship, with one exception: partners get to sleep with other people. Some have three ways, others allow individual one-night-stands, and still others participate in orgies.

The claim is that this kind of extracurricular activity makes the relationship stronger, because lovers are acknowledging their baser impulses. I can’t buy that. In the first place, doesn’t outside contact make it, by definition, not monogamy? At any rate, I know that no amount of permission would make me okay with a boyfriend having sex with someone else—no matter how many cute boys kiss me in return.

Another strategy is to be a die-hard monogamist, but change partners as quickly as possible. In other words, commit to seeing someone exclusively—constantly—for one to three weeks, then find an arbitrary excuse to break it off. Make sure, though, that you introduce them to all your friends, and gush about him or her to family and coworkers—that’s always a plus. The best sex is in the beginning, anyway.

This technique ensures that you will always have someone fun to spend your afternoon with, someone exciting to have a cup of coffee with in between classes. On the other hand, while it might be fun for a few months, it can also become exhausting—not to mention pretty dangerous—pretty quick.

I’ll admit that, over the years, I’ve alternated between both housewife and party girl. Eventually I realized there’s another solution: the long distance open relationship.

The epiphany came last year when I was faced with the problem of "saving" myself for a West Coast man. When I talked to some acquaintances about it, several nodded knowingly, assuring me that they had one in LA, one in London, and so on.

The logic was airtight: not only does this give you the perfect comeback for unwanted attention at a bar (“Why, yes, I do have a boyfriend…”), or the perfect excuse for a spring break getaway (“Hop down to Costa Rica on your G4? I guess I could skip a few classes…”), it also allows you not to get too serious with any of the other people you may be spending time with. You can go out on as many dates as you want, have romantic picnics in Union Square with whomever, and know that there’s someone to go home to—or at least call when you get there.

Ultimately, lets face it: New York is just not for monogamists. There are too many options out there to let you settle for just one. So, get a few, and if your favorite one decides to head cross-country or across the Atlantic, try to see them just enough to make you miss them—but not enough to make you miss your life.

Op-Ed: Pardon Moi?

2007-02-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

By Amber Sutherland

Is it impolite to print my 500-page opus at the computer lab?

Certainly not. The difference between jerks and the socially savvy is that jerks view every bump in the road as a nuisance, whereas the savvy realize that sometimes these inconveniences are really opportunities in disguise. Holding someone captive at the printing station is a fine time to try out your new stand up routine, interpretative dance or pick-up line.

Oftentimes your prospective audience will be grateful to have a little diversion from the humdrum tasks of everyday life. You don’t even have to let them know what you’re up to; feel free to launch right into your “what’s the deal with airplane food?” shtick or new “come hither” look.

If you aren’t a performer or on the prowl for your next hot date, practice your cocktail conversation. Consider talking points like, “What do you think of the latest celebrity gossip?” or “How about this crazy weather we’ve been having?” Remember to avoid discussing finance, politics, religion or anything else that would inspire interesting or meaningful conversation. You don’t have to limit these tactics just to the printer. Chat up the barista in the coffee shop when there’s a long line behind you. When a waiter asks if you have any questions about the menu, come up with at least five. And never let an elevator ride pass you by without making a new friend.

Do I have to be nice to people I don’t like?

You have to be nice to everyone. Fortunately, there are degrees of niceness you can employ. You should treat your intimates as though they were precious butterflies doomed to extinction by midnight, those on the periphery of your inner circle with charitable kindness and anyone safely behind the velvet rope of your acquaintance cordially, but with remove.

Of course, ethical questions arise when you are indiscriminately nice: Does this behavior diminish my authenticity? What if people think these losers are actually my friends? Do I really have to be nice to everyone? Even my boyfriend’s idiot friends? Worry not. Your former authenticity was most likely a delusion. If anyone questions your association with known undesirables you can make opaque remarks in their absence: “He’s really a decent guy once you get past the facial hair/alcoholism/registered sex offender thing.” And don’t think of your boyfriend's friends as idiots, but rather potential back-ups, ripe for molding.

So smile politely like Holly Golightly when those losers mention your cleavage or try to tell you about their latest manuscript. Raise an eyebrow pointedly when they suggest that you might have ended up with them instead if, “you know, this guy wasn’t in the picture.” Be a phony, but above all, a real phony.

This edition of great moments in etiquette goes to the guy who gave Lang professor Jocelyn Lieu her coat during a recent fire drill. Well played, pal.

Send your etiquette questions to sutha907@newschool.edu

News: What's the Haps?

2007-02-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

By Liz Garber-Paul

Valentine's Day is gone, so, by Duane Reade’s standards, we’re now stuck in a long, cold stretch to Easter. There is, of course, St. Patrick’s Day, dismissed by many as an excuse to drink green beer. But to us here at Inprint, it will be a real holiday.

Sure, going back to the motherland might be a little too costly for a celebration, but New Yorkers are in luck this year. The Pogues are coming to the Roseland Ballroom March 14, 15 and, yes, 17. Singer Shane MacGowen’s first band, The Nips, opened for The Clash and The Jam in the '80s, and before that he was a famous brawler in the London punk scene. So, it's apparent that he's a real Irishman. Go see him sing his traditional-sounding songs of drinking and debauchery, and celebrate this St. Patty’s Day in style. Tickets are available through their website, thepogues.com.

Needless to say, there are other things going on in the city to keep your mind busy.

Ever feel like the world might be too connected? Relax, and realize the rest of the world isn’t all like New York. Starting February 28th**, the Film Forum will be screening Into Great Silence, a German documentary about Roman Catholic monks that hardly speak. It’s the first film ever made about The Grande Chartreuse, the motherhouse of the legendary Carthusian Order, which has been around since the 12th century. According to its website, diegrossestille.de/english, it’s “a film about awareness, absolute presence, and the life of men who devoted their lifetimes to God in the purest form.” Sounds perfect for the tranquility of Varick and Houston.

On Saturday, March 10, join the famous beat poet (and New School professor) Hettie Jones for a party to celebrate her third collection Doing 70, which came out this February. The first, Drive, was published in 1998 and won the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award, and her second, All Told, was published in 2003. She’ll be reading and signing copies 2 to 4 p.m. at The Bowery Poetry Club.

If you want to start celebrating the Irish early, and if you’re feeling brave enough to venture onto foreign campuses, go down to NYU’s historic Provincetown Playhouse to see Moises Kaufman’s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. The play was written in 1997 using transcripts of Wilde's storied trial, his own works and his biographies. It chronicles his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, which led to Wilde’s conviction of “committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons”—not an enviable position in Queen Victoria’s England—and meant his downfall and subsequent death.

Faculty member Philip Taylor directs the NYU production and it features students from the school's music and drama programs. It runs March 1 and 3 at 8 p.m. and March 4 at 3 p.m.

News: Anaylsis: Rudd, Still an Anti-Imperialist, at Lang

2007-02-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

[image]
arranged by Kayley Hoffman

By Eric Sorensen

Even Mark Rudd, who led a student rebellion at Columbia University, as a leader of Students for a Democratic Society, and later joined the Weathermen to bomb military and government sites around the country, thinks the activist movement will only be successful once it appeals to the masses.

"I don't see that violence builds a movement," Rudd said last week. "And anyone in this country who engages in armed action is suicidal."

That sentiment was evinced last Tuesday when Inprint hosted a discussion with Rudd at Wollman Hall titled "Media & Activism: Then & Now." Rudd began with a short talk on the suggested theme—the media coverage of the protests at Columbia in the spring of 1968—and then opened up the floor to the audience, saying that he preferred interactive discussion to dictation.

"The media coverage of the Columbia protest was phenomenal," Rudd said. "But the media got it wrong."

According to Rudd, the student press did the best job of covering the protests because they covered the students' demands and reported accurately, whereas media outlets like The New York Times painted the protestors as anarchic disruptors and vandals.

He offered this advice to the crowd of journalism students in attendance: "Study the mass media, and then do the opposite."

Rudd then transitioned smoothly to the virtues and limitations of activism in America, drawing on his experiences as a member of SDS and the Weathermen with great introspection.

"The Weathermen's error was to believe that you could only claim to be against the war in Vietnam if you had the most radical position," he said.

As a former leader of SDS, Rudd also eagerly introduced the leaders of the New School's chapter, urging them to proclaim their cause. SDS members announced a campus-wide walkout on March 12 to mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war.

Among the more salient issues raised at the discussion was the effectiveness of abrasive rhetoric in winning moderate support and young peoples' apathy toward the indefinite detention and torture of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay and abroad. Rudd offered that the hegemony of entertainment culture has contributed to students' ambivalence and disinterest, but added that the advent of the internet has provided an opportunity to more easily gather information.

As Rudd passed around the microphone, students soon piped up in defense of the Animal Liberation Front and pressed Rudd on his stance towards Israel. A wave of groans periodically rolled over the audience when the microphone stayed in one hand too long.

Throughout the discussion, however, Rudd argued for action and more dialogue, and demonstrated a genuine adoration of youthful idealism.

News: The Fifty Percent Solution

2007-02-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

Senator Charles Schumer on Positively American

Josh Kurp
Schumer at The New School

By Josh Kurp

During time away from his political duties to speak about his recently released book, New York Senator Chuck Schumer (D) came to The New School on Thursday, February 22, to further discuss the points he made within its pages.

Positively American: Winning Back the Middle-Class Majority One Family at a Time was released on January 27 with the goal, as Schumer described it, “to bring the middle class back to politics.”

Schumer said he wrote the book because he, “didn’t think the Democrats were doing anything” to help the middle class. In Positively American, Schumer uses a fictional family, "the Baileys", in order to act out the life of a typical middle-class family.

Schumer said that he was worried that Democrats “have forgotten about the Baileys,” and described his book as being in two parts: the first is to “talk to the Baileys,” while the second deals with his “50% solution.”

Schumer detailed eleven goals (all of which are done in 50% increments) that would get the middle class to vote for the Democratic Party. They include reducing property taxes, Internet pornography, child obesity and dependence on fossil fuels, increasing college enrollment and improving math and reading skills in K-12 students.

When asked for his position on gay marriage by an audience member, Schumer said he was “opposed to anti-gay marriage,” but wouldn’t say whether he supported same-sex relationships.

Schumer also said that although he believes troops should be fighting terrorism, he doesn’t support the way the government is handling the fight.

“If we’re going to end this war we should change our mission from civil war to focusing on terrorism,” he said.

Arts: Amateurs Knock 'Em Dead

2007-02-27T12:48:00.000-05:00

By Cameron Paine-Thaler

Tired of overpaying and waiting in long lines only to see a lengthy performance not worth your money and time? The hottest solution in town is a pass to The New School for Drama’s Random Acts! Festival, which opened last weekend and runs through the end of April.

The seats fill up quickly, and it’s worth the free reservation. The performances are blessedly short, plus it’s right in the neighborhood, at The New School for Drama’s Bank St. Theater, at 155 Bank St. You may even be shocked by the number of students you’ve seen lurking in the hallways who turn out to possess some amazing hidden talent.

The well-attended opening on Feb. 13 showcased five plays, each of them a student’s senior thesis work. It began with “The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year,” a nonsensical one-act comedy directed by John Guare, starring two students that fall in love every Sunday during a walk through the park.

This one ended on an absurd note: both characters died.

Though all four of the other plays were either tragic or humorous, each act had a very unique dynamic with a variety of props, characters and settings, giving the night a well rounded, balanced feel.

The final performance of the festival’s opening night, which continues every week, was the debut of Space. Bekah Brunstetter, a New School grad student, wrote the script and Diana Basmajian directed.

Space, starring four students, two of whom speak entirely through Myspace messages, pokes fun at the Internet social networking of generation Y. The audience greeted the jokes and youthful undertones about life after high school with knowing laughter. I left the theater extremely impressed that student writers, directors and actors were able to bring such personable characters to life so recognizably.

The weekend festival was definitely more engaging than any Broadway performance. The performances change each weekend and the festival’s culmination reflects some original dramatic talent.

Upcoming shows are Mar. 1 at 8 p.m., Mar. 2 at 8 p.m., and Mar. 3 at 3 p.m.