The Borders Issue

May 2014 The Life & Death of an American Bookstore

BUZZSAW

News & Views

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Buzzsaw  presents...

EDITORS’ COMMENT

The Borders Issue

It’s a line on a map. It’s a fence through your lawn. It’s a shift of your mindset. Everyday, humans traverse hundreds of physical, societal and mental borders. Our lives are constantly LQ à X[ DV ZHOO DV WKH ERUGHUV ZH FRQIURQW )RU VRPH D ERUGHU LV a barrier, for others it’s a challenge that aids personal growth.

1R RQH LV H[HPSW IURP ERUGHUV DOO RI RXU SROLWLFDO DQG VRFLDO institutions organize society and the world along borderlines, both on a personal and geo-­political level.

United States armed forces are crossing more than just inter-­ national borders — the military also considers racial and eco-­ nomic conditions in its recruitment strategies in American high VFKRROV )LJKWLQJ IRU &LWL]HQVKLS SJ 2Q D SHUVRQDO OHYHO PDQ\ SHRSOH ÀQG WKHPVHOYHV XVLQJ SV\FKHGHOLF GUXJV LQ DQ attempt to transcend mental borders, an area which now has medical scientists pushing the boundaries of their research.

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$V WHFKQRORJ\ FRQWLQXHV WR H[SDQG DQG HYROYH WKH ERUGHU between reality and the virtual world blurs. With virtual real-­ ity company Oculus VR being bought up by social media giant )DFHERRN IRU ELOOLRQ YLUWXDO UHDOLW\ ZLOO H[SORGH DQG WKH SRV-­ VLELOLWLHV VRDU EH\RQG WKH UHDOP RI HQWHUWDLQPHQW 5HGHÀQLQJ 5HDO /LIH SJ

2Q WKH QRUWK HQG RI &D\XJD /DNH D ODQG GLVSXWH FRQWLQXHV EHWZHHQ PHPEHUV RI 8SVWDWH &LWL]HQV IRU (TXDOLW\ ,QF DQG &D-­ yuga Nation despite the end of court proceedings. (This Land is 0< /DQG 6HHVDZ &RXSOHV GLVFXVV KRZ WKHLU UHODWLRQVKLSV DUH withstanding the tests of racial, national, and religious differ-­ HQFHV ,I WKH *UDVV 7DVWHV 6ZHHWHU 6HHVDZ

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BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

About the Back Cover: Satellite image of Berlin showing the separation between East %HUOLQ \HOORZ OLJKW DQG :HVW %HUOLQ EOXH OLJKW VWLOO YLVLEOH PRUH WKDQ \HDUV DIWHU WKH IDOO RI WKH ZDOO

BUZZSAW News & Views Upfront

0LQLVWU\ RI &RRO 3URVH &RQV Sawdust Layout Art Website Seesaw

7D\ORU %DUNHU Meagan McGinnes Timothy Bidon -HVVLFD &RUEHWW Katelyn Harrop Karen Muller .HOOHQ %HFN Robert S. Hummel Rachel Maus &KHOVHD +DUWPDQ Evan Spitzer /L]]LH &R[ Kanoa Ichihara Kayla Reopelle Kaley Belval 5DFKDHO /HZLV .ULVN\ Jennifer Jordon

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$OH[D 6DOYDWR *UDFH 5\FKZDOVNL -HII &RKHQ Abby Bertumen .HOO\ %XUGLFN %U\DQ &KDPEDOD 6DP &RVWHOOR 7KRP 'HQLFN &ROH /RXLVRQ James Sigman

Buzzsaw is published with support from Generation Progress / Center for American Progress (online at GenProgress.org).

Buzzsaw is also funded by the Ithaca College Student Government Association and the Park School of Communications.

Our Press is our press. (Binghamton, NY) Buzzsaw uses student-generated art and photography and royalty-free images.

Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editorial staff or of Ithaca College.

Feedback and contributions should be sent to buzzsawmag@gmail.com.

Front cover by Lizzie Cox and Evan Spitzer Back cover by NASA Table of Contents, Upfront divider, Ministry of Cool divider, and Sawdust divider by Robert S. Hummel Prose and Cons divider by Alexis Lanza Center spread by Kayla Reopelle

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Write Us Our magazine exists to inspire thoughtful debate and open up the channels through which information is shared. Your comments and feedback are all a part of this process. Reach the editors by email at: buzzsawmag@gmail.com

Seesaw ..........................................................5 3ULQW PHGLD LV GHDG FKHFN RXW PXOWLPHGLD RQ WKH ZHE

News & Views .................................................6 &XUUHQW HYHQWV ORFDO QHZV TXDVL HGXFDWHG RSLQLRQV

Upfront .......................................................13 Selected dis-­education of the month.

N Bews UZZSAW & Views

Ministry.of.Cool ........................................28 Arts, entertainment and other things cooler than us.

Prose & Cons ............................................35 6KRUW Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQ SHUVRQDO HVVD\ DQG RWKHU DVVRUWHG OLHV

Sawdust .......................................................42 Threatening the magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s credibility since 1856.

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Five Ways to Get Your Next Passport

By Kayla Reopelle

buzzcuts

Like most things in life, two passports are better than one. Even though the United States is on fairly good terms with most nations, becoming a dual citizen can offer new opportunities for work and travel. ,IVI EVI ½ZI [E]W XS FIGSQI E HYEP GMXM^IR Be Jewish ISRAEL: The “Law of Return” grants every Jew the right to settle in Israel, regardless of matrilineal or patriarchal connection to the religion. However, you are not exempt from serving in the Israeli army if you are a dual citizen.

- The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise

Be related IRELAND: Ireland may only have 4.8 million citizens on its island, but in 2012, Irish embassies issued 93,363 Irish passports. Like Germany and Italy, Irish citizenship is proven through blood. If you have an Irish grandparent, you can pick up a second passport.

- The Journal (Ireland), CIA World Factbook

Adopt a child

BRAZIL: When adopting a child from Brazil, foreign nationals must live with the child in Brazil for 30 days. If you stay in Brazil with your child for an entire year after adoption, you are eligible for Brazilian citizenship.

- The U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs, Library of Congress

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

Be rich

AUSTRALIA: Though you can acquire citizenship from St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Bermuda and many other nations for smaller sums of money, through %YWXVEPME´W ±7MKRM½GERX -RZIWXSV :MWE Program” you can acquire citizenship for only $5 million.

7MKRM½GERX -RZIWXSV :MWE 4VSKVEQ

Be part of the diaspora GHANA: Many African nations have discussed a pathway for African-Americans to hold dual citizenship, but so far Ghana is the only country that allows members of the diaspora to acquire a passport.

-The New York Times

HOW THE U.S. GOVERNMENT FEELS: According to the U.S. Department of State, U.S. law does not require a person with dual nationality to choose one citizenship over another; however, it does not encourage dual citizenship because of the problems it may cause. Dual citizens must obey PE[W SJ FSXL GSYRXVMIW ERH QE] FI TPEGIH MRXS E HMJ½GYPX WMXYEXMSR MJ XLI GSYRXVMIW XLI] S[I EPPIKMERGI XS KS XS [EV

Even though you are a dual national, the U.S. government still requires that you: - Pay taxes to the IRS - Sign up for the Draft (if you are male) - Enter and exit the U.S. with your American passport

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CLONE TALK How much do you like yourself? Enough to enjoy some quality XMQI [MXL ]SYV ZIV] S[R GPSRI# 1MKLX ]SY WMX F] XLI ½VIWMHI XSKIXLIV ERH HIPMKLXIHP] VYQMREXI XLI NS]W SJ I\TIVMQIRXEP ½PQ# Or would you enjoy a nice, rousing game of racquetball? Listen to some of these fascinating simulations of CLONE TALK.

TIMELESS Age is but a number at Intergenerational Prom, an annual dance held by Project Generations. College students and elderly community members dance the night away. Freshman Emily DeRoo prepares to meet her Project Generations pair Linda Weaver at the dance.

THIS LAND IS MY LAND

News & Views

Since 1980, a battle for space ensued along the north end of Cayuga Lake. The Cayuga Nation native American tribe sued the New York State Government for the illegal seizure of its lands.

The Upstate Citizens for Equality rallied to prevent the land from returning to Cayuga ownership. This map shows the signs along the north end of Cayuga Lake connected to this struggle.

IF THE GRASS TASTES SWEETER

It happened. You fell in love. But, what happens when your partner has a different passport than you? Couples discuss the challenges of maintaining relationships across national, cultural, and religious lines. Photo Credit: Betsy Weber

www.buzzsawmag.org/seesaw/

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THANK YOU!

By Buzzsaw Editorial Staff

This semester the magazine ran into some funding troubles, and the Roy H. Park School of Communications generoulsy donated to the magazine. With the donation we were able to fund our last two issues of the semester. Because the magazine was founded independent of the school, we decided to do an Indiegogo campaign to reimburse the money that was donated to us. As of Sunday April 27 we exceeded our goal of $1,800.

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

We would like to thank the following people who have donated to our campaign so far.

Catherine Fisher

Emily McNeill

Matt Hourihan

Owen Perry

Kristen Jennings

Sam Costello

Chris Barker

Jeremiah Turits

David Eadie

Adam Trabka

James Sigman

Kathleen Sheppard

Ashley McGinnes

Bill Quinn

Ryan Muller

Zachary Anderson

Kent and Tricia Harrop

Jennifer Konerman

Jeremy Levine

Matt Corley

Jeff Cohen

Harrison Flatau

Lindsey Nadolski

Emily Miles

Meagan Murray

Dana Malone

Andrew Frisicano

Emily Nowels

CJ Knowles

Benjamin Ratner

Adam Polaski

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An Open Letter to George Huguely Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: In the beginning of March the Court of Appeals of Virginia upheld George Wesley Huguely Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conviction of the second-­degree mur-­ der of his ex-­girlfriend. He is currently serving a 23-­year term. In September he will be in court for a $30 million wrongful death suit in Charlottesville Circuit Court.

D

ear George Wesley Huguely V,

Photo Courtesy of Total Pict

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Is that really what happened, George? Tell us, because we want to NQRZ $QG VR ZRXOG \RXU PRP DQG VLVWHU , WKLQN $QG IRU *RG¡V VDNH SXW RQ D VXLW 2U GRQ¡W :H NQHZ IURP \RXU WHDP-­ matesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; testimony and your thorough-­ ly documented violent history that you were an alcoholic piece of crimi-­ nal shit.

But that open collar somehow con-­ Ă&#x20AC;UPV RXU RWKHU VXVSLFLRQ Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also a douchebag.

Sincerely, &ROH /RXLVRQ ____________________________________ Cole Louison â&#x20AC;&#x2122;00 is one of the founders of Buzzsaw.

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News & Views

:HOO *HRUJH LW¡V RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDO 7KH &RXUW of Appeals of Virginia has upheld your murder conviction, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to stay in jail. The state dismissed your lawyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most recent claim about procedural violations as utter balder-­ GDVK EXW ZH WKLQN WKH GHFLVLRQ PLJKW also have something to do with the NKDNLV QRQ KDLUFXWV DQG YDXGHYLO-­ lian jailhouse costumes you wore to court.

Last time we saw you, you had on NKDNLV D 6KDT VL]HG EOD]HU DQG DQ XQEXWWRQHG 2[IRUG ZLWK QR WLH :H¡YH never been tried for murder, George, but even if we were charged with VRPHWKLQJ OLNH VSHHGLQJ DQG XQGHU-­ DJH SRVVHVVLRQ OLNH \RX ZHUH LQ weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have put on a suit for the judge.

Those long sleeves nicely covered your manacled hands, but still. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at a trial. Your trial. This is court, George, not country club casual at the Win-­ WHUJUHHQ 5HVRUW ZKHUH \RX JRW GUXQN DW 7(1 2¡&/2&. RQ WKH PRUQLQJ RI Yeardley Loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s murder.

Where did you get such poor fash-­ LRQ VHQVH" )URP \RXU GDG" 6RPH connection seems evident. George IV URFNHG D SRZHU GRXJKQXW DQG DQ RGG Ă HHFH VSRUWFRDW FRPELQDWLRQ DW \RXU trial, and he wined and dined you with some teammates on that fateful night. We also hear heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d helped line XS D MRE DW D SOXVK ' & UHDO HVWDWH Ă&#x20AC;UP DIWHU JUDGXDWLRQ 7KLQN KH¡OO EH around when you get out? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possi-­ ble, though last we heard he was fac-­ LQJ IRUHFORVXUH DQG WKUHH '8, UHODWHG FKDUJHV DQG FRPH WR WKLQN RI LW KH did call in that domestic abuse com-­ SODLQW EDFN LQ ZKHQ \RX UH-­ SRUWHGO\ WKUHDWHQHG KLP DERDUG WKH family yacht, then jumped ship before WKH 3DOP %HDFK VKHULII DUULYHG <RX WZR Ă&#x20AC;JXUH LW RXW 6R RXU TXHVWLRQ VWDQGV :RXOG LW

KDYH NLOOHG \RX WR ZHDU D VXLW" <RX must have one from your days at the VH[ VFDQGDO IUDXJKW /DQGRQ 6FKRRO RU \RXU WLPH DW 89$ $QG VSHDNLQJ RI the University, maybe theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll reinstate you. All things considered, the Wa-­ hoolas have been pretty accommodat-­ LQJ 5DWKHU WKDQ H[SHO DQ DWKOHWH WKH school let you withdraw, then claimed QRW WR NQRZ DERXW \RXU OHJDO WURXEOHV OLNH \RXU DUUHVW VRSKRPRUH VHDVRQ ZKHQ \RX JRW WDVHG DIWHU UHSRUWHGO\

UHVLVWLQJ DUUHVW DQG WKUHDWHQLQJ WR NLOO a policewoman.

That one rang a bell, George, so we did some digging and, sure enough, on the laptop you stole then hid from po-­ lice, we found this line in a post-­argu-­ PHQW HPDLO WR <HDUGOH\ ´, VKRXOG KDYH NLOOHG \RX Âľ %XW EDFN WR WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 9LU-­ ginia and the University of Virginia &DYDOLHUV 0HQ¡V /DFURVVH 7HDP 6HH *HRUJH \RX ZHUH DQ 1&$$ 'LYLVLRQ , DWKOHWH DQG DQ\ ', DOXP NQRZV WKDW schools monitor everything from who SOD\HUV GDWH WR ZKHUH WKH\ SDUW\ OLNH WKH EDU ZKHUH \RX FKRNH KHOG DQRWKHU female UVA student until a bouncer LQWHUYHQHG -RKQ &DVWHHQ ,,, \RXU schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now-­retired president, said UVA was unaware of your history, and while we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy that shit for D VHFRQG DW OHDVW &DVWHHQ &ODVV RI ¡ XQGHUVWRRG WKH NLQGHUJDUWHQ ODZV RI SXEOLF UHODWLRQV HQRXJK WR VSHDN WR <HDUGOH\¡V PXUGHU <RXU FRDFK 'RP 6WDUVLD ZKR ZDV VXEVHTXHQWO\ UHLQ-­ stated with a million-­dollar contract, QHYHU SXEOLFO\ VSRNH WR VWXGHQWV RU press. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now facing charges leveled

by Yeardleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mom, including lying about your criminal record and toler-­ ating numerous instances of the same VRUW RI EHKDYLRU WKDW XOWLPDWHO\ NLOOHG another student. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll wear a suit to court, probably.

Yet there was a sad predictableness WR &DVWHHQ¡V EXOOVKLW VLQFH PRVW HY-­ erything you or your college or your lawyers said is a hedge or an insolent OLH ,W WRRN WUXH JDOO WR VWDQG EHIRUH Yeardleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family and teammates and SOHDG QRW JXLOW\ WR FKDUJHV RI Ă&#x20AC;UVW GH-­ gree murder, felony murder, robbery, EXUJODU\ JUDQG ODUFHQ\ DQG EUHDN-­ ing and entering. To suggest she died RI HLWKHU D KHDUW DWWDFN RU SLOORZ VHOI VXIIRFDWLRQ 2U WKDW D ¡ $OO $PHUL-­ FDQ ODFURVVH SOD\HU ZKR MXVW NLFNHG

The 2014 Izzy Award Ceremony Four journalists took home the hardware

By Brandon Adlebock

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

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Members of the newly established , ) 6WRQH +DOO RI )DPH DUH UHTXLUHG to have previously won the Izzy Award and continue to create impactful jour-­ nalism. The award will be given out occasionally to those deserving the honor for multiple years of creating outstanding independent media.

7KH Ă&#x20AC;UVW LQGXFWHHV RI WKH , ) 6WRQH +DOO RI )DPH DUH *OHQQ *UHHQZDOG ZKR KHOSHG H[SRVH WKH EXON FROOHFWLRQ of data by the National Security Agen-­ F\ 16$ RQ $PHULFDQV ODVW -XQH DQG -HUHP\ 6FDKLOO IRU KLV ZRUN H[DPLQ-­ ing the impact United States military drones have had on innocent civilians near the Middle East who were falsely accused of being terror suspects. :KHQ WKH WZR +DOO RI )DPH DZDUG winners were awarded their Izzy Awards they were recognized for jour-­ QDOLVWLF ZRUN WKDW LV PRUH WKDQ KDOI D decade old. *UHHQZDOG¡V UHSRUW RQ D IDOVH FODLP DERXW E\ WKHQ 8 6 $WWRU-­ QH\ *HQHUDO 0LFKDHO 0XNDVH\ OHG WR D retraction. Before this report, he had only practiced journalism for three \HDUV DQG WKH ZRUN WKDW SURFHHGHG ZDV DV D ODZ\HU Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ IRU FRQVWLWX-­ tional rights.

6FDKLOO ZRQ WKH ,]]\ $ZDUG LQ for his investigative journalism on the abuse of military contractors and how they are creating mercenary armies.

7KH ZRUN 6FDKLOO GLG EURXJKW WKH LV-­ sue attention to the biggest news tele-­ vision stations in the United States.

2014 Izzy Award Winners Nick Turse and Carlos Frey -HII &RKHQ GLUHFWRU RI WKH 3DUN &HQWHU IRU ,QGHSHQGHQW 0HGLD VDLG ´7KH ,]]\ DZDUG LV JLYHQ DQQXDOO\ IRU outstanding achievement in indepen-­ GHQW PHGLD ¾ Turse made an impact by publish-­

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LQJ DUWLFOHV H[SRVLQJ WKH FLYLOLDQ FDVX-­ alties from the U.S.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war in Afghani-­ VWDQ DOO WKH ZD\ EDFN WR WKH 9LHWQDP :DU +H H[SRVHG ZURQJGRLQJ E\ UHDG-­ ing through government archives, a SUDFWLFH WKDW , ) 6WRQH ZDV NQRZQ IRU doing. ´$V D QDWLRQDO VHFXULW\ UHSRUWHU , DP OXFN\ WKDW WKH 3HQWDJRQ JHQHUDWHV VR PXFK PDWHULDO Âľ 7XUVH VDLG ´, IRXQG over the years that if you have the time and the patience to dig, lead, or to pull various bits from this document or that document, you can paint a vivid SLFWXUH RI WLPH Âľ Before becoming an investigative MRXUQDOLVW 7XUVH VWXGLHG DW &ROXP-­ ELD 8QLYHUVLW\ DQG HDUQHG D 3K ' LQ sociomedical sciences. Turse said he stumbled into journalism. ´, ZDV VHGXFHG LQWR MRXUQDOLVP ZKHQ P\ Ă&#x20AC;UVW DUWLFOH HYHU ZULWWHQ ZDV SXUFKDVHG E\ WKH /$ 7LPHV Âľ KH VDLG ´7KH DELOLW\ WR UHDFK D ODUJH DXGLHQFH about an issue of current relevance gripped me and told me to be a writer DQG D MRXUQDOLVW Âľ ,Q ZKLOH UHVHDUFKLQJ WKH 1D-­ tional Archives for medical history during Vietnam, he found documents H[SRVLQJ 9LHWQDP ZDU FULPHV DQG GH-­ cided to create his dissertation on the topic. ´, WKLQN WKH UROH WKDW MRXUQDOLVWV SOD\ in independent media is to amplify voices that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally hear and dig into stories that you do not QRUPDOO\ VHH Âľ 7XUVH VDLG The internal documents he found, most never before seen, showed how RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDO SROLFLHV KDG UHVXOWHG LQ ODUJH numbers of innocent civilians being NLOOHG DQG ZRXQGHG LQ 9LHWQDP This year, Turse narrated the story RI DQ DWWDFN RQ VXVSHFWHG 7DOLEDQ terrorists and the injuring of a dozen more in Afghanistan, but there was RQH SUREOHP 7KH PLOLWDU\ RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV held no evidence of the group being members of the Taliban.

7KH ´$IJKDQLVWDQ &LYLOLDQ &DVXDOW\ 3UHYHQWLRQ +DQGERRNÂľ DWWHPSWHG WR prevent more of these events in which QRQ VXVSHFW FLYLOLDQV DUH QRW SURĂ&#x20AC;OHG DQG OHWKDO IRUFH LV QRW WDNHQ EXW WKH evidence compiled by the Nation and Turse against the American military

forces shows that a lethal form of pro-­ Ă&#x20AC;OLQJ KDV OHG WR FRXQWOHVV GHDWKV RYHU the course of the Afghanistan war. )URP DQ $UL]RQD WRZQ ZLWKLQ PLOHV RI WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV 0H[LFR ERUGHU -RKQ &DUORV )UH\ HPEHGGHG KLPVHOI into almost every relevant story on the border that uncovered wrong-­ GRLQJ +LV SLHFH ´6KRWV $FURVV 7KH %RUGHUÂľ WROG WKH KHDUWEUHDNLQJ VWRU\ RI D IDPLO\ RQ WKH 0H[LFR VLGH RI WKH border celebrating a family memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday party as their father was shot dead by a United States Border 3DWURO DJHQW $FFRUGLQJ WR DQ RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDO UHSRUW WKH DJHQW ´DFWHG LQ UHVSRQVH WR SHRSOH WKURZLQJ URFNV IURP WKH 0H[LFDQ VLGH RI WKH ERUGHU Âľ 7KHUH DUH Ă&#x20AC;YH RWKHU GRFXPHQWV SUHVHQWHG E\ )UH\ WKDW XQFRYHU Ă&#x20AC;YH RWKHU FDVHV RI %RUGHU 3D-­ WURO DJHQWV VKRRWLQJ LQWR WKH 0H[LFR side of the border. ´-RKQ &DUORV )UH\¡V UHSRUWLQJ KDV led to congressional investigations, SURVHFXWRULDO HQTXLULHV DQG D QHZ SURFHVV RI WUDLQLQJ ERUGHU JXDUGV Âľ &RKHQ VDLG $FFRUGLQJ WR UHVHDUFK E\ WKH &81< Graduate School of Journalism, the number of border crossings has de-­ creased about 80 percent from high numbers from a decade ago â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but )UH\¡V UHVHDUFK IRXQG GHDWK UDWHV have actually increased.

7KH GHDWK UDWH RI 0H[LFDQ PLJUDQWV EHWZHHQ WR DYHUDJHG DERXW GHDWKV DQQXDOO\ EXW WKH QXPEHU QHDUO\ WULSOHG LQ By crossing the border an estimat-­ HG WLPHV D \HDU )UH\ LPPHUVHG himself into the culture of the border giving him a connection with the lo-­ FDO FLYLOLDQV )UH\ H[SODLQHG WKDW KH LV never without a story. ,Q WKLV FRQQHFWLRQ JDYH )UH\ an opportunity to release footage recorded by a civilianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cell-­phone RI D 0H[LFDQ LPPLJUDQW $QDVWDVLR HernĂĄndez-­Rojas being brutally beat-­ HQ WR GHDWK E\ %RUGHU 3DWURO DJHQWV after attempting to enter the U.S. The agents said the reason they used le-­ thal force was because HernĂĄndez-­ Rojas was resisting arrest, but the video revealed that to be false. Rojas fell out of consciousness and agents

By instilling himself into the lives of Mexican immigrants, Frey gave a voice to the voiceless, giving them power to obtain justice when members of their community are needlessly slaughtered or have their rights violated. continued the beating.

By instilling himself into the lives of 0H[LFDQ LPPLJUDQWV )UH\ JDYH D YRLFH to the voiceless, giving them power to obtain justice when members of their community are needlessly slaugh-­ tered or have their rights violated.

Turse is currently the managing ed-­ LWRU IRU WKH EORJ 7RP 'LVSDWFK ZKHUH he writes about national security. :KLOH )UH\ LV FXUUHQWO\ D IUHHODQFH ZULWHU ZKRVH ZRUN KDV EHHQ IHDWXUHG with the LA Times, Salon and the +XIĂ&#x20AC;QJWRQ 3RVW %RWK 7XUVH DQG )UH\ DUH IHOORZV RI 7KH ,QYHVWLJDWLYH )XQG a program created by the Nation In-­ VWLWXWH WKDW VHHNV WR GHOLYHU IXQGLQJ WR LQYHVWLJDWLYH UHSRUWHUV LQ Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO need in order to deliver a story.

The I.F. Stone Hall of Fame Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill ,VLGRU )HLQVWHLQ 6WRQH ZDV DQ DZDUG ZLQQLQJ MRXUQDOLVW NQRZQ E\ PRVW IRU KLV ZHHNO\ QHZVSDSHU ZKHUH he dug out information from old gov-­ ernment archives. ´:KHQ WKH DQWL FRPPXQLVW ZLWFK KXQW VHW LQ KH >, ) 6WRQH@ FRXOGQ¡W get employed in mainstream media, he started his own newsletter called

I.F. Stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weekly, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been voted by journalism scholars, professors, and journalists as one of the greatest DFKLHYHPHQWV LQ WK FHQWXU\ $PHUL-­ FDQ MRXUQDOLVP Âľ &RKHQ VDLG ´+H showed if the mainstream media canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t contain your genius or your talents, FUHDWH \RXU RZQ Âľ ,Q -XQH $PHULFDQV UHFHLYHG information that a program of their governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Intelligence Agency had the ability to access mil-­ lions of Americans data with just an e-­mail address. Greenwald traveled to Hong Kong to meet with former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, to UHFHLYH PLOOLRQV RI FRQĂ&#x20AC;GHQWLDO LQWHO-­ ligence documents that showed the NSA invaded the lives of millions of Americans.

Greenwald, along with a very select amount of journalists and editors had access to these documents. Since the OHDN RI WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW GRFXPHQWV LQ -XQH WKHVH Ă&#x20AC;OHV KDYH EHHQ VHOHFWLYHO\ UH-­ leased to the public in order to reduce harm to the individuals involved. ,Q 6FDKLOO¡V ERRN ´'LUW\ :DUVÂľ DQG the article that preceded its release, the journalist found the U.S. govern-­ ment has programs in place that are NLOOLQJ FLYLOLDQV ZLWK GURQHV EHIRUH they are charged with a crime.

Among the civilians was Anwar al-­

$ZODNL D WUDYHOLQJ SUHDFKHU RI WKH ,V-­ lamic religion and also an American FLWL]HQ ZKR ZDV WDUJHWHG DQG NLOOHG E\ D 8 6 GURQH VWULNH DORQJ ZLWK WZR members of his family, including his \HDU ROG VRQ $O $ZODNL JDLQHG D large following that stretched across the world and suddenly became a suspect of terrorist acts. Though nev-­ er connected to any terrorist group or DFW DO $ZODNL ZDV SODFHG RQ DQ DX-­ WKRUL]HG ´NLOO OLVW¾ E\ 3UHVLGHQW %DUDFN 2EDPD DFFRUGLQJ WR 6FDKLOO¡V ERRN and article.

Greenwald and Scahill are founding editors of The Intercept, a publication FUHDWHG E\ )LUVW /RRN 0HGLD WKDW KDV D WZR IROG PLVVLRQ RQH VKRUW WHUP and one long term. In the short term, the publication will deliver detailed reporting on the NSA and the docu-­ ments received by Greenwald in Hong Kong. The long term mission is to pro-­ duce adversarial journalism across a wide range of issues while remaining independent of advertising. ____________________________________ Brandon Adelbock is a junior jour-­ nalism major who has an interest in American national security and likes singing songs on his guitar to his one true fan: his dog, Meg. Email him at badekbo1@ithaca.edu.

News & Views

9

Exploring Comic Culture -XLEGSR LIPH EX -XLEGE 'SPPIKI JSV XLI ½VWX XMQI

By John Jacobson

T

he smell of old comics hung outside of Emerson Suites on Saturday April 5. That day, I DWWHQGHG P\ Ă&#x20AC;UVW ,WKDFRQ Âł ,WKDFD¡V ORFDO YHUVLRQ RI WKH ODUJHU &RPL&RQ As someone who has presented him-­ self as being a nerd, it felt imperative

ter. Kittredgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appreciation for sci-­ HQFH Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQ DQG IDQWDV\ ZDV DSSDUHQW from that seminar, which included an analysis of the character of Wonder :RPDQ /RRNLQJ DW :RQGHU :RPDQ as an icon of superheroine feminism made me a new fan of comics.

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

The ability for this convention to bring a community of interested people together has stayed with me the most following the convention. that I attend an event that seemed designed to support other people who DOVR VHOI LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;HG DV QHUGV JHHNV RU fanatics. Ithaconâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history manages to support the idea that something as nostalgic as comics can bring peo-­ ple together, while also providing an outlet for potential discussion about what comics mean to our society. ,WKDFRQ RULJLQDWHG ZLWKLQ WKH &RPLF %RRN &OXE RI ,WKDFD WKH FRXQWU\¡V ROGHVW FRPLF ERRN IDQ FOXE DFFRUGLQJ to its website. Since the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foun-­ dation in 1975, it has helped put on events such as Ithacon to share the love of comics with a larger audience.

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ithacon was the 39th since the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inception. Katharine Kit-­ tredge, professor of English at Ithaca &ROOHJH KHOSHG KRVW WKH HYHQW DQG schedule volunteering this year. It ZDV DOVR KHU Ă&#x20AC;UVW \HDU EHLQJ LQYROYHG with the convention. ´7KH FRQYHQWLRQ KDV KDG D QXPEHU RI IRUPDWV RYHU LWV PDQ\ \HDUV Âľ .LW-­ WUHGJH VDLG ´,Q PRVW UHFHQW \HDUV LW has not offered any programming or additional activities, but has been a gathering for artists, writers, vendors DQG FROOHFWRUV :H H[SDQGHG WKDW WR include panels and lectures, and also offered a hands-­on crafting oppor-­ tunity, badge decorating, which was DLPHG DW RXU \RXQJHVW DWWHQGHHV Âľ I heard about the event because of Kittredge, who had introduced Won-­ der Woman comics to me and the rest of my freshman seminar last semes-­

10

My fascination with nerd culture also includes Japanese manga and anime. At Ithacon, Kristiina Korpus â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13 gave a lecture called Anime Am-­ azons, discussing the view of strong women in anime through a Western lens. I used this intersection of in-­ terests as a way to gauge the eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usefulness on a broader social scale.

Other panels and lectures focused on WRSLFV VXFK DV IDQ Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQ DQG EUHDN-­ ing into the comic business. While Korpus is a recent graduate of the FROOHJH ,WKDFRQ ZDV QRW KHU Ă&#x20AC;UVW H[-­ perience with presentation at a fan conference. ´,¡YH EHHQ SUHVHQWLQJ VLQFH ZKHQ $QLPH $PD]RQV ZDV Ă&#x20AC;UVW GH-­ EXWHG DW $QLPH %RVWRQ Âľ .RUSXV VDLG ´$W WKLV SRLQW ,¡YH SUHVHQWHG QHDUO\ HY-­ ery year at nine different conferences and conventions. Most notably Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve VSRNHQ DW WKH 3RSXODU DQG $PHULFDQ &XOWXUH $VVRFLDWH 1DWLRQDO &RQIHU-­ HQFH 3&$ $&$ ZKHUH , SUHVHQWHG on dystopian novels and their direct relevance to us today. My most enjoy-­ able presentations are always at fan FRQYHQWLRQV WKRXJK Âľ Korpusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attachment to the topic made the lecture feel very personal.

She discussed several different anime and manga series with female charac-­ ters that showed strength in different ways. While Korpus did not go into great detail about every presented franchise, she did use the lecture as a way to encourage audience mem-­

EHUV WR ZDWFK D IHZ VSHFLĂ&#x20AC;F VHULHV She was available for one-­on-­one dis-­ cussions afterward. Korpusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discus-­ sion of women and feminism made ,WKDFRQ IHHO OLNH DQ LQFOXVLYH FRPPX-­ nity, something that fan conventions FDQ RIWHQ ODFN LQ IDYRU RI FODVVLF PDOH dominated topics and discussions. ,WKDFRQ DOVR KDG WKH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W RI FRP-­ munity involvement beyond the col-­ OHJH /RFDO FRPLF ERRN VHOOHUV DQG DUW-­ ists were present at the convention in RUGHU WR VLJQ VWRFN PHHW IDQV DQG VHOO FRPLF ERRNV WR RWKHU FRPLF UHDGHUV 7LP *UD\ RZQHU RI &RPLFV IRU &RO-­ lectors and founding member of the ,WKDFD &RPLF %RRN &OXE ZDV RQH RI the vendors. ´:H GRQ¡W WU\ WR GR HYHU\WKLQJ Âľ *UD\ VDLG ´&HUWDLQO\ WKH FROOHFWRUV LQ WKH DUHD UHDOO\ OLNH WKH VKRZ DQG VRPH have been coming to it for decades.

We have friends that have moved on to other parts of the country and al-­ ways write to tell us how much they miss it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become a family gathering of sorts, or old home days, where you Ă&#x20AC;QDOO\ FRPH KRPH WR SHRSOH WKDW WDON DERXW WKH VDPH WKLQJV Âľ The ability for this convention to bring a community of interested people together has stayed with me the most following the convention.

Something about the people, the at-­ PRVSKHUH DQG WKH H[FLWHPHQW IHOW genuine in a way that only a true fan convention could convey. Ithaconâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s KLVWRU\ LV ULFK WKH LQFDUQDWLRQ LW KDV WDNHQ WRGD\ LV RQH WKDW EULQJV WR-­ gether community members and even interested college students. I left with D SODVWLF EDJ IXOO RI YLQWDJH 'D]]OHU FRPLFV DQG WKH VFHQW RI ROG LQN XQGHU P\ Ă&#x20AC;QJHUQDLOV UHDG\ IRU ,WKDFRQ ____________________________________ John Jacobson is a freshman inte-­ grated marketing and communications major who is working on his Dazzler cosplay. Email him at jjacobs1@itha-­ ca.edu.

Live From Ithaca, Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Finally Something Exciting Seth Meyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; event sparks hope for future campus events

By Rachel Maus

T

KH ,WKDFD &ROOHJH FDPSXV ZDV DEX]] IRU ZHHNV IRU ZKDW VHHPV OLNH WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW WLPH LQ IRU-­ ever, but it was not the battle cries of student revolts over restrictive ad-­ ministrative policies or even political IXU\ ,QVWHDG LW ZDV WKH H[FLWHPHQW RI KDYLQJ D FHOHEULW\ JXHVW VSHDNHU here on South Hill. Seth Meyers, for-­ mer Saturday Night Live head writer DQG DUJXDEO\ WKH EHVW :HHNHQG 8S-­ GDWH KRVW WR HYHU ZRUN DW 6WXGLR + was coming to the Athletic and Events &HQWHU WR JUDFH XV ZLWK KLV FRPHGLF presence. Not only that, but he was JRLQJ WR DFWXDOO\ VSHDN WR VWXGHQWV LQ a class organized by Robert Regan to WDON DERXW VDWLULFDO SURJUDPPLQJ DQG host a Q and A. At an institution overshadowed by LWV ,Y\ OHDJXH QHLJKERU &RUQHOO 8QL-­ YHUVLW\ LW LV RIWHQ GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW WR NHHS XS hope that the college can compete in this town. Especially after a particu-­ ODUO\ FULWLFDO UHYLHZ RI WKH 'DV Racist concert from the Cornell Daily Sun, which offered suggestions such

play with the Big Reds, who have hosted such acts as Jon Stewart, .H KD 5RQ 3DXO DQG HYHQ 0H\HUV MXVW in the past few years. But is the col-­ lege even prepared to become a force LQ 7RPSNLQV &RXQW\ IRU WKHVH NLQGV RI events? Lead audio-­visual technician IRU &DPSXV &HQWHU (YHQWV 6HUYLFHV Kevin Macchia said yes. ´:H¡UH GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ FDSDEOH RI GRLQJ it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a matter of the adminis-­ WUDWLRQ WDNLQJ WKH LQLWLDWLYH RI ERRNLQJ WKH DFWV Âľ 0DFFKLD VDLG ´, DOPRVW IHHO as though theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re scared to because WKH\ WKLQN WKH\ ZRQ¡W JHW D UHWXUQ RQ WLFNHW VDOHV %XW LI WKH\ GLG ZH KDYH the capability to support bigger acts OLNH WKLV Âľ 6R ZKDW H[DFWO\ FRXOG WKLV PHDQ for the future of events at the college?

There has undeniably been a push from certain administrators to lure both academic and entertaining acts to the school. Bryan Roberts, associ-­ DWH GHDQ RI WKH 5R\ + 3DUN 6FKRRO RI &RPPXQLFDWLRQV IRU H[DPSOH KDV made it his mission to up the ante

Âą;I´VI HI½RMXIP] GETEFPI SJ HSMRK MX MX´W just a matter of the administration taking the initiative of booking the acts.â&#x20AC;?

- Kevin Macchia, Lead audio-visual technician for Campus Center & Events Services of the college, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly get-­ ting closer to achieving his goal. In the past few years, the initiatives he KDV WDNHQ WR DWWUDFW ZKDW FDQ RQO\ EH described as more captivating guest VSHDNHUV KDV QRW JRQH XQQRWLFHG E\ the student population, particularly those in the school of communica-­ tions.

7KH DQQXDO 3DUN 'LVWLQJXLVKHG Visitors series has brought in big QDPHV EHIRUH 5DQGL =XFNHUEHUJ 'DQ 2¡6KDQQRQ DQG $ULDQQD +XII-­ ington, just to name a few. Another

News & Views

DV ´build something that is both aes-­ WKHWLFDOO\ SOHDVLQJ $1' IXQFWLRQDO ¾ 6LGH QRWH SHUKDSV EHIRUH \RX JR WR D FRQFHUW VRPHZKHUH PDNH VXUH \RX NQRZ ZKHUH \RX¡UH JRLQJ DKHDG RI WLPH 'HVSLWH WKLV EOLS WKH FROOHJH continued to hold annual concerts DQG VSHDNHUV PRVW RI ZKLFK ZHUH limited to an audience of students and faculty. )LQDOO\ LW VHHPV DV WKRXJK WKH FRO-­ OHJH KDV WDNHQ D FKDQFH DQG VWHSSHG XS LWV JDPH %RRNLQJ VRPHRQH OLNH Meyers showed that we can in fact

OHDS IRU WKH FROOHJH¡V UHSXWDEOH VSHDN-­ HUV LQLWLDWLYH ZDV ¡V FRPPHQFH-­ PHQW VSHDNHU ´%RQHVÂľ VWDU DQG 3DUN 6FKRRO DOXP 'DYLG %RUHDQH] +RZ-­ ever, few of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other visitors KDYH KDG WKH VDPH NLQG RI VWDU DSSHDO outside the world of communications DV VRPHRQH OLNH 0H\HUV It is also worth noting that the suc-­ cess of the Meyers event could have been partially due to strategic plan-­ QLQJ WKH VKRZ KDSSHQHG WR IDOO RQ RQH RI ,WKDFD¡V DQQXDO ´,WKDFD 7RGD\Âľ admissions events. The pandering to perspective students was made abun-­ dantly clear with the showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s introduc-­ tion listing all of the collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonder-­ fully prestigious accomplishments.

7KLV NLQG RI JURYHOLQJ LV QRW XQFRP-­ PRQ WKRXJK LW GRHV EHJ WKH TXHV-­ WLRQ $UH WKHVH HYHQWV UHDOO\ IRU WKH students or for the school? It would be best to believe the former, and the IDFW WKDW WKH\ GLG PDNH WLFNHWV KDOI price for those of us with an Ithaca &ROOHJH ,' VXSSRUWV WKH LGHD WKDW WKH-­ college hosted the event for students.

So, it is natural to assume that the IXWXUH PD\ KROG PRUH KLJK SURĂ&#x20AC;OH events. ´,¡G OLNH WR VHH WKHP JHW D ELJ QDPH EDQG IRU ,& .LFNV %DFN Âľ 0DFFKLD VDLG ´, PHDQ &RUQHOO JRW /XGDFULV WR SOD\ DW 6ORSH 'D\ WKLV \HDU :H FRXOG GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ GR VRPHWKLQJ ELJ OLNH WKDW LQ WKH IXWXUH Âľ $OO WKDW¡V OHIW LV IRU XV WR WDNH WKDW FKDQFH ____________________________________ Rachel Maus is a junior Cinema & Photography major who thinks we re-­ ally need to step up our game. Really.

Email her at rmaus1@ithaca.edu.

11

Clothing for a Cause

Bringing awareness to domestic violence and assault

By Alexa Salvato

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

D

ozens of t-­shirts of all col-­ ors and designs were draped across clotheslines in front RI (PHUVRQ 6XLWHV DW ,WKDFD &ROOHJH on Tuesday, April 15. A purple one VKRXWHG ´, DP D YLFWLP QRW D YROXQ-­ WHHU 7KH SDLQ VWRSV KHUH Âľ $QRWKHU ZDV SODLQ ZLWK D GUDZLQJ RI D VWLFN Ă&#x20AC;J-­ ure woman with angel wings, with one ZRUG Âł YLRODWLRQ Âł LQ SHUIHFW EODFN print underneath. Many students stopped by, interrupting their daily paths to wherever they were going, in-­ trigued by the images and colors. But DV WKH\ ORRNHG FORVHU DQG VDZ ZKDW the shirts were all about â&#x20AC;&#x201D; something WKDW LV VWLOO W\SLFDOO\ NHSW XQGHU ZUDSV â&#x20AC;&#x201D; their faces changed.

7KLV LV 7KH &ORWKHVOLQH 3URMHFW brought to campus each year by the $GYRFDF\ &HQWHU RI 7RPSNLQV &RXQ-­ W\ $V H[SODLQHG RQ LWV ZHEVLWH ´7KH $GYRFDF\ &HQWHU IRUPHUO\ WKH 7DVN )RUFH )RU %DWWHUHG :RPHQ &KLOG 6H[XDO $EXVH 3URMHFW KDV SURYLGHG support, advocacy and education for survivors of domestic violence since VXUYLYRUV RI FKLOG VH[XDO DEXVH VLQFH DQG VXUYLYRUV RI DGXOW VH[-­ XDO DVVDXOW VLQFH ¾ 7KH W VKLUWV featured on the clothesline have been preserved by the organization, under LWV PDQ\ QDPHV IRU WKH ODVW \HDUV All of the t-­shirts were created by resi-­ dents or students of Ithaca and its surrounding areas. This year, I was RQH RI WKH UHSUHVHQWDWLYHV IURP ,&¡V )HPLQLVWV 8QLWHG DQG ZDV H[FLWHG WR bring this moving project to campus with its purposes to educate our cam-­ pus.

Kristi Taylor, an adult community HGXFDWRU DW WKH $GYRFDF\ &HQWHU RU-­ ganized throughout the community WR EULQJ 7KH &ORWKHVOLQH 3URMHFW WR various places in Ithaca during the month of April to raise awareness and WR PDUNHW IRU 7DNH %DFN WKH 1LJKW an annual march, rally and vigil that WDNHV SODFH LQ 'H:LWW 3DUN LQ GRZQ-­ town Ithaca. ´,W¡V JUHDW WR SDLU ZLWK 7DNH %DFN WKH 1LJKW ¾ 7D\ORU VDLG ´,W KHOSV WR elicit emotions and then gives people D ZD\ WR WDNH DFWLRQ ¾ Melissa Schwartz, a senior at the college currently interning at the Ad-­

12

YRFDF\ &HQWHU DQG KHOSLQJ WR FRRU-­ GLQDWH 7DNH %DFN WKH 1LJKW UHFDOOHG VHHLQJ 7KH &ORWKHVOLQH 3URMHFW KDQJ-­ ing up on campus for the past two years. She vividly remembered the HIIHFW RI VHHLQJ LW IRU WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW WLPH PDJQLĂ&#x20AC;HG E\ LWV P\VWHULRXV DQG VWULN-­ ing visual presence outside (an action that was hampered this year by the SRXULQJ UDLQ

´, ZDVQ¡W VXUH ZKDW LW ZDV DW Ă&#x20AC;UVW EXW , Ă&#x20AC;JXUHG LW RXW Âľ VKH VDLG ´, ZDONHG away from it feeling different â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not EDG EXW LQVSLUHG Âľ ,WV LQWHQVLW\ KRZ-­ ever, also caused a bit of discomfort. ´,W ZDV ZHLUG WR VHH LW DQG WKHQ UHDOL]H WKDW , KDG WR NHHS ZDONLQJ DQG JR WR FODVV ,W¡V D ZHLUG VKLIW Âľ ´7KDW¡V WUXH RI D ORW RI DZDUHQHVV FDPSDLJQV Âľ 7D\ORU VDLG ´,W UHDOO\ PDNHV \RX VWRS DQG WKLQN ,W WDNHV WKH PRPHQW EDFN Âľ The project received a lot of atten-­ WLRQ IURP VWXGHQWV ZDONLQJ E\ WKLV year, and Taylor and Schwartz found it to be a very positive reception. Gi-­ anna Boccanfuso, a sophomore and FR SUHVLGHQW RI )HPLQLVWV 8QLWHG RQ campus, who volunteered to super-­ YLVH WKH H[KLELW GXULQJ SDUW RI WKH GD\ was also pleased by its presence on campus. ´7KH SHRSOH WKDW , WDONHG WR ZKLOH tabling found it interesting, intrigu-­ ing, wanted to learn more about 7DNH %DFN WKH 1LJKW EHFDXVH RI 7KH &ORWKHVOLQH 3URMHFW Âľ VKH VDLG Boccanfuso thought the project is important to bring to campus every year because of its strong representa-­ tion of individual voices. ´, WKLQN LW DOORZV VWXGHQWV DQG IDF-­ ulty to interact with such serious is-­ VXHV DV VH[XDO DVVDXOW DQG GRPHVWLF violence in a way that promotes ed-­ ucation on the topic and action, but DOVR PDNHV WKH H[SHULHQFH SHUVRQDO Âľ VKH VDLG ´<RX¡UH UHDGLQJ WKH H[SHUL-­ HQFH RI SHRSOH \RX¡UH QRW UHDGLQJ D chart of facts and statistics. You can see mothers, sisters, sons, fathers, friends on those shirts. It also pushes people to want to learn more and be-­ FRPH DFWLYH Âľ Taylor agreed that the activism of FROOHJH FDPSXVHV PDNHV WKHP DQ LGHDO SODFH WR GLVSOD\ WKH SURMHFW

Photo by Alexa Salvato

´7KH\¡UH DQ HQYLURQPHQW IRU QHZ DF-­ tivists and people getting involved in WKHVH NLQG RI LVVXHV ,W UHDOO\ KHOSV WR put a tangible aspect on what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re OHDUQLQJ LQ FODVV Âľ ´7KH JRDO LV WR VKRZ ZKDW DEXVH LV DQG ZKDW LW GRHV Âľ VKH VDLG ´EXW DOVR WR KLJKOLJKW WKDW KHDOLQJ LV SRVVLEOH Âľ If you or someone you know has suffered from the issues discussed in this article, The Advocacy Cen-­ ter offers many services, includ-­ ing support groups, therapy ser-­ vices, legal advocacy, and crisis intervention. Visit their website at www.theadvocacycenter.org or call their hotline at 607-­277-­5000 for information or help. *DISCLAIMER: Gianna is a member of )HPLQLVWV 8QLWHG DQG LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;HV DV D feminist, but does not speak on behalf of the organization, or of the feminist community as a whole. The quotes KHUH RQO\ UHĂ HFW KHU RZQ RSLQLRQV RQ the issues presented. ____________________________________ Alexa Salvato is a freshman journal-­ ism major. Email her at asalvat1@ ithaca.edu

Upfront

UPFRONT. UPFRONT. UPFRON

13

The Family Dynamics of Prisons A daughter’s perspective

By Lindsey Witmer

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

M

y mom always mentions that she never meant for things to end up this way.

She said that when she was young and pictured her future with her husband and kids, these were not the circumstances she had envi-­ sioned for herself. Yet here she is with one divorce, the second hus-­ band in jail and two kids to put through college. Her fairytale vi-­ sions didn’t make it into her reality.

When we talk about borders we think about physical bor -­ ders, gender borders, borders in education,and general oppression that so many people deal with in their daily lives. But often we forget about the borders within our own families, as well as in others.

Sure, divorce is sadly now a very common occurrence, with more than 50 percent of today’s mar -­ riages ending in separation, but my parents’ divorce is not something I am ashamed about. It is not some-­ thing I avoid talking about or try to hide. It happened, and it happened when I was fairly young, giving my sister and I the time to accept and deal with our situation. We became accustomed to living away from our dad.

The separation of families and the break in the bond formed, how-­ ever, is still very real. You become accustomed to a way of life, a rou-­ tine. Going from seeing a parent ev-­ ery single day to once a week puts a strain on their role as a parent, and yours as a child. Feelings are not shared as often, events of the day not relayed over the dinner table and this separation only continues to expand as the time spent togeth-­ er lessens as the years go by.

My mom always felt guilty for raising us as a single mom, under a divorced home. Although, to me, it did not change much in terms of how we as a family communicated.

I always thought that the divorce in a way helped my mom and dad find comfort in their own living situ-­ ations and lessened tensions when they did not have to see each other every day. And for a few years, ev-­ erything stayed as relatively normal

14

as a divorced family could become.

My mom remarried after her di-­ vorce, and it was to a loving and caring man who watched over my sister and I like our own father would have. The bond that was created between our stepdad and us was just like any other healthy father -­daughter relationship. The sense of security taken from us by the divorce was patched back to-­ gether with this new addition to our family.

Unfortunately, that sense of secu-­ rity fell apart again when my step-­

thing to lose.

And he did lose it all.

After attempting everything pos-­ sible to get out of even having to go to jail, he was eventually sentenced to a month in rehab, followed by a year of hard jail time. This placed extreme pressure on my mom, and once again another father figure was taken away from my sister and I. It is so hard to truly imagine what it is like to have a father in jail until you actually do. Sometimes I think about our situation, and I feel sad-­

It is so hard to truly imagine what it is like to have a father in jail until you actually do. dad was charged with a DUI. At first the punishment was minimal and manageable. With community service and the loss of a license, it was a hassle, but something we could all deal with and hopefully quickly put behind us. But a year later he was charged with a second DUI, which, followed by a spur of unfortunate events with the law, started the road to what would eventually lead him to over a year of time behind bars.

My stepdad is by no means a criminal. He is an extremely intel-­ ligent man who was president of the largest thermal engineering com-­ pany in America, who was writing textbooks, sitting on boards of en-­ gineering prestige and constantly advancing the laws of engineering.

This man had everything going for him, which means he had every-­

ness for my stepdad, that he was unable to fix his addiction before it cost him. I feel guilt for my mom and my sister, who have to deal with the immediate repercussions of his actions while I am away at school.

I also feel upset at the fact that this situation has changed the ways I view this man. A father figure I had once admired and cared for so greatly now comes across as a weak man who could not escape his own vices.

This has changed everything for my family. When a family member goes to jail, not only does it immedi-­ ately affect the person going to jail, but also every single person in the family.

My stepdad was the primary pro-­ vider. He is now in jail for a year, meaning he has lost his job and once he gets out he will have to start at

member creates just as many con-­ straints and changes, if not more.

It is so hard to not have a changed perception of a person you cared for so greatly, even though I know he is still truly a wonderful person.

What is most bothersome to me is the assumption by strangers that my stepdad is a criminal or a less than wonderful person. He isn’t.

He is an amazing dad, husband and family man, who just happens to have a problem he could not over -­ come.

The idea of jail is scary and it has created so many issues for our fam-­ ily. Through all of the adversity and the changes that took place, the borders created, can overtime be broken down.

I am assuming that once my stepdad gets out of jail, we will have to start over. We will have to restart as a family, financially, emotion-­ ally and so on. The love and trust will have to be rebuilt, but eventu-­ ally these borders created will van-­ ish, as even the tallest and thickest walls eventually crumble. __________________________________ Lindsey Witmer is a sophomore journalism major. Email her at lwit-­ mer1@ithaca.edu.

In March 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics released a report called “Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children” According to the report:

As of 2007, 53 percent of American prisoners had children who were under the age of 18.

More than a third of children will reach age 18 while their parent is in prison.

Between 1991 and 2007, the number of parents held in state and federal prisons increased by 79 percent.

There were approximately 744,200 fathers and 65,600 mothers in U.S. prisons as of mid-2007.

Of the incarcerated mothers, 48 percent were white, 28 percent were black and 17 percent were Hispanic.

Compiled by Jessica Corbett

15

Upfront

the very bottom of a new company and he will have to do so without any of the prestige or credentials he has worked so hard to establish.

Going to jail creates a wall within the person themself. I had watched my stepdad go in and out of jail for a few days before the final sentence was made, and I watched him be-­ come more weak, unable to under -­ stand what he had done wrong. It seemed silly that he did not com-­ prehend why he was going to jail, but what he had was an addiction and that created all of his personal issues. It was hard to watch him struggle while I was home for winter break. It was even harder to leave to go back to school, leaving my family in shambles, unable to provide any-­ thing more than emotional support from five hours away. My mom has had to pick up a second night job just to pay the bills for the rehab facility my stepdad went to. Worst of all, she is back to being a single mother of two.

Our childhood home has to be sold. My sister has to reconsider which college she will attend in the fall; and these are just the monetary borders that came from this situa-­ tion. The emotional ones have had an even harder hit on our family be-­ cause of this. I have not seen my stepdad in half a year, and I have no idea how he is doing locked in one of the worst facilities in the na-­ tion. My mother has to consider the option of a second divorce. She has had to tell our family members of the situation; with shame dripping from every word of the sad explana-­ tion she gives.

There are so many stigmas and stereotypes that come along with the line, “My dad is in jail.” People reconsider their preconceived no-­ tion of my family life. Their idea of a happy, peppy, well-­off family is now clouded with the image of a dam-­ aged home.

The restrictions and limits that have come from my stepdad go-­ ing to jail have been numerous, and seemingly never -­ending. It is true that just like a divorce or a death, the imprisonment of a family

Parents in Prison by the Numbers

Seeking Employment

Perceptions of ability affect job searches

By Sabina Leybold

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

D

iscussions about diversity in the workplace are often lim-­ ited to discrimination based on race and gender. But some local QRQSURĂ&#x20AC;WV DUH ZRUNLQJ WR H[SDQG WKH discussion and provide opportunities for people with a range of abilities, in-­ cluding physical, developmental and learning disabilities.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the general unemployment rate is currently 6.5 percent, a de-­ crease from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statistics. Con-­ versely, unemployment for persons with a disability has gone up since 2013, and now sits at 14.5 percent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Employment is a big issue with people with disabilities,â&#x20AC;? Larry Rob-­ erts, program director at the Finger Lakes Independence Center, said.

FLIC is an agency that both connects people with disabilities to necessary resources, such as sign language in-­ terpreters, and advocates to promote civil rights and address disability on a broader scale. Most of the employees at FLIC, including Roberts, have dis-­ abilities themselves, which gives their organization an extra level of exper-­ tise in working toward solutions for disability-­related issues. The issue of employment, Roberts said, is â&#x20AC;&#x153;much more complicated than we can imag-­ ine.â&#x20AC;?

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;it takes a lot of energy to both get people into jobs and get them exposed to skills that they would need to be successful.â&#x20AC;? $QRWKHU ORFDO QRQSURĂ&#x20AC;W RUJDQL]D-­ tion that has been working to expand public discourse and employment op-­ portunities for people with disabilities is Challenge Workforce Solutions.

Pamela Nardi, whose daughter Cassie Taber is a Challenge employee, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition to providing jobs to special needs adults, [Challenge] also serves to promote self-­pride, accom-­ plishment, and build on new skills and opportunities for a more produc-­ WLYH DQG IXOĂ&#x20AC;OOLQJ OLIH Âľ One of the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths is its emphasis on individualized sup-­ port that concentrates on individual strengths rather than weaknesses.

Emily Parker, director of marketing and development at Challenge, said,

16

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our staff has a sensitivity to and awareness of what it is to have a dis-­ ability. We promote an environment of respect.â&#x20AC;?

Nardi also values the community aspect of Challenge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The staff is fo-­ cused on each individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs, building on their skills and limita-­ tions to help them grow both in the workforce and also in their personal lives. Consumers build lifelong friend-­ ships with workers, becoming more of a family unit than a workplace,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Taber has held a few jobs, including working in dish rooms at Ithaca Col-­ lege. She now works two jobs through the program: contract work (like packaging and shredding) at Chal-­ lengeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus on South Hill, and packaging and labeling produce at the Finger Lakes Fresh hydroponics facil-­ ity. Through working, Nardi said, her daughter has developed the ability to â&#x20AC;&#x153;stay on task, take direction from supervisors, interact with co-­workers in a socially appropriate manner and most importantly to learn from her mistakes on the job and improve her attitude and job performance.â&#x20AC;?

While meaningful employment of-­ fers people with disabilities opportu-­ nities to learn and develop their work skills, many employers are still hesi-­ tant to give jobs to people who face employment barriers.

Actual barriers have to do with a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of abilities, while at-­ titudinal barriers are preconceptions about an employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capabilities, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a problem that people with disabilities have disabilities, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the actual barriers and attitudinal barri-­ ers together that are really the prob-­ lem,â&#x20AC;? Roberts said.

The actual barriers wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ever go away, but long-­held attitudes that prevent equal opportunity based on disability can be challenged. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most rational employers get the general concept that people with dis-­ abilities are capable of things, but a lot of times employers get caught up in what the employee canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do,â&#x20AC;? Rob-­ erts said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our strategy [at FLIC] is convincing both people with disabili-­

ties and employers that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ca-­ pable of working, especially for people with disabilities. We are not very well-­ trained in talking about what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re good at.â&#x20AC;?

One way to do this is by uniting people with and without disabilities in workplace settings. This workplace integration is one of the main goals at Challenge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sadly, disability scares a lot of people, but the more fully integrated people with disabilities are, the more comfortable and familiar others will be with the range of ability,â&#x20AC;? Parker said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to set the standard of people working side by side with and without barriers.â&#x20AC;? %HWWHU LQWHJUDWLRQ LV WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW VWHS LQ disempowering deep-­rooted biases in the workplace. This process may be GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW DV HQWUHQFKHG DWWLWXGHV DUH hard to change, but it will likely get easier through programs like Chal-­ lenge that aim to bridge the gap be-­ tween people with and without dis-­ abilities.

Nardi is optimistic about the future, and hopes that the current expansion of societal awareness of civil rights will begin to include sensitivity to dis-­ ability and the unique needs of people with varying capabilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to look past individu-­ alsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; limitations and forward to what they can contribute to the job, the workplace, and most importantly the world,â&#x20AC;? she said. ____________________________________ Sabina Leybold is a freshman speech-­ language pathology major who sup-­ ports equal employment opportunities.

Email her at sleybol1@ithaca.edu.

Magic Mushrooms

4SWWMFPI QIHMGEP FIRI½XW SJ TW]GLIHIPMG HVYK YWI

By Rachel Konkler

L

SD, psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs may be staking out a new role in society.

Once known only for casual tripping experiences, psychedelics have been shown to help both recreational users and patients suffering from mental ill-­ nesses and terminal diseases gain per-­

Ă&#x20AC;UVW H[SHULHQFH ZLWK VKURRPV KHOSHG KHU RYHUFRPH D GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW HYHQW LQ KHU OLIH ´7KH Ă&#x20AC;UVW WLPH , GLG VKURRPV ZDV DI-­ ter a pretty life-­changing event for me personally. That day was still one of the most beautiful days Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had and it made me step outside of the personal and see the world and nature as a larg-­

Âą8LI ½VWX XMQI - HMH WLVSSQW [EW EJXIV E TVIXX] PMJI changing event for me personally.â&#x20AC;?

- Emily* er thing outside of myself. It created a more holistic view of mine in regard to the universe,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Ryan* believes psychedelics have had a similarly positive impact on his life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It adds a sense of stillness to the world. It lets me see beauty in the world and lets me see things in a new way,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Looking at yourself and your body while tripping helps you see yourself in a new way. I have talked to friends who said this has helped them overcome [things like] body image issues.â&#x20AC;?

Emily thinks psychedelic experiences can be especially enlightening when it comes to working through personal is-­ sues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because it completely changes your state of mind for a span of 8 to 12 hours, you are imbued with this understand-­ ing that everything ends. When you can see an end to something that strong and tangible, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to apply that to the rest of your life, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going through a change or hard times,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Like any substance, psychedelics need to be approached with caution.

For those experimenting recreationally, Emily emphasized the importance of knowing what you are getting into be-­ forehand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People really need to know their stuff. You have to weigh the pros and cons because it is much easier to have a stronger experience on shrooms, one that can irrevocably change how you see the world, but there is a chance you could have a bad experience on the drugs,â&#x20AC;? she said.

*Names have been changed to protect identity ____________________________________ Rachel Konkler is a senior sociology ma-­ jor who thinks a mushroom a day keeps the doctor away. Email her at rkonkle1@ ithaca.edu.

17

Upfront

spective and overcome obstacles in their own lives.

Scientists have been testing the new possibilities for psychedelic drugs in medical practice and clinical research.

In one study at Harbor-­UCLA, psilocy-­ bin (the active chemical in hallucinogen-­ ic mushrooms) has been found to help terminal cancer patients cope with their prognosis and ease anxiety and depres-­ sion. The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) pub-­ lished a study on LSD-­assisted therapy in March 2014, which â&#x20AC;&#x153;found positive trends in the reduction of anxiety fol-­ lowing two LSD-­assisted psychotherapy sessions.â&#x20AC;?

LSD and MDMA (also known as ec-­ stasy or Molly) hold the power to help patients by unlocking new patterns of thought in a userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind. Dr. John Halpern of the Laboratory for Integrative Psychiatry at McLean Hospital explained in a New York Times interview why psy-­ chedelics are so powerful for patients with terminal illnesses in particular. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On psychedelics, you have an experience in which you feel there is something you are a part of, something else is out there thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bigger than you, that there is a dazzling unity you belong to, that love is possible and all these realizations are imbued with deep meaning,â&#x20AC;? Halpern said.

Psychedelics have been able to help ordinary recreational users overcome personal issues and emotionally-­trying times. Emily*, who has used both psy-­ chedelic mushrooms and LSD, said her

The known effects of psychedel-­ ics may prove hopeful in opening up a world of new mental possibilities for SDWLHQWV ZKR FRXOG EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W IURP WKHVH mind-­altering experiences. According to MAPSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, â&#x20AC;&#x153;MAPS is undertak-­ ing an eight-­year, $18.5 million plan to make MDMA into an FDA-­approved pre-­ scription medicine by 2021, and is cur-­ rently the only organization in the world funding clinical trials of MDMA-­assisted psychotherapy.â&#x20AC;? &XUUHQWO\ SV\FKHGHOLFV DUH FODVVLĂ&#x20AC;HG as Schedule 1 drugs, which means they cannot be prescribed, only used in re-­ search.

Dave Nichols, medicinal chemist and president and director of preclinical research for the Heffter Research In-­ stitute, said that the setbacks in psy-­ chedelics research comes from a lack of government funding. Nichols thinks that conducting research on psychedel-­ LFV LV GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you were an academic, you couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t research psychedelics because you couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any funding,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[We] focused on bringing psychedelics into medical practice. We wanted to make sure that anything we did wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get dismissed as nonsense.â&#x20AC;?

Nicholsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work has included mak-­ ing research-­grade DMT and MDMA for clinical studies. One such study in-­ volved using MDMA on patients with post-­traumatic stress disorder, which â&#x20AC;&#x153;got really spectacular results,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Nichols knows that the research in psychedelics is fast growing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This area has been repressed for 50 years, and now people are coming out of the woodwork because there is a huge interest in these kinds of drugs,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are all optimistic that we are going to get there. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the beginning of D SV\FKHGHOLFV UHQDLVVDQFH DQG WKH Ă&#x20AC;HOG has changed enough that people arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as reluctant to get involved.â&#x20AC;?

Beyond the Binary

Exploring the spectrum of sex and gender

By Samantha Guter

F

or many individuals, sex is something static. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re as-­ signed male or female at birth, and that is how you identify for the rest of your life. But this raises a very important question â&#x20AC;&#x201D; without refer-­ ULQJ WR DQ\ SK\VLFDO LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;HUV KRZ do you know that you are a man or a woman?

Ideas of gender and sex vary among

Sam Killermann is a social justice comedian and creator of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Called Metrosexual,â&#x20AC;? which is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;one-­man comedy show about snap judgments, identity, and oppression,â&#x20AC;? according to his website. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gender is essentially a way of clas-­ sifying personality, while sex is a way of classifying a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body,â&#x20AC;? Killer-­ mann said.

concept of gender as male at one end, female at the other) has been around for a long time, especially in West-­ ern culture. According to The Gender Wiki, an online community for learn-­ ing about gender, nonbinary genders DUH ´JHQGHU LGHQWLWLHV WKDW GRQ¡W Ă&#x20AC;W within the accepted binary of male and female,â&#x20AC;? and suggests thinking of gender in more of a three-­dimensional

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gender is something we all have and if we take the time to explore it, a lot of us have questions about it and a lot to learn.â&#x20AC;?

- Sam Killerman, social justice comedian cultures and societies around the world. From the Indian transgender identity of hijra to the Native Ameri-­ can concept of â&#x20AC;&#x153;two-­spiritâ&#x20AC;? identities, in many cultures, there are accepted roles of a third gender identity, or an unlimited spectrum of what gender a person may be.

Pamela Wool, director of family ser-­ vices and administration at Gender Spectrum, an organization that pro-­ vides education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens, said there is not only a ORW RI Ă XFWXDWLRQ LQ XQGHUVWDQGLQJ across cultures, but in biology and nature as well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We talk about gender variation in nature,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lots of dif-­ ferent species that have varying gen-­ ders.â&#x20AC;?

The most accepted view of differenc-­ es between sex and gender are that sex is the physicality of differences â&#x20AC;&#x201D; chromosomes, hormones and geni-­ talia â&#x20AC;&#x201D; while gender is how a person feels they identify.

18

But Maxie Mettler is a transgender Ithaca College student, and she said learning more about the differences between gender and sex has made her realize there may not be so much of a difference after all. The idea of sex may be just as socially constructed as the idea of gender, she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Basically, right out of the womb people are sorted into male or female, which is just as much of a gender as it is sex,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have people who are born with anatomies that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fall between the binary of male and female.â&#x20AC;?

The idea of gender is something that PDQ\ SHRSOH WKLQN RI DV Ă&#x20AC;[HG EXW that is often not the case. Not only do VRPH SHRSOH Ă XFWXDWH EHWZHHQ ´PDQÂľ and â&#x20AC;&#x153;woman,â&#x20AC;? but there can also be a vast number of identities that fall be-­ tween or beyond the two socially ac-­ cepted genders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a very binary understand-­ ing of gender,â&#x20AC;? Killermann said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t identify as male or female, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re essentially not existing.â&#x20AC;?

The idea of a gender binary (or the

model â&#x20AC;&#x153;with axes for male, female, and how strongly you feel attached to that gender identity have been suggested.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re only taught that there are two boxes for gender â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one male and one female and there is nothing else,â&#x20AC;?

Wool said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not taught about anything else beyond that and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really restrictive for all of us.â&#x20AC;?

The most important thing to re-­ member about people who identify as nonbinary is that there is no singular or â&#x20AC;&#x153;correctâ&#x20AC;? way to identify as non-­ binary, according to Nonbinary.org: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most nonbinary people are primarily motivated by the desire to be comfort-­ able and true to themselves rather than attempting to follow any particu-­ lar gender role.â&#x20AC;?

Mettler believes a big reason more people arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t more accustomed to the idea of nonbinary identities is be-­ cause there is a lot of comfort in try-­ ing to put people into categories of male or female. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to recognize that there are many people who identify with any number of com-­ binations, including or excluding the

their gender identity, according to the PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) New York City website. The threat of diverting from the normalized idea of gender can be truly life threatening. Killermann thinks that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to respect all people, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, personality or anything else, so gender should be treated in the same way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You would never argue with some-­ one when they tell you their name,â&#x20AC;? he VDLG ´,W¡V RQH RI WKH ZD\V , GHĂ&#x20AC;QH P\-­ self â&#x20AC;&#x201D; pronouns and gender identity labels are two of the ways folks use to get you to understand them better.

Ultimately what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to do is help you get a better snapshot glimpse of who they might be and understand them as an individual person.â&#x20AC;?

Wool agreed, explaining that like any marginalized group, self-­identity is really important and correct pro-­ nouns and terminology create a space where you can feel safe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more sensitivity to different SURQRXQV H[SDQGV WKDW GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWLRQ that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just two [genders] â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just he, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just she,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created [gender] as a way to understand people, and it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to have these dire implications for people,â&#x20AC;? Killermann said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W LV IRU HYHU\ERG\ LW¡V IRU FLV gender people, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for trans* people, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for non-­binary people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very valuable conversation to have.â&#x20AC;? ____________________________________ Samantha Guter is a sophomore jour-­ nalism major who likes to break down social constructions and norms for fun.

Email her at sguter1@ithaca.edu.

Upfront

societal understanding of gender. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Gender] dictates how we think about ourselves and how we interact with other people,â&#x20AC;? Mettler said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helpful for everyone to recognize that the distinctions between men and women are very arbitrary for the most part.â&#x20AC;?

The lack of media representation contributes to the idea that gender is D Ă&#x20AC;[HG ELQDU\ :RRO VDLG â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see images of people who GRQ¡W Ă&#x20AC;W WKH ELQDU\ LQ PHGLD WKHUH arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t many books about it, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re never taught about it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talked about, so we want to start talking about more and more,â&#x20AC;? she said.

While many people may feel as if they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to discuss gender since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re comfortable with what they were assigned, Killermann ar-­ gues exactly the opposite. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an issue of the other, this is an issue that affects all of us â&#x20AC;&#x201D; gender is something we all have and if we take the time to explore it, a lot of us have questions about it and a lot to learn. We all have a gender and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that affects all of us,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Mettler emphasized the importance of everyone using proper language and terminology is discussions about sex and gender. Even if a person does identify with the gender theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re as-­ signed with at birth, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helpful to identify as â&#x20AC;&#x153;cis-­gender,â&#x20AC;? Mettler said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It prevents trans*-­ness from being an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;other,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? she said.

Wool said that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to use correct terminology for everyone, be-­ cause everyone has a gender. She said when she does an activity where she asks participants to line up with fe-­ male at one end and male at the other, most people put themselves some-­ where in the middle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all exist, and most of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist strictly in those two boxes,â&#x20AC;? Wool said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When people fall outside those boxes, people can get bullied, people FDQ JHW DOO VRUWV RI Ă DFN IRU LW DQG WKDW leads to all sorts of isolation and de-­ pression and suicidality.â&#x20AC;?

Over a tenth of students physical-­ ly assaulted are attacked because of

19

Hyphenated Americans

What it means to be American through the eyes of the children of immigrants

By Michael Tkaczevski

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

Â

Most of my friends have that hyphenated American part of them,â&#x20AC;? Ithaca College junior Rudy Outar said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just get along better with those people because I have more in common.â&#x20AC;?

Outar was born in and lived in Guyana for three years. He then OLYHG LQ 9HQH]XHOD IRU Ă&#x20AC;YH \HDUV EH-­ fore moving to the United States with his parents. Though he was not born in the United States, Outar experi-­ enced living in two worlds: American society and his familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture at home.

0DQ\ Ă&#x20AC;UVW JHQHUDWLRQ $PHULFDQV and children of immigrants share Outarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience in which their LGHQWLWLHV ZHUH VKDSHG E\ LQĂ XHQFHV such as their parents, the media and the desire to conform to American society. )RU VRSKRPRUH 5LWD %XQDWDO Ă&#x20AC;QG-­ ing the balance between her Ameri-­ FDQ DQG $IULFDQ LGHQWLWLHV ZDV GLIĂ&#x20AC;-­ cult. Her parents kept their African cultures alive at their home in Dal-­ las, Texas, with dishes that com-­ bined all sorts of foods with African sensibilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eating hamburgers every day. I was eating food from different countries,â&#x20AC;? Bunatal said.

Growing up, Bunatal was exposed to her African heritage via food, clothing and the occasional word in Tri â&#x20AC;&#x201D; her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s native tongue â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or Swahili or Seychellois Creole â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the two African languages her fa-­ ther speaks. But even then, Bunatal did not know much about her home continent and only spoke in English.

Though both parents were proud of their cultures, Bunatal felt embar-­ rassed by them when she was young. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Our mom] would play a lot of mu-­ sic in Tri, and my sister and I would sing along,â&#x20AC;? Bunatal said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some-­ times, when my friends would come in our car, my mom would have CDs on repeat. My friends would be like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know, my mom plays it all the time.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

To Bunatal, her African identity was elusive, but her family regularly reminded her of her African roots.

Freshman Zihui Adams said she

20

was more personally responsible for cultivating her cultural awareness.

Adams said she has a close relation-­ ship with her single American moth-­ er, who adopted her when she was four years old from Anhui Province in eastern China. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Some] people would say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Is that your real mom?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Adams said.

Adams decided to retain her Chi-­ nese name and protested even when her mother called her Zoey when she was young. Throughout her life, Ad-­ ams experimented with how to make the pronunciation easier for people unfamiliar with Chinese. At one point, she even called herself Chris-­ tine, but it was short-­lived. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love my Chinese heritage,â&#x20AC;? Ad-­ DPV VDLG ´, Ă&#x20AC;QG , LGHQWLI\ PRUH ZLWK being Chinese than American or even Chinese American. â&#x20AC;ŚMy roots are in China.â&#x20AC;?

Outar had a similar experience with taking responsibility for his cultural immersion. Coming from Guyana and Venezuela meant Out-­ ar had to leave behind relatives, he said, but he did not forget his up-­ bringing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When it comes to classifying my-­ self, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure where to start exactly,â&#x20AC;? Outar said. ´%XW XVXDOO\ $PHULFDQ LV GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ QRW WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW ZRUG WKDW FRPHV RXW RI my mouth.â&#x20AC;?

Outar said he never felt pressured by his parents to attend Hindu ser-­ vices, but by age 14 he felt a need to explore his cultural and religious identities more seriously. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I guess I started missing my re-­ ligious roots,â&#x20AC;? Outar said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At 14, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually when you start to think more about the world. I was starting to think about who I was, and I wanted to be more immersed in my religion.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to reconnecting with his Hindu faith, Outar is learning Spanish to improve his communica-­ tion skills for when he visits Venezu-­ ela, which he intends to do frequent-­ ly, even though he plans to pursue a career and start a family in the United States.

Freshman Charlie Vaca, the son

of Ecuadorian immigrants, is not so concerned about retaining his cultural heritage. He was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, which he explained is a primarily working class city where there are many immigrant families from all over the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basically just a big melting pot of people,â&#x20AC;? Vaca said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really born into Ecuadorian culture, it was more like a Frankenstein of a bunch of different cultures.â&#x20AC;?

9DFD VDLG KH LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;HV DV $PHUL-­ FDQ Ă&#x20AC;UVW DQG IRUHPRVW DQG WKDW KLV upbringing was not necessarily Ec-­ uadorian. While heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visited Ecuador a few times, he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My parents still consider them-­ selves Ecuadorian, but there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much of a disconnect, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vaca said. ´, NQRZ VRPH IDPLOLHV HYHQ Ă&#x20AC;JKW about itâ&#x20AC;Śbut with my parents, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in agreement that we live here now and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our home.â&#x20AC;?

From a young age, Vacaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents encouraged him to pursue a college education. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to get out, you just gotta be really lucky, your parents have to push you somehow and then get some perspective on what it means to stay or not to go to college,â&#x20AC;? Vaca said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone thinks that you have to come to the cities, but â&#x20AC;Ś we [in the city] see America as the suburbs with picket fences.â&#x20AC;?

While Vaca strove toward an ideal JRDO RI Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO VXFFHVV $GDPV KDV struggled throughout her life under the pressure to conform to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mod-­ el Minority Myth,â&#x20AC;? in which certain races are assumed to be naturally better at math and science than oth-­ er races. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this social norm that you have to be this amazing, scholarly personâ&#x20AC;Śeither that, or youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re this low-­end, small business person at a laundromat or seamstress,â&#x20AC;? Adams said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re caught between these two worlds.â&#x20AC;? %XQDWDO¡V OLIH ZDV LQĂ XHQFHG E\ media messages in a different way.

In the United States, the lack of gen-­ eral knowledge about African culture left Bunatal confused, even with her

Âą- ½RH - MHIRXMJ] QSVI [MXL FIMRK 'LMRIWI XLER %QIVMGER SV IZIR 'LMRIWI %QIVMGER Š1] VSSXW EVI MR 'LMRE ² >MLYM %HEQW JVIWLQER would be a completely different per-­ son. And I tell my mom that every day.â&#x20AC;?

Sophomore Rodniel Jae Pecson, a Ă&#x20AC;UVW JHQHUDWLRQ )LOLSLQR $PHULFDQ has a similar sentiment regarding a connection that he feels with other Filipinos.

But Pecson also feels the pressure to conform to American society hin-­ dered his exploration and practice of Filipino culture. As a child, Pecson VDLG KH KDG GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW\ GLVWLQJXLVK-­ ing between English and Tagalog, the indigenous language of the Phil-­ ippines. He said in preschool, his teacher called his parents and rec-­ ommended he learn either English or Tagalog, but not both. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thinking about that now, how can you tell a parent that?â&#x20AC;? Pecson said.

Afterward, Pecson said his parents only spoke English at home, except for when they argued in Tagalog.

They also enrolled him in speech FODVVHV XQWLO Ă&#x20AC;IWK JUDGH â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course, I live in the United States, so I gotta learn English, and I lost my Tagalog,â&#x20AC;? Pecson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wish today I could remember it or practice it.â&#x20AC;? $V WKH SXEOLF UHODWLRQV RIĂ&#x20AC;FHU IRU Ithaca College Asian American Alli-­ ance this year, Pecson said he was able to have discussions about rac-­ ism that he had never had before. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although I like being different at times, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s necessary to have some-­ one who has a similar background as you,â&#x20AC;? Pecson said.

Adams, however, said she some-­ times had trouble connecting with other Asian Americans, particularly Chinese children with Chinese im-­ migrant parents.

It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until Adams saw â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some-­ where Between,â&#x20AC;? a documentary about adopted Chinese-­American girls visiting their birthplaces in China, that Adamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; struggle to dis-­ cover her identity felt validated.

Adams decided to pursue a ca-­ reer in occupational therapy for or-­ phaned and adopted children. She said she plans to move to China to work at orphanages like the one she grew up in. ´,¡G OLNH WR Ă&#x20AC;QG P\ SDUHQWV EXW LI LW doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end up happening that way, then just being in my culture will EH VXIĂ&#x20AC;FLHQW Âľ $GDPV VDLG ´,W¡V P\ past, my history.â&#x20AC;? __________________________________ Michael Tkaczevski is a sophomore journalism major who is a kid at heart. Email him at mtkacze1@itha-­ ca.edu.

Upfront

parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; efforts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes I would forget that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m African,â&#x20AC;? Bunatal said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our sys-­ tems clump us together â&#x20AC;&#x201D; everyone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s white, everyone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asian, everyone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Black.â&#x20AC;?

When she was about to begin high school, her family decided to move to Ghana. Bunatal was reluctant to leave her friends and home in Texas, EXW ZDV DOVR WHUULĂ&#x20AC;HG RI JRLQJ WR $I-­ rica. ´7KH PHGLD LQĂ XHQFHG PH VR PXFK to think negatively of my people,â&#x20AC;?

Bunatal said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The pictures in my textbooks were of kids with diseases â&#x20AC;&#x201D; people that I couldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve called my cousin or my brother or sister.â&#x20AC;?

At Ghanaian boarding school, Bu-­ natal had trouble making friends at Ă&#x20AC;UVW 7R KHU QDWLYH *KDQDLDQ FODVV-­ mates, Bunatal represented the United States, not a fellow African, before they got to know her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of my classmates actually WROG PH WKDW ZKHQ KH Ă&#x20AC;UVW VDZ PH he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like meâ&#x20AC;Ś because I carried myself like an American,â&#x20AC;? Bunatal said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are also stereotypes of Americans that Americans donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t re-­ alize.â&#x20AC;?

Over the course of two years, however, Bunatal became more ac-­ climated to Ghanaian social norms.

She was able to connect with her culture in a more meaningful way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once you touch the soil and see people who look like your family and could be related to you, you make that connection instantaneously,â&#x20AC;?

Bunatal said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move, I

21

*MKLXMRK JSV 'MXM^IRWLMT

Military recruitment sends immigrants into combat

By Marissa Framarini

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

A

t the height of the Iraq War in 2007, Jesus Palafox was busy Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ KLV RZQ SHUVRQDO battle in Chicago: navigating through the system of higher education in the United States as an undocumented citizen. Hoping to study at a four-­year institution, Palafox recognized that he faced a monumental challenge of Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ WKH HQWLUHW\ RI KLV FROOHJH WXLWLRQ ZLWKRXW Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO DLG RU WKH support of state or student loans â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and in many cases, the support of the community at large. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My guidance counselor told me thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to college,â&#x20AC;?

Palafox said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right there, you have a barrier.â&#x20AC;?

Palafox is one of an estimated 2.1 million people who are placed in a state limbo following graduation from the U.S. public school systems, due to a lack of proper documentation, au-­ WKRUL]DWLRQ DQG WKH Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO PHFKD-­ nisms to seek higher employment or education in the country, according to the Center for Immigration Stud-­ ies. Recent discussions on Capitol Hill and across the nation have aimed to generate legislation to supplement this burgeoning sector of society. Of the biggest legislative namesakes is the Development, Relief and Educa-­ tion for Alien Minors Act â&#x20AC;&#x201D; DREAM, which would allow undocumented young immigrants a chance at citi-­ zenship provided they attend college for at least two years or enlist in the military.

But the idea of the U.S. military act-­ ing as a fast track to citizenship has raised many ethical and moral ques-­ tions, and has left even traditional immigration reform proponents ask-­ ing what are the true intentions of the OHJLVODWLRQ DV ZHOO DV ZKR ZLOO EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W the most from it.

Over the last decade, Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;All Volunteer Forceâ&#x20AC;? has been put to the test on whether it is a long-­term sus-­ tainable system that can continue to retain and meet the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grow-­ ing demand for military labor. With two long and increasingly unpopular FRQĂ LFWV LQ $IJKDQLVWDQ DQG ,UDT DQG almost 1,000 military bases around

22

the globe, the U.S. armed forces have been stretched to its limits.

The Pentagon has responded to this gradual decline and crisis in military recruitment with several techniques, ranging from tweaking ad campaigns, lowering recruitment standards and even increasing signing-­bonuses. But beyond these Band-­Aid solutions, the U.S. military has started to draw out a long-­term strategy to maintain its massive global presence: immigrants and foreign nationals.

ed and arbitraryâ&#x20AC;? immigration system, by cutting off a traditional pathway to citizenship. Additionally, it has also closed off the army from a growing and critical group of military-­aged youth with the high-­tech and foreign language skills necessary to maintain security in a globalized world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We could have stopped the attacks on 9/11, except that we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough people who spoke foreign lan-­ guages,â&#x20AC;? Stock said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The U.S. had intercepted a whole bunch of com-­

Âą1] KYMHERGI GSYRWIPSV XSPH QI XLIVI´W RS [E] -´Q KSMRK XS GSPPIKI 6MKLX XLIVI ]SY LEZI E FEVVMIV ² .IWYW 4EPEJS\ Going back to the Clinton admin-­ istration in the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s, which oversaw the beginning years of an era of that would mark the largest migration in U.S. history, there was a recognition in the Pentagon that one of the larg-­ est and most promising military-­age groups in the coming decades could be immigrants, both legal and undoc-­ umented.

The practice of recruiting and en-­ listing immigrants is nothing new for the country, which has tradition-­ DOO\ Ă&#x20AC;OOHG FULWLFDO UROHV DQG JDSV LQ its ranks with immigrants, Margaret Stock, a retired Lt. Col. in the Mili-­ tary Police and current immigration lawyer at Cascadia Cross Border Law, said. In fact, Stock said, it is only in recent decades that the U.S. has severed its ties with this histori-­ cal practice â&#x20AC;&#x201D; adopting increasingly strict immigration policies and ramp-­ ing up security on its borders due to perceived threats of national security from foreigners.

This, Stock said, has only further agitated the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;complex, bloat-­

munications from the terrorists talk-­ ing about their plans of attacking the United States, but the interception hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been translated because they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough translators to lis-­ ten to the recordings and translate them.â&#x20AC;?

In a time when the U.S. immigra-­ tion system and military recruitment services are experiencing high stress, Stock said recently proposed legisla-­ tion, such as the DREAM Act, could provide relief to both systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; offer-­ ing recruiters access to a previously off-­limits group and immigrants new opportunities to pave their way for-­ ward in the country.

Nevertheless, while the DREAM Act would offer unprecedented opportu-­ nities for undocumented immigrants, Rick Jahnkow, the program coordina-­ tor at Project on Youth and Non-­Mil-­ itary Opportunities, said its not en-­ tirely patriotism that has crafted the legislation, nor is it only a patriotic fervor that would drive undocument-­ ed youth to seek citizenship through the military if the bill were to pass.

Rather, Jahnkow said legislation like the DREAM Act will create a loophole that only further exposes and exploits an already historically exploited so-­ cioeconomic class. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Project YANO has now started look-­ ing at the immigration side of [milita-­ rization], because we see that as an-­ other community that is going to feel disproportionate pressure to carry the burden of war and militarism,â&#x20AC;? Jahn-­ kow said.

Jahnkow said the military thrives off what is known as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;poverty draftâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a system of recruitment that sells the military as an attractive career op-­ tion or steppingstone to further edu-­ cation in communities with either real or perceived limitations and options for mobility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What happens is that quite of-­ ten people who are disadvantaged in terms of economics or education feel they have very few choices in the world,â&#x20AC;? Jahnkow said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They will basi-­ cally rule out being able to go to col-­ OHJH DQG JHWWLQJ WKH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W RI KDYLQJ D degree. And then a recruiter will come along and convince and tell them that

-QEKI F] 0M^^MI 'S\

be controlled by or dependent on the military or militaristic values â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in the school district. The militarization of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immigrant and ethnic pop-­ ulation, Palafox said, can be seen in everything from over policing in par-­ ticular neighborhoods to the school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s military education programs OLNH WKH -XQLRU 5HVHUYH 2IĂ&#x20AC;FHUV¡ 7UDLQ-­ ing Corps or the Middle School Cadet Corps Cadet. According to the Chi-­ cago Public Schools Department, the city houses the largest JROTC pro-­ gram in the country, with more than 10,000 cadets, 93 percent who are Af-­ rican American or Hispanic, enrolled in programs at nearly half of districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high schools as of February 2014.

In a school district of 400,545, the military has recognized its struggle to mass appeal to a critical group of mili-­ tary age youth. Palafox said he fears passing the DREAM Act with a mili-­ tary component was in many ways D ´VWUDWHJLF PRYHÂľ WR RSHQ WKH Ă RRG-­ gates to an overlooked and untapped group of homegrown talent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In 2009, the Department of De-­ fense did a study on how to enlist more Latinos and youth into the mili-­ tary,â&#x20AC;? Palafox said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the things they found is that a lot of young peo-­ ple could join the service, but there was one problem: a lot of them were not residents. The DREAM Act really became a recruitment tool.â&#x20AC;?

Even with an education option, Palafox said the DREAM Act is not yet the progressive immigration reform the media and critics have heralded it to be. Without the creation of loan EDVHG Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLQJ RU DOWHUQDWLYH SUR-­ grams for immigrants to help them understand their options, Palafox VDLG PRVW EHQHĂ&#x20AC;FLDULHV RI WKH '5($0 Act will seek permanent residency through the military â&#x20AC;&#x201D; fueling the economic force that currently threat-­ ens their daily lives with the fear of deportation. ____________________________________ Marissa Framarini is a junior journalism major who DREAMS about more transparent immigration reformâ&#x20AC;Śand pizza. Email her at mframar1@ithaca.edu.

23

Upfront

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to go to college,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to do these things,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about a job and income â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll provide that for you.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And it sounds really good and attrac-­ tive.â&#x20AC;?

Palafox said that as a high school student he was repeatedly approached by military recruiters in the hallways.

He said the recruitment process con-­ tinued outside of school, too. As a part of the federal No Child Left Be-­ hind Act, public schools are required to share the contact information of enrolled students with military re-­ cruiters, unless the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents submit an opt-­out form â&#x20AC;&#x201D; something that is not necessarily advertised.

This resulted in a constant ringing in neighborhoods throughout the city as recruiters called, all with the same message: â&#x20AC;&#x153;They asked me â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What do you want to do?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Where do you want to go for college?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Palafox said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the Ă&#x20AC;UVW WKLQJ WKH\ ZRXOG WKHQ WHOO PH LV that they would pay for it.â&#x20AC;?

While Palafox is barred from ac-­ cepting any recruitment advances because of his citi-­ zenship status, he said that based on his experience, it is evident how the military puts more pressure on par-­ ticularly vulnera-­ ble socio-­economic groups throughout the Chicago Public Schools, which he described as one of the most â&#x20AC;&#x153;mili-­ tarizedâ&#x20AC;? districts in the nation.

Immigrants and various ethnic groups in Chica-­ go, Palafox said, have been the targets of mass militarization â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or a process in which a com-­ munity gradu-­ ally comes to

24

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

A 'EQSY¾EKIH 'SQQYRMX] Strength-based programs help veterans adjust to civilian life

By Meagan McGinnes

F

SVX] XLSYWERH JERW ½PPIH ;VMKPI] *MIPH [MXL LSX HSKW ERH TIERYXW MR LERH IQFVEGMRK XLI WYQQIV WYR ERH FIEQMRK [MXL TVMHI JSV XLIMV FIPSZIH 'YFW &IJSVI XLI GIVIQSRMEP ½VWX TMXGL YRMJSVQIH ZIXIVERW XSSO XLI ½IPH %PP EX SRGI XLI] VIGMXIH XLIMV WIGSRH SEXL SRI XS XLIMV GSQQYRMX] ER SEXL SJ GSRXMRYIH WIVZMGI

Upfront

;I EVI *IPPS[W SJ 8LI 1MWWMSR 'SRXMRYIW %W *IPPS[W SYV TIVWSREP WIVZMGI HMH RSX IRH [MXL SYV QMPMXEV] WIVZMGI FYX LEW SRP] NYWX FIKYR ;I EVI GMXM^IR PIEHIVW GSQQMXXIH XS QEOMRK E TSWMXMZI MQTEGX MR SYV GSQQYRMX] F] YTLSPHMRK XLI ZEPYIW [I PIEVRIH XLVSYKL SYV QMPMXEV] WIVZMGI ;I TPIHKI XS [SVO LEVH FSXL WIP¾IWWP] ERH NS]SYWP] 8VYWX [MPP EP[E]W FI SYV JSYRHEXMSR %W [I WIVZI [I [MPP PIEVR KVS[ ERH EP[E]W VIWTIGX IZIV]FSH] YRGSRHMXMSREPP] ;I [MPP HS EPP SJ XLMW FIGEYWI [I EVI *IPPS[W ERH SYV QMWWMSR GSRXMRYIW

25

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

Mission Continues is a national veteran QRQSURĂ&#x20AC;W WKDW HPSRZHUV YHWHUDQV WR FRQ-­ tinue to serve their country in two ways after being discharged: one is a service pla-­ toons program that brings together teams of veterans to work on their communitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most pressing needs on a monthly basis (such as homelessness, youth mentor-­ ship), and the second is their award-­win-­ ning fellowship program that allows veter-­ DQV WR ZRUN LQ QRQSURĂ&#x20AC;WV RI WKHLU FKRRVLQJ all over the country.

This feeling of needing purpose is com-­ mon for many veterans in this transitional time. Aaron Scheinberg, director of strategy and research and regional director for the Northeast platoons of Mission Continues, left the army in 2008 after nine years of service including his time at West Point. He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after being stationed in Iraq. He referred to himself as â&#x20AC;&#x153;one of the luckier ones,â&#x20AC;? with a more mild case of the disorder than others. He then went to the Columbia Business School for a three-­year program, afterward accepting a high paid management consultant job. ´2Q SDSHU , ZDV GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ D VXFFHVVIXO veteran, but there was something miss-­ ing,â&#x20AC;? Scheinberg said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was missing being a part of a team that was doing something important. I was missing being really ac-­ tively engaged in my community and serv-­ ing my country, and I was missing my purpose. Many veterans believe and look at time in the military and combat and think the best years of their life are over.

How could you possibly do what you did to the same level in combat? And I was expe-­ riencing a little bit of that.â&#x20AC;?

Mission Continues currently has 32 staff members, and the organization has a national reach of 1000 fellows since its founding in 2007, many in the northeast region including New York City and N.Y. state. NYC has more than 100 veterans in a platoon that has been running for only three months. The programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth can be attributed to its unique approach to vet-­ eran aid. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We take a strength-­based approachâ&#x20AC;?

Scheinberg said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So instead of a victims-­ based approach, which a lot of organiza-­ tions do whether it is unwittingly or wheth-­ er they try to help for the right reasons â&#x20AC;Ś but they are actually making things worse for veterans by focusing on the problems, IRFXVLQJ RQ WKH GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOWLHV DQG WKH KDUG-­ ships rather than what veterans can do next, focusing on the strengths.â&#x20AC;?

The idea behind the program is that it helps veterans to achieve goals in life while harnessing physical, mental and leader-­ ship skills that these servicemen bring to the table.

26

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you take the victim mindset, the whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s messed up about veterans mindset, then you are going to continue to hear the narrative that PTSD equals veterans, sui-­ cide equals veterans, crazy equals veter-­ ans,â&#x20AC;? Scheinberg said.

A 2009 Rand report estimates that 26 percent of returning combat veterans may have mental health conditions (PTSD, anx-­ iety, depression, etc.). Veteranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Affairs esti-­ mates there are nearly 400,000 untreated cases of PTSD. Fifty percent of those with PTSD do not seek treatment. According to the Congressional Research Service in September of 2010, PTSD distribution be-­ tween services is as follows: Army 67 per-­ cent of cases, Marines 13 percent, Navy 11 percent and Air Force nine percent.

The Veterans and Armed Forces Health Promotion Act of 2013 was assigned to a congressional hearing in April of last year in hopes to amend Title 10, United States Code. Amendments would provide notice to members of the Armed Forces regarding the availability of mental health services, to help eliminate perceived stigma associated with seeking and receiving mental health services, and to clarify the extent to which information regarding a member seeking and receiving mental health services may be disclosed. The bill has still not been amended, according to the Library of Con-­ gress.

Federal aid directed at veterans currently comes from Veteranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Affairs, its main ser-­ YLFH WR KHOS YHWHUDQV Ă&#x20AC;OO RXW GLVDELOLW\ FRPS claims, pension claims, N.Y. state alterna-­ tive veteran tax exemption access, passes for N.Y. state disabled veterans, and other government aid supplements, Kevin Jus-­ tian, N.Y. stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Veteranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Affairs counsel-­ or, said. The VA also recently implemented a peer-­counseling program. For PTSD or community support programs they refer veterans to their local VA centers or com-­ munity organizations.

Community organizations for veterans are not solely built around service-­based communities, like Mission Continues.

Team Red White & Blue is a national orga-­ QL]DWLRQ WKDW IRFXVHV RQ Ă&#x20AC;WQHVV DQG LV FRP-­ prised of approximately 36,000 members, located in more than 100 communities across the globe and gains approximately 500 new members each week, according to itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website.

Jase Baese, Ithaca director for Team Red White & Blue, was in ROTC at Trin-­ ity University before serving in the army for four years. He has been discharged for 16 years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Essentially, the goal is to get veterans to interact with members of their community through athletic events and social events to help them make that transition from be-­

ing in the military to being in the civilian world,â&#x20AC;? Baese said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a lot of people that is especially stressful, especially in the last few years because of the intensity of the military situations.â&#x20AC;?

The veteran community they are trying to reach is still growing. Nearly 2.5 million American men and women have been de-­ ployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom since Septem-­ ber 2001. Approximately 1 million service members will retire or separate from the PLOLWDU\ RYHU WKH QH[W Ă&#x20AC;YH \HDUV Adjusting back into civilian life is not RQO\ GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW EHFDXVH RI KRUURUV ZLWQHVVHG overseas, but also because of the change in time and scheduling, Baese said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the military the schedule is pre-­ scribed for you. You get up and you do exercise, you do your job, you have after hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities sometimes and deploy-­ ments so you go away for a period of time with a close-­knit group of people,â&#x20AC;? Baese said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And to lose that and come to a civil-­ ian environment becoming people who go to work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it and everything else is an option, is a dif-­ Ă&#x20AC;FXOW WUDQVLWLRQ IRU VRPH SHRSOH HVSHFLDOO\ for people who have been in for a number of years and have been through some de-­ ployments where their schedule is even more prescribed for them.â&#x20AC;?

Activities by TRWB include weekly runs, but members can also apply to national camps that allow for more intensive experi-­ ences for veterans in transition, as well as for TRWB leadership to learn more about the national organization and skills to be effective in those roles. Camps for veter-­ ans transitioning have focuses on yoga, WUDLO UXQQLQJ DQG IXQFWLRQDO Ă&#x20AC;WQHVV EHWWHU known as CrossFit. CrossFit Pallas is one local gym that is pairing with Team Red White & Blue Itha-­ ca. Owners Eamon Coyne and Tim Paul-­ son decided the gym will be offering once a month free classes to veterans that will be led by Eamon, a Navy veteran himself who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. They said if there was enough interest, they would increase that at no charge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you get a group of people together with a similar background or similar ex-­ perience a lot of healing happens,â&#x20AC;? Coyne said.

According to TRWB, 41 percent of vet-­ erans stated that they are more likely to exercise if they can do it with a group or team. A number of studies show exercise to be the non-­drug equivalent to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, SSRI, the drug therapies and psychotherapy used to treat depression and anxiety, according to Help Guide. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not everyone needs help. I think there

is a misconception that all the veterans are damaged in some way and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the case. But that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean that their lives couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be more meaningful by some of these activities, like what we are doing,â&#x20AC;?

Baese said.

Cody Stahl, a 23-­year-­old junior exercise science major at Ithaca College, served 1st battalion 7th Marines for four years, be-­ ing stationed in Japan and Afghanistan.

6WDKO XVHV SK\VLFDO Ă&#x20AC;WQHVV LQ WKH IRUP RI the Ithaca College Rugby team to help him connect with people and transition into this new academic life.

where veterans use their uniforms worn in service, cut them up, beat them into a pulp and form it into sheets of paper and art-­ work. The Warrior Writers program creates a culture that articulates veteransâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experi-­ ences and bear witness to the lived experi-­ ences of these warriors. The Ithaca Warrior Writers program, run by veteran Jenny Pa-­ canowski, is held once a month at Autumn Leaves Bookstore.

Pacanowski joined the army as a health care specialist/combat medic at the age of 23, after being told by a recruiter that her $40,000 in debt from college loans would

Âą3R TETIV - [EW HI½RMXIP] E WYGGIWWJYP ZIXIVER FYX XLIVI [EW WSQIXLMRK QMWWMRK - [EW QMWWMRK FIMRK E TEVX SJ E XIEQ XLEX [EW HSMRK WSQIXLMRK MQTSVXERX - [EW QMWWMRK FIMRK VIEPP] EGXMZIP] IRKEKIH MR Q] GSQQYRMX] ERH WIVZMRK Q] GSYRXV] ERH - [EW QMWWMRK Q] TYVTSWI ² %EVSR 7GLIMRFIVK HMVIGXSV SJ WXVEXIK] ERH VIWIEVGL EX 1MWWMSR 'SRXMRYIW be paid off by the military if she gave up her G.I. bill. She completed EMT training, was stationed in Germany and then within a month, she was in Iraq. While deployed, VKH ZDV QRWLĂ&#x20AC;HG WKDW WKH PLOLWDU\ ZDV QRW planning on covering her student debt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to go back because I was going to die or at least I thought I was going to die...but I went back anyway because my friends were there and I knew if I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run those convoys my friends would and I would not be able to live with myself. So back I went,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Pacanowski was discharged in 2005 for a breach of contract by the military.

Through congressional hearings she has received up to 75 percent of her debt paid.

But Pacanowski struggled adjusting, living in a secluded cabin in Pennsylvania for six years with a substance abuse problem â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought of sitting on the Kuwait Iraq border and how I crossed into that world, into Iraq one person and essentially almost all of us come back a completely different person so that is one border,â&#x20AC;? Pacanowski said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But when I came back into the civil-­ ian world it was almost like a physical bor-­ der that you go through because you take off your uniform and you put on these civil-­ ian clothes and you never go back to that.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost like taking your own skin off.â&#x20AC;?

Pacanowski said that PTSD is the hu-­ man reaction to extraordinary circum-­ stances, meaning anyone can experience it, including victims from 9/11, rape vic-­ tims, child abuse victims and people who

Upfront

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you come to college it is like a new slate, and especially not coming into orientations or anything and meeting a lot of people, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know people so joining rugby was probably one of the biggest steps to creating at least one small community of friends.â&#x20AC;?

It is the friendships and team spirit he has found through rugby, a different ver-­ sion of his military brotherhood, that drives his love of being on the team. Stahl said he feels he can talk to some of his teammates about anything, and talking has been a key part of his personal growth process. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of veterans bottle it up and it takes away their ability to interact with society so I think that is just a case by case basis and I was fortunate enough to be able to cope better,â&#x20AC;? Stahl said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because there are some things I wish I had never seen in my life, but it is part of the job. And I had to do it and I left it there.â&#x20AC;?

The Veteranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sanctuary is a local city RUJDQL]DWLRQ WKDW UHFRJQL]HV WKH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;FLDO aspects of talking and creating a dialogue between fellow veterans as well as with the civilian community. The Sanctuary works to create a residential program to support Iraq and Afghanistan veterans by providing a new path toward addressing veteransâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is-­ sues with tools like holistic wellness pro-­ grams, expressive arts, farming, green job training and community living, according to their website.

The Combat Papers program at the Sanctuary is papermaking workshops

witness combat.

The term Post Traumatic Stress Dis-­ order, or PTSD, carries a stigma that has discouraged too many soldiers from under-­ standing the condition and seeking proper treatment, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff told the PBS NewsHour.

He would like to see PTSD called Post Traumatic Stress Injury, or PTSI, instead.

Coyne added that it is not a disorder; it is just who veterans and PTSD patients are and how they are coping. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blaming a veteran is like blaming a rape victim,â&#x20AC;? Pacanowski said.

The Fort Hood tragedy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 16 wounded DQG IRXU NLOOHG LQFOXGLQJ LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;HG VKRRWHU Ivan Lopez, a soldier being evaluated for PTSD â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is exactly the type of event that deepens the stigma around PTSD, accord-­ ing to NBC News. Many civilians largely misunderstand the disease, a misunder-­ standing Stahl notices in his daily life. ´:KHQ SHRSOH Ă&#x20AC;QG RXW , KDG EHHQ LQ WKH 0DULQHV HVSHFLDOO\ ZKHQ WKH\ Ă&#x20AC;QG RXW , had been deployed and say I have been to Afghanistan they kind of get that, not re-­ ally fear look, but I guess a skeptical look,â&#x20AC;?

Stahl said.

Scheinberg said that incidents like Fort Hood are not just veteranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issues, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re United States issues.

Stigmas and misconceptions about vet-­ erans from Iraq and Afghanistan even sur-­ round suicide. Scheinberg said it is most certainly a problem, but not just for veter-­ ans. Twenty-­two veterans on average com-­ mit suicide per day according to the VA re-­ port, but if you compare that to civilians of a similar age in men, the numbers are not substantially different.

Scheinberg said that veterans who seem to struggle the most are those who do not have a community to turn to. Stahl said it is important to remember that veterans, regardless of the branch they come from, are a community within themselves and it is important to reach out to other veterans around you. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Life is hard, life is struggle, life is suf-­ fering and if you can channel that into a positive way to share or let go of or release, I really think...listening to their stories is something that needs to be heard not only by other veterans, but by the community,â&#x20AC;?

Pacanowski said. _________________________________________ Meagan McGinnes is a senior journalism major who is thankful to veterans in the U.S. and abroad for serving their country, and to &URVVĂ&#x20AC;W 3DOODV IRU NLFNLQJ KHU DVV (PDLO her at mmcginn1@ithaca.edu

27 Image by Francesca Toscano

28

OL. MINISTRYofCOOL. MI

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

LARP Life

Creating community in live-action role-playing

By Amanda Hutchinson

I

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7KHQ , VHH WKHP DSSURDFKLQJ +XPDQV HOYHV DQG HYHQ IHUDO KXPDQRLGV UHWXUQ WR WRZQ DIWHU WKHLU ODWHVW TXHVW 6HQVLQJ P\ FRQIXVLRQ WKH\ SRLQW PH LQ WKH GLUHFWLRQ RI WKHLU OHDGHUV :LWKLQ WKH KRXU ,¡P LQ WRZQ DJDLQ Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ DJDLQVW WKH UHVLGHQWV DQG E\ QLJKWIDOO ,¡P Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ EHVLGH WKHP DJDLQVW DQ LQYDGLQJ DUP\ ,W¡V all in a dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work for Finger Lakes $GYHQWXUH *DPLQJ )/$* LV RQH RI PDQ\ RUJDQL]DWLRQV around the world that does live-­action role-­play, or LARPing. While there DUH PDQ\ YDULHWLHV WKH EDVLF SUHPLVH EHKLQG LW LV WR WDNH WKH H[SHULHQFH RI D WDEOHWRS UROH SOD\LQJ JDPH OLNH 'XQJHRQV DQG 'UDJRQV DQG EULQJ LW into the physical world so players can DFW RXW WKHLU FKDUDFWHUV¡ H[SHULHQFHV John Eddy, one of the founders RI )/$* H[SODLQHG WKDW IRU KLP /$53LQJ ZDV D JRRG ZD\ WR FRPELQH the fantasy genre he had enjoyed with VRFLDO LQWHUDFWLRQ DQG WLPH RXWGRRUV ´,W LV D ZD\ WR IHHO GUDPDWLF DQG heroic in a way that is not often SRVVLEOH LQ UHDO OLIH DQG WR VKDUH WKRVH IHHOLQJV ZLWK RWKHUV RI FRPPRQ interest,â&#x20AC;? he said.

A typical FLAG weekend, which KDSSHQV RQFH D PRQWK EHWZHHQ $SULO DQG 2FWREHU UXQV IURP D P

the storyline. %HFDXVH )/$* LV D VPDOOHU /$53 everyone takes turns as NPCs, and QHZFRPHUV OLNH PH DUH JHQHUDOO\ FDVW as the NPCs to serve as opponents IRU WKH SD\LQJ PHPEHUV RI WKH JURXS ZKR KDYH WKHLU RZQ SHUVRQDOL]HG FKDUDFWHUV (PLO\ 5LFKDUGV QRZ UXQV WKH JURXS ZLWK KHU KXVEDQG *DUHWK DQG VKH VDLG WKH VL]H DOVR DOORZV IRU D PRUH SHUVRQDOL]HG H[SHULHQFH IRU WKH player characters. ´2QH RI WKH WKLQJV , Ă&#x20AC;QG VHWV RXU /$53 DSDUW LV WKDW Ă&#x20AC;UVW RI DOO ZH¡UH VPDOO EXW ZH GR D ORW RI FKDUDFWHU VSHFLĂ&#x20AC;F VWRU\OLQHV Âľ VKH VDLG ´$QG RIWHQ , Ă&#x20AC;QG WKH SOD\HUV FUHDWH WKHLU RZQ GUDPD FUHDWH WKHLU RZQ KXPRU when weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not actually giving things WR WKHP Âľ Larger LARPs, especially groups that have individual chapters spread out over the country, have the GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW\ RI NHHSLQJ HYHU\RQH RQ WKH VDPH SDJH VRPHWKLQJ WKDW LQKHUHQWO\ FRPHV HDVLO\ WR ORFDOO\ EDVHG JURXSV like FLAG. Alliance is a Pennsylvania-­ EDVHG JURXS ZLWK FKDSWHUV XQGHU one rule set, and Michael Ventrella, RZQHU DQG VHOI SURFODLPHG ´IHDUOHVV OHDGHU Âľ VDLG LW¡V LPSRUWDQW WR PDLQWDLQ individuality while keeping each FKDSWHU RSHUDWLQJ LQ WKH VDPH ZRUOG

Photo by Amanda Hutchinson

´7KDW¡V SDUW RI WKH IXQ RI WKH JDPH RI FRXUVH WR EH DEOH WR SOD\ \RXU character at every separate place,â&#x20AC;?

Ventrella said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rules are the VDPH EXW \RX FDQ WDNH \RXU FKDUDFWHU anywhere.â&#x20AC;?

9DULDWLRQ DOVR FRPHV LQ WKH VW\OH of LARP. I participated in a fantasy ERIIHU /$53 ZKLFK LV WKH RQH ZLWK IRDP ZHDSRQU\ DQG 7RONLHQHVTXH FKDUDFWHUV WKDW PRVW SHRSOH SUREDEO\ WKLQN RI ZKHQ WKH\ KHDU WKH WHUP Another popular style is the parlor /$53 D PRUH SROLWLFDO V\VWHP ZKHUH FRQà LFWV DUH UHVROYHG ZLWK GLFH DQG VNLOO FKHFNV OLNH ' ' UDWKHU WKDQ E\ KLWWLQJ RWKHU SHRSOH ZLWK VZRUGV .LP *DUQHWW KHOSHG VWDUW D YDPSLUH SDUORU LARP at Cornell and participates in FLAG, and she said while she enjoys ERWK VW\OHV VKH GRHVQ¡W DOZD\V IDYRU RQH RYHU WKH RWKHU :KLOH ERIIHU /$53V are physically draining, parlor LARPs KDYH D IRFXV RQ PHQWDO HIIRUW While dressing up in fancy clothing DQG KLWWLQJ RWKHU SHRSOH ZLWK IRDP VZRUGV LV DQ REYLRXVO\ FDWKDUWLF H[SHULHQFH DV , IRXQG /$53LQJ LV PRUH WKDQ VWUHVV UHOLHI 5LFKDUGV VDLG PDQ\ PHPEHUV XWLOL]H WKHLU RXW RI JDPH KREELHV WR HQKDQFH WKHLU JDPH H[SHULHQFH HVSHFLDOO\ PXVLF IRU EDUG FKDUDFWHUV DQG VHZLQJ IRU FRVWXPHV (GG\ DOVR IRXQG WKDW LQ JDPH interactions and decisions can help EXLOG OHDGHUVKLS VNLOOV LQ D UHODWLYHO\ QR ULVN HQYLURQPHQW $V IRU WKH VWLJPD DJDLQVW LW , FHUWDLQO\ JRW P\ IDLU VKDUH RI ZHLUG looks when I told people what I was VNLSSLQJ ,WKDFD 7RGD\ DQG KRPHZRUN to go cover. A lot of people think that LARPing, D&D, and really any type of roleplaying is nerdy or weird, and , VXSSRVH LW LV WR VRPH H[WHQW 2XU VROXWLRQ WR WKH VWLJPD" 7U\ LW \RXUVHOI 'RQ \RXU EHVW PHGLHYDO FORWKLQJ DUPRU DQG IDFH SDLQW 7DNH SULGH LQ WDNLQJ GRZQ DQ HQHP\ VROGLHU ZLWK D longsword. Swear when you roll a one RQ D UHDOO\ LPSRUWDQW VNLOO FKHFN 6WHS RXW RI \RXU FRPIRUW ]RQH DQG LQWR WKH adventure. ____________________________________ $PDQGD +XWFKLQVRQ LV D MXQLRU MRXUQDOLVP PDMRU ZKR KDV D ERQXV WR KHU VFLHQFH FKHFN (PDLO KHU DW DKXWFKL #LWKDFD HGX

Ministry of Cool

t was a sunny Saturday afternoon, that weekend in April every year ZKHQ ,WKDFD Ă&#x20AC;QDOO\ UHPHPEHUV itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spring and everyone is outside.

As I walk into town, however, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s QR RQH WR EH IRXQG DQG WKH RQO\ LQGLFDWLRQ WKDW DQ\RQH KDV EHHQ QHDUE\ UHFHQWO\ LV D QRWHERRN OHIW RQ WKH IURQW VWHSV RI RQH RI WKH EXLOGLQJV Like any good college student, I sit GRZQ DQG UHDG LW ZKLOH Ă&#x20AC;QLVKLQJ P\ sandwich, taking a swig of water and UHJUHWWLQJ P\ ODFN RI VXQVFUHHQ

29

6IHI½RMRK 6IEP 0MJI

The implications of virtual reality technology

By Kathryn Paquet

I

PDJLQH SXWWLQJ RQ D KHDGVHW DQG EHLQJ LQVWDQWO\ WUDQVSRUWHG WR D different place, or even a different WLPH 5HJDUGOHVV RI ZKHUH \RX DFWXDOO\ are, you could travel to any location RI \RXU FKRLFH DQG HYHQ EULQJ DORQJ IULHQGV ZLWKRXW JHWWLQJ XS IURP \RXU FRXFK DW KRPH ,W VRXQGV OLNH WKH SORW RI D VFLHQFH Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQ PRYLH EXW UHDOO\ LW PD\ EHFRPH UHDOLW\ Âł D sort of reality Âł VRRQHU WKDQ RQH PLJKW WKLQN 2Q 0DUFK 0DUN =XFNHUEHUJ

ago, in which people put on a headset and they actually respond physically DV ZHOO DV HPRWLRQDOO\ DQG PHQWDOO\ and cognitively, to what we now call YLUWXDO HQYLURQPHQWV Âł DUWLĂ&#x20AC;FLDO HQYLURQPHQWV Âľ +DUYH\ VDLG 6KH H[SODLQHG WKDW DQ\ YLUWXDO UHDOLW\ V\VWHP KDV WKUHH FODVVLF SDUWV Âł D KHDGVHW D KRVW RI PDWKHPDWLFDO IRUPXODV DQG D KRVW RI FRPSXWHU UHVSRQVH SURJUDPV $FFRUGLQJ WR Harvey, these parts work together to

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

)WWIRXMEPP] [I´ZI VIEGLIH XLI TSMRX [LIVI WSGMEP QIHME GSQTERMIW LEZI FIGSQI FMK IRSYKL XS LEZI E TS[IVJYP ERH MRžYIRXMEP TVIWIRGI SR XLI XIGLRSPSK] WGIRI IRXQGHU DQG &(2 RI )DFHERRN Inc., announced in a post on the )DFHERRN VLWH WKDW WKH FRPSDQ\ KDG ERXJKW 2FXOXV 95 D YLUWXDO UHDOLW\ WHFKQRORJ\ FRPSDQ\ IRU ELOOLRQ =XFNHUEHUJ GLG QRW RXWOLQH VSHFLĂ&#x20AC;FV RI ZKDW WKLV DFTXLVLWLRQ ZLOO PHDQ EXW KH GLG ZULWH WKH IROORZLQJ ´$IWHU JDPHV ZH¡UH JRLQJ WR PDNH 2FXOXV D SODWIRUP IRU PDQ\ RWKHU H[SHULHQFHV Âľ +H WKHQ ZHQW RQ WR PHQWLRQ LGHDV VXFK as going to a sporting event, studying LQ D FODVVURRP DQG FRQVXOWLQJ ZLWK D GRFWRU Âł DOO E\ VLPSO\ SXWWLQJ RQ D pair of goggles.

However, while it sounds fairly VLPSOH DW Ă&#x20AC;UVW YLUWXDO UHDOLW\ LV DFWXDOO\ SUHWW\ FRPSOH[ .HUULF Harvey, tenured associate professor and associate director of the Center for Innovative Media at George :DVKLQJWRQ 8QLYHUVLW\ VKHG VRPH light on the concept. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we talk DERXW 95 >YLUWXDO UHDOLW\@ WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW LPDJH WKDW FRPHV WR PLQG LV WKH IXOO EORZQ LPPHUVLYH H[SHULHQFH WKDW ZDV WKH VWXII RI VFLHQFH Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQ DQG IXWXULVWLF Ă&#x20AC;OPV RQO\ RU \HDUV

30

â&#x20AC;&#x153;change what the viewer sees, if thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the viewer feels, in response to FRPPDQGV WKH YLHZHU JLYHV LW Âľ With products like Oculus VRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s JDPLQJ KHDGVHW 2FXOXV 5LIW LW¡V clear that virtual reality technology VHHPV WR EH PRYLQJ LQ WKH GLUHFWLRQ RI HQWHUWDLQPHQW +RZHYHU +DUYH\ H[SODLQHG WKDW LW LV PRVW RIWHQ IRXQG LQ D GLIIHUHQW UHDOP ´95 ULJKW QRZ ZKHUH \RX Ă&#x20AC;QG LW PRVW LV LQ PLOLWDU\ and specialty applications,â&#x20AC;? she said. ´7KH PLOLWDU\ MXPSHG RQ 95 YHU\ HDUO\ ERWK DV D WUDLQLQJ WHFKQLTXH DQG IRU LWV SRWHQWLDO WDFWLFDO XVH LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;HOG Âľ $VLGH IURP PLOLWDU\ XVH 95 WHFKQRORJ\ LV DOVR EHLQJ XWLOL]HG LQ other interesting ways. Dale Olsen, founder, president and CEO of 6,0PHUVLRQ ,PPHUVLYH 6LPXODWLRQV KDV EHHQ ZRUNLQJ ZLWK YLUWXDO VLPXODWLRQ WHFKQRORJ\ IRU \HDUV ,Q KH GHYHORSHG ´3HRSOH6,0 Âľ ZKLFK VLPXODWHV UHDO SHRSOH LQ RUGHU to train or educate individuals in social and conversational skills. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The goal of PeopleSIM technology LV WR EH DEOH WR VLPXODWH UHDOLVWLF

conversations, especially ones that DUH FULWLFDOO\ LPSRUWDQW RU SDUWLFXODUO\ GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW Âľ 2OVHQ VDLG ´:H NQRZ WKDW FRQYHUVDWLRQDO VNLOOV DUH H[WUHPHO\ GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW WR WUDLQ Âł \RX FDQ¡W WUDLQ people to play the violin with a PowerPoint or a lecture, and you FDQ¡W WHDFK WKHP KRZ WR FRQGXFW D conversation,â&#x20AC;? Olsen added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a skill, and it requires practice.â&#x20AC;?

7KH 3HRSOH6,0 WHFKQRORJ\ FDQ EH used to train people in all sorts of different situations. It is currently EHLQJ XWLOL]HG ZLWK PLOLWDU\ SHUVRQQHO healthcare professionals and law HQIRUFHPHQW HPSOR\HHV WR QDPH D few. However, PeopleSIM is also used IRU PRUH W\SLFDO HYHU\GD\ VLWXDWLRQV OLNH MRE LQWHUYLHZV RU HYHQ VRFLDO LQWHUDFWLRQV 1RWDEO\ WKH WHFKQRORJ\ KDV EHHQ XVHG ZLWK DXWLVWLF individuals.

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Olsen said.

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take on it. ´7KH FRQFHUQ WKDW PDQ\ SHRSOH KDYH DERXW VRFLDO PHGLD LV WKDW LW LV helping people stay apart. Rather than WDONLQJ IDFH WR IDFH ZLWK VRPHRQH \RX¡OO VHQG WKHP D WH[W Âľ *R]]L VDLG â&#x20AC;&#x153;And if thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true, then I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think SHRSOH PD\ QHFHVVDULO\ ZDQW WR GR 95 LQWHUDFWLRQV EHFDXVH LW ZLOO VHHP WRR FORVH ,W ZLOO VHHP OLNH WRR PXFK ZRUN Âľ *R]]L DOVR PHQWLRQHG WKH SUREOHP RI nausea with VR technology, which FRXOG FHUWDLQO\ EH D GHWHUULQJ IDFWRU But regardless of whether people initially like or dislike the VR technology, its presence alone has the potential to totally change our world. ´,Q WHUPV RI OHJDO WKLQJV WKHUH¡V DOUHDG\ WKH VKLIWLQJ ERXQGDULHV EHWZHHQ WKH RULJLQDO UHDO ZRUOG YHUVLRQ RI D SKHQRPHQRQ DQG WKH virtual version of it,â&#x20AC;? Harvey said.

6KH FLWHG WKH H[DPSOH RI GLYRUFH law Âł would a virtual reality affair VWLOO FRQVWLWXWH LQĂ&#x20AC;GHOLW\" ,I YLUWXDO UHDOLW\ GHYHORSPHQW FRQWLQXHV LQ LWV FXUUHQW GLUHFWLRQ DQG EHFRPHV PRUH ZLGHVSUHDG DQG HYHQWXDOO\ PRUH QRUPDWLYH WKH ODZV DQG PRUDO FRGH RI RXU VRFLHW\ PD\ QHHG UHZULWLQJ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Think of the propaganda LPSOLFDWLRQV RI EHLQJ DEOH WR H[SHULHQFH D PHVVDJH DQ LGHRORJLFDO PHVVDJH DV opposed to just hearing it,â&#x20AC;? Harvey said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What happens when instead of arguing pro-­life versus pro-­choice, a SUR OLIH JURXS PDNHV DYDLODEOH ZKDW LW IHHOV OLNH WR EH DQ DERUWHG IHWXV" Which you could do with VR.â&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downright frightening to think RI WKHVH SRVVLELOLWLHV DQG HYHQ scarier to think that the technology to DFFRPSOLVK WKHP DOUHDG\ H[LVWV 1RW RQO\ GRHV LW H[LVW EXW LW¡V EHFRPLQJ PRUH ZLGHO\ DYDLODEOH DQG PRUH advanced with each passing day. ´7KH GLJLWDO HQYLURQPHQW LV EHFRPLQJ DOO HQFRPSDVVLQJ DQG different people are trying to construct WKLV LQ GLIIHUHQW ZD\V $QG QRERG\ really knows how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to turn RXW Âľ *R]]L VDLG 6RPH 95 FRPSDQLHV OLNH 2OVHQ¡V 6,0PHUVLRQ VHHP WR EH using the technology with the intent RI EHWWHULQJ ERWK LQGLYLGXDOV¡ OLYHV DQG VRFLHW\¡V ZHOO EHLQJ +RZHYHU RWKHU developers, like Oculus, are using it

WR HQWHUWDLQ WKH PDVVHV WR FUHDWH QHZ ZD\V IRU XV WR H[SHULHQFH OLIH WKDW VR IDU GRQ¡W VHHP WR KDYH DQ\ EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV DVLGH IURP WKH IXQ IDFWRU ,QVWHDG they have the potential to create PDQ\ PDQ\ SUREOHPV ´$QG VR WKLV MXVW FRPHV EDFN WR P\ JHQHUDO IHHOLQJ WKDW ZH KDYHQ¡W Ă&#x20AC;JXUHG out yet how to live in this world,â&#x20AC;? *R]]L VDLG ´:H¡YH JRW WKLV IDQF\ technologically-­enhanced world and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite understand whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good for us and what isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t good for us.â&#x20AC;? ´,W¡V JRLQJ WR UHGUDZ WKH ERXQGDULHV EHWZHHQ VRFLDO PHGLD DQG UHDO OLIH SULPDULO\ E\ HUDVLQJ WKHP Âľ +DUYH\ said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if those few JOLWWHULQJ JOHDPLQJ EUHDNWKURXJKV DUH JRLQJ WR EH ZRUWK WKH FRVW RI ZKDW LW GRHV LQ WKH HYHU\GD\ UHDOP ,W¡V JRLQJ WR EH KXJH DQG , GRQ¡W WKLQN DQ\ERG\ KDV DQ\ LGHD KRZ XQFRQWUROODEOH LW¡V JRLQJ WR EH RQFH LW JHWV VWDUWHG Âľ If one thing is certain, virtual reality technology is not going away.

2Q WKH FRQWUDU\ LW¡V EHFRPLQJ PRUH cutting-­edge and innovative every GD\ DQG LW¡V LPSRVVLEOH WR SUHGLFW MXVW how pervasive and powerful it could EHFRPH :LWK D FRUSRUDWH JLDQW OLNH )DFHERRN JHWWLQJ LQYROYHG YLUWXDO UHDOLW\ WHFKQRORJ\ KDV WKH XQGHQLDEOH potential to change the world as we know it Âł RQO\ WLPH ZLOO WHOO LI LW¡V IRU EHWWHU RU ZRUVH ____________________________________ Kathryn Paquet is a junior TVR major ZKR LV VR UHDG\ WR JR YLUWXDO VXUĂ&#x20AC;QJ (PDLO KHU DW NSDTXHW #LWKDFD HGX

Ministry of Cool

of VR technology that has no apparent HGXFDWLRQDO YDOXH ,W LV HQWHUWDLQPHQW IRU HQWHUWDLQPHQW¡V VDNH 6R LW¡V D SUHWW\ ELJ GHDO WKDW )DFHERRN RQH RI WKH PRVW SRZHUIXO VRFLDO PHGLD FRUSRUDWLRQV LQ H[LVWHQFH KDV acquired it. Could it change society DQG ´UHDO OLIHÂľ DV ZH NQRZ LW" â&#x20AC;&#x153;You know, people like to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at a crossroads,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and they say WKDW ZD\ WRR RIWHQ Âł WKH\¡OO RIWHQ say weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at a crossroads when weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really just crossing the street,â&#x20AC;? Harvey said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we actually kind of are at a crossroads here.â&#x20AC;? +DUYH\ H[SODLQHG H[DFWO\ ZKDW WKDW FURVVURDGV LV (VVHQWLDOO\ ZH¡YH UHDFKHG WKH SRLQW ZKHUH VRFLDO PHGLD FRPSDQLHV KDYH EHFRPH ELJ HQRXJK WR KDYH D SRZHUIXO DQG LQĂ XHQWLDO presence on the technology scene. $QG DV +DUYH\ PHQWLRQHG )DFHERRN LV QRW DORQH ERWK $PD]RQ DQG *RRJOH have increased their presence on the technology front in recent years as well. $PD]RQ ERXJKW .LYD 6\VWHPV D URERWLF IXOĂ&#x20AC;OOPHQW FRPSDQ\ LQ 0DUFK *RRJOH RQ WKH RWKHU KDQG ERXJKW %RVWRQ '\QDPLFV DQ HQJLQHHULQJ FRPSDQ\ WKDW VSHFLDOL]HV LQ EXLOGLQJ H[WUHPHO\ DGYDQFHG URERWLFV LQ 'HFHPEHU ´6R \RX¡YH JRW WKUHH JLDQWV GRLQJ LQH[SOLFDEOH things,â&#x20AC;? Harvey said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That points to a VHLVPLF VKLIW Âł \RX NQRZ HDUWKTXDNHV start underground, and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel WKHP XQWLO WKH\¡YH JDWKHUHG D IDLU ELW RI PRPHQWXP 7KDW , WKLQN LV ZKDW¡V happening here.â&#x20AC;?

6LQFH ZH FDQ¡W \HW VHH WKH RXWFRPH RI )DFHERRN EX\LQJ 2FXOXV VRPH PD\ QRW UHDOL]H MXVW KRZ ELJ WKLV QHZV UHDOO\ LV ´1RQH RI WKHVH FRPSDQLHV GR VWXII OLNH WKDW QR PDWWHU WKH IDFW WKDW WKH\ KDYH GHHS SRFNHWV QRQH RI WKHP DUH JRLQJ WR VSHQG WKDW NLQG RI PRQH\ without a plan,â&#x20AC;? Harvey said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now , ZRXOG VD\ )DFHERRN LQ SDUWLFXODU will always have a plan and then leave URRP IRU VHUHQGLSLW\ WR KDYH LWV ZD\ Âľ 6R LI )DFHERRN UHDOO\ GRHV EHJLQ WR LQWHJUDWH 95 LQWR LWV VRFLDO PHGLD offerings, what would that look like, DQG ZKDW FRXOG LW PHDQ" 5D\ *R]]L associate television-­radio professor at Ithaca College, had an interesting

31

RAW SAW

Film Review

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

Under the Skin

FROM THE

32

,W·V VDLG WKDW LW ZRXOG WDNH VRPHZKHUH DURXQG QLQH PRQWKV WR WUDYHO WR 0DUV RQ D PRGHUQ VSDFH VKXWWOH 7KH UHG SODQHW LV D SODFH WKDW KXPDQNLQG KDV WULHG WR LPDJLQH DQG XQGHUVWDQG IRU FHQWXULHV DQG VWLOO WRGD\ ZH UXPLQDWH RQ WKH SRVVLELOLWLHV KLGGHQ LQ WKDW ZRUOG :KDW PLJKW ZH ÀQG WKHUH" :LOO ZH EH DEOH WR XQGHUVWDQG LW" ,Q KLV ODWHVW ÀOP -RQDWKDQ *OD]HU KDV GLVFRYHUHG VRPHWKLQJ HTXDOO\ EHJXLOLQJ HTXDOO\ IDVFLQDWLQJ :H FDQQRW DQWLFLSDWH WKH LPDJHV ZLWKLQ DQG LW·V XQOLNHO\ ZH·OO XQGHUVWDQG DW ÀUVW JODQFH ´8QGHU the Skin” LV D QHZ ZRUOG D GDUN FRUQHU RI FLQHPD XQH[SORUHG XQWLO QRZ DQG LW WRRN *OD]HU D GHFDGH RI GHYHORSPHQW WR JHW WKHUH 7R ZDWFK WKH ÀOP LV WR OHDUQ D UDGLFDO QHZ ODQJXDJH LQ ÀFWLRQ ÀOP FXOWXUH *OD]HU LV ÁXHQW DQG ZLWK LW KH VSLQV D WDOH LQ ZKLFK VRPHRQH DV XELTXLWRXV DV 6FDUOHWW -RKDQVVRQ LV PDGH HQWLUHO\ DOLHQ DQG D ORFDOH DV IDPLOLDU DV 6FRWODQG LV PDGH frighteningly otherworldly.

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LPDJLQDWLRQV SDLQWHG ZLWK VXEWOH VWURNHV 7KH WUXH VWURNH RI JHQLXV WKRXJK LV WKH PDQQHU LQ ZKLFK WKHVH DEVWUDFW VHTXHQFHV DUH SDLUHG against scenes of startling reality. To introduce an XQXVXDO GRFXPHQWDU\ HGJH WR WKH VWRU\ *OD]HU DQG KLV FUHZ RXWÀWWHG WKH DOLHQ·V YDQ ZLWK KLGGHQ FDPHUDV WKDW WKH\ EXLOW VSHFLÀFDOO\ IRU WKH ÀOP -RKDQVVRQ QHDUO\ XQUHFRJQL]DEOH LQ D EODFN wig, would drive the van around Scotland and FDOO \RXQJ PHQ WR WKH ZLQGRZ SHRSOH ZKR ZHUH HQWLUHO\ XQDZDUH WKDW WKH\ ZHUH RQ FDPHUD $V D UHVXOW WKHUH·V D WKLFN HOHPHQW RI UDQGRPQHVV DQG YR\HXULVP WKDW UDPSV XS WKH LQWHQVLW\ RI WKHVH RWKHUZLVH RUGLQDU\ KXPDQ VFHQHV WHQIROG ,W VHHPV DV LI HDFK QDUUDWLYH EHDW RI ´8QGHU the Skin” LV HQJLQHHUHG WR VXEYHUW DQ\ JHQHULF H[SHFWDWLRQV RU PRUHRYHU DUWLVWLF H[SHFWDWLRQV in general. The plot is dense with a surprising GLYHUVLW\ RI VFHQHV HDFK RQH PDVWHUIXOO\ H[HFXWHG ZLWK FUHDWLYH DSORPE 7R ORRN EDFN RQ WKH ÀOP DIWHU WKH IDFW LV WR UHDOL]H WKH EUHDGWK RI WKH H[SHULHQFH ´8QGHU WKH 6NLQµ LV D WUXH H[SORUDWRU\ YR\DJH OHG E\ D FLQHPDWLF SLRQHHU DQG DQ DFWRU DW WKH WRS RI KHU IRUP /LNH VSDFH WUDYHO LW LV QRW DQ H[SHGLWLRQ IRU WKH IDLQW RI KHDUW WKH OHYHO RI VKRFN DQG DPELJXLW\ SXW IRUZDUG KDV WDNHQ VRPH DXGLHQFHV DEDFN Those searching for fresh artistic ground and new H[SHULHQFHV KRZHYHU ZLOO ÀQG D IHDVW RI LQWULJXH WKDW VWLFNV WR RQH·V ULEV ORQJ DIWHU WKH IDFW 7KHUH LV QRWKLQJ HOVH OLNH LW LQ WKH KLVWRU\ RI FLQHPD DQG LW LV YHU\ XQOLNHO\ WKDW D VLPLODU H[SHULHQFH ZLOO FRPH DORQJ LQ RXU OLIHWLPH , KDYH D IHHOLQJ WKDW DXGLHQFHV ZLOO MRXUQH\ EDFN PDQ\ WLPHV WKHUH DUH WUHDVXUHV WR EH IRXQG IRU \HDUV WR FRPH 5REHUW 6 +XPPHO

Enter the Slasher House Say Yes to Love

Album Review

Album Review

DOPRVW VROHO\ E\ WKH NH\V 7KLV JLYHV WKH DOEXP a sprinkling of pop, which contrasts nicely with Portner’s guttural vocals. “Little Fang” is the happiest tune Portner has ever written, sounding like a child’s journey through a FDUQLYDO EXW ZLWK WULSSHG RXW VHQWLPHQWDO O\ULFV like “And if it ever starts to pour down little IDQJ WKH PHORG\ VLQJV ZKDW WKH ZRUGV FDQ·W say.” Most other songs on the record follow VXLW SOD\IXO EXW HYHU VR VOLJKWO\ RII SXWWLQJ DV PRVW RI 3RUWQHU·V ZRUN LV LQWHQWLRQDOO\ IUDPHG 7KH RQO\ GLVDSSRLQWPHQW RI ´(QWHU WKH 6ODVKHU House” is that the songs don’t sound slasher ÀOP HVTXH $OO KLV DWWHPSWV WR VWUD\ IURP WKH WULR·V SRS OHDQLQJV OLNH LQ KLV LQGHFLSKHUDEOH VFUHDPLQJ RQ ´7KDW LW :RQ·W *URZ µ FRPH RII DV IRUFHG DQG OHVV PHPRUDEOH WKDQ ZKHQ KH VXFFXPEV WR RYHUZKHOPLQJ SOD\IXOQHVV LQ WKH DOEXP %XW ZKHQ 3RUWQHU·V VLQJLQJ LV PRUH VXEGXHG DQG UHOD[HG OLNH LQ WKH WUDFN ´5RVHV RQ WKH :LQGRZ µ LW EOHQGV ZLWK WKH NH\ERDUG PHORGLHV IRU D VPRRWKHU VRXQG WKDW SURYLGHV WKH GHÀQLQJ FKDUDFWHULVWLF RI WKH UHFRUG $YH\ 7DUH·V QHZ VLGH SURMHFW LV KLV EHVW \HW %DODQFHG VRPHZKHUH RQ WKH FXVS RI RYHU]HDORXVQHVV DQG SXUH SRS VHQWLPHQWDOLW\ “Enter the Slasher House” is a pleasantly LPPHUVLYH H[SHULHQFH 6ODKVHU )OLFNV KDYH PDGH D EHDXWLIXOO\ FRQFLVH SLHFH RI WULS SRS WKDW HOLFLWV D KHDUWZDUPLQJ QRVWDOJLD IRU WKH PDJLF RI FKLOGKRRG 7\ORU &ROE\

7KH ÀUVW WUDFN RQ 3HUIHFW 3XVV\·V GHEXW DOEXP ´6D\ <HV WR /RYHµ EHJLQV ZLWK DQ XQHDVLO\ TXLHW VWDWLF ´'LG P\ VSHDNHUV MXVW EUHDN"µ \RX PLJKW ZRQGHU %XW WKRVH HLJKW VHFRQGV RI QHDU VLOHQFH RR]LQJ ZLWK anticipation, are a conscious choice that IRUHVKDGRZV WKH YLEH RI WKH UHVW RI WKLV DOEXP 7KLV EDQG LV QRW RXW WR SOHDVH LWV OLVWHQHU DQG GRHVQ·W FDUH D ELW LI \RX KDYH WR ZDLW IRU LW ´6D\ <HV WR /RYHµ LV WKH ÀUVW IXOO DOEXP IURP QRLVH SXQN EDQG 3HUIHFW 3XVV\ *HWWLQJ WKHLU VWDUW LQ FOXEV WKH EDQG UHFHQWO\ JDLQHG PXFK DFFODLP IURP DQ H[SDQGHG DXGLHQFH DIWHU SHUIRUPLQJ DW 6;6: LQ 0DUFK 7KLV VXPPHU WKH\ DUH IUHTXHQWLQJ IHVWLYDOV DQG YHQXHV IURP -DEEHUZRFN\ WR WKH )LUVW Unitarian Church in Philadelphia.

3HUIHFW 3XVV\·V VW\OH KHDUNHQV EDFN WR DERXW \HDUV DJR ZLWK YHU\ REYLRXV SXQN LQÁXHQFHV PDUNHG E\ WKH WUDFN DOEXP RI RQO\ PLQXWHV DQG WKDW·V LQFOXGLQJ VRPH OLYH ERQXV WUDFNV )URQWZRPDQ 0HUHGLWK *UDYHV ³ D VHOI SURFODLPHG TXHHU ZRPDQ DQG IHPLQLVW ³ LPPHGLDWHO\ EULQJV WR PLQG LPDJHV RI ULRW JUUUO TXHHQV OLNH %LNLQL .LOO·V Kathleen Hanna or the grungy college VWXGHQWV WKDW FRPSULVHG %UDWPRELOH %HLQJ WKDW 3HUIHFW 3XVV\·V ÀUVW (3 ZDV UHOHDVHG YLD FDVVHWWH MXVW ODVW \HDU WKLV GHPRQVWUDWHV WKDW WKH EDQG KDV WKLV HUD LQ PLQG 7KH DOEXP LWVHOI LV H[FHOOHQW 2QFH \RX VWDUW OLVWHQLQJ \RX·UH GUDZQ LQ ULJKW DZD\ it’s engaging, pulsing with youthful spirit

and energy. Distorted in layers and layers of noise, Graves’s passion drives through it all.

7KH VRQJV ÁRZ IURP RQH WR WKH QH[W UDZ EXW VPRRWK OLNH D VXSHU WLJKW UDZ VHW DW D FRQFHUW 7KH YRFDOV DUHQ·W MXVW VFUHDPLQJ DQG WKH DOEXP LVQ·W HLWKHU 7KH VW\OHV DUH QXDQFHG WUDFN ÀYH ´,QWHUIHUHQFH )LWV µ LV D JUHDW H[DPSOH RI WKLV VRXQGLQJ IDU PRUH OLNH D YHU\ PXIÁHG PHOORZ JDUDJH VW\OH EDQG OLNH %HVW &RDVW 7KH O\ULFV DUH VPDUW DQG RQ SRLQW UDQJLQJ IURP DFWLYLVW WR DFXWHO\ HPRWLRQDO LQ ´'ULYHU µ IRU H[DPSOH “I know that hurt can go on forever/ It strips WKH WDVWH IURP WKH FRQVWHOODWLRQV µ

7KLV DOEXP ZLOO EH DQ DZHVRPH XSGDWH IRU those who like punk, especially those who SUHIHU ZRPHQ GULYHQ SXQN EDQGV 7KHUH DUH VRPH GLIIHUHQFHV IURP WKH VW\OH RI WKH · V WKRXJK WKH ZD\ WKH LQVWUXPHQWV DUH SOD\HG VHHPV PXFK PRUH VNLOOHG DQG GHOLEHUDWH EXW VWLOO PRUH GLVWRUWHG 7KH O\ULFV YLWDO LQ ULRW JUUUO DQG WKH RWKHU VW\OHV RI SXQN DFWLYLVP DUH HYHQ PRUH GLVWRUWHG WKDQ XVXDO WRR PDNLQJ WKHP KDUG WR KHDU DW WLPHV <HW DV *UDYHV ZDLOV LQ ´'LJµ ´,I ,·P DQ\WKLQJ OHVV WKDQ SHUIHFWLRQ :HOO VKLW QRERG\ WROG PH µ 3HUIHFW 3XVV\·V DOEXP VKRZV WUXH PXVLFDO WDOHQW DQG SURPLVH DQG LW·V ÀQDOO\ VWDUWLQJ WR JHW VRPH UHFRJQLWLRQ WRR 7KLV LV DOO IXHOHG E\ WKHLU KRQHVW\ LQ H[SUHVVLRQ DQG WKHLU EHOLHI WKDW ZKDW WKH\ DUH VD\LQJ LV LPSRUWDQW 7KH\ PD\ QRW EH SHUIHFWLRQ EXW DFWLQJ OLNH WKH\ DUH FHUWDLQO\ EULQJV WKHP D KHOO RI D ORW FORVHU WR LW $OH[D 6DOYDWR

33

Ministry of Cool

:KHQ $YH\ 7DUH 'DYLG 3RUWQHU PHPEHU RI H[SHULPHQWDO IUHDN SRS EDQG $QLPDO Collective, announced the release of a side SURMHFW XQGHU WKH QDPH 6ODVKHU )OLFNV PRVW IDQV H[SHFWHG KLV XVXDO IHHO DYDQW JDUGH MDUULQJ VRXQG HIIHFWV DQG LQGHFLSKHUDEOH VFUHDPLQJ YRFDOV :LWK KLV QHZ UHOHDVH “Enter the Slasher House,” however, Portner WHDPV ZLWK H[ 'LUW\ 3URMHFWRU VLQJHU guitarist Angel Deradoorian and Ponytail GUXPPHU -HUHP\ +\PDQ WR FUHDWH DQ LQGLH avant-­garde supergroup. Despite sounding D ELW WRR SROLVKHG DQG SRSS\ WKDQ WKH QDPH VXJJHVWV WKH DUWLVW·V EL]DUUH VW\OLQJV QHYHUWKHOHVV EHFRPH VWUXFWXUHG DQG PRUH DFFHVVLEOH IRU 3RUWQHU·V VHOI GHVFULEHG ´MD]] power-­trio,” and it works.

0RVW WUDFNV RQ WKH DOEXP KDYH D YHU\ VLPLODU VRXQG WR $QLPDO &ROOHFWLYH·V ODWHVW DOEXP ´&HQWLSHGH +] µ PRVW QRWDEO\ ´$ 6HQGHUµ DQG ´'XSOH[ 7ULSµ ZLWK WKHLU KHDY\ SRO\UK\WKPLF SHUFXVVLRQ DQG UHYHUE VRDNHG KDUPRQLHV 7KLV LV GXH WR WKH FRQWULEXWLRQV RI 'HUDGRRULDQ DQG +\PDQ ZKR YLUWXDOO\ SOD\ WKH SDUWV RI $& PHPEHU 3DQGD %HDU 1RDK /HQQR[ 7RJHWKHU 'HUDGRRULDQ·V YRFDO KDUPRQLHV DQG +\PDQ·V VSDVWLF DFFHQWXDWLQJ GUXPV GXOO WKH SDLQ RI /HQQR[·V DEVHQFH 7KH DEVHQFH RI WKH RWKHU $QLPDOV gives Portner a chance to hone in his sound.

7KH ELJJHVW GLIIHUHQFH WR SDVW $& UHOHDVHV LV WKH XVH RI PHORG\ DQG JURRYH SURYLGHG

Nature Bites

By Anonymous

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

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KH VXPPHU EHIRUH OHDYLQJ IRU college was a very interesting RQH IRU PH LQ WHUPV RI P\ VH[ OLIH -XVW DV WKH VFKRRO \HDU FDPH WR D FORVH , VWDUWHG P\ UHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK P\ JLUOIULHQG :H ERWK NQHZ WKDW LW ZDVQ·W JRLQJ WR ODVW EXW GHFLGHG WR HQMR\ LW DQ\ZD\ :KHQ ZH ÀUVW VWDUWHG dating we didn’t do anything too FUD]\ EXW DIWHU ZH ÀUVW KDG VH[ VKH EHFDPH DQ DQLPDO 1HDUO\ HYHU\ WLPH we would hang out, she would try to ÀQG D ZD\ WR JHW PH WR IRRO DURXQG DOZD\V ZLWK VRPH NLQN\ QHZ LGHD $V D UHVXOW LW GLGQ·W VHHP WRR RXWODQGLVK that on this particular day we decided to get down in the woods. :H·G GRQH LW LQ WKH ZRRGV EHIRUH DQG LW KDG DFWXDOO\ EHHQ D URPDQWLF RFFDVLRQ ,W ZDV D ZDUP QLJKW DQG ZH ZHUH FR]LHG XS RQ D EODQNHW VXUURXQGHG E\ D P\ULDG RI ÀUHÁLHV WZLQNOLQJ OLNH EULJKW OLWWOH OLJKWV 7KLV WLPH ZDV GLIIHUHQW WKRXJK , GURYH RYHU to her place and we went for a walk in WKH ZRRGV LQ EURDG GD\OLJKW 6KH JDYH PH D ORRN WKDW WROG PH VKH ZDV LQ WKH PRRG WR IRRO DURXQG DQG VR ZH ZDONHG XQWLO ZH IRXQG GHQVH EUXVK WR KLGH EHKLQG :H KDG WR EH FDUHIXO QRW WR EH WRR FRQVSLFXRXV VLQFH WKH ZRRGV ZHUH QH[W WR D SDUN DQG SHRSOH WHQGHG WR ZDON DORQJ VRPH RI WKH WUDLOV :H EHJDQ LQ WKH VDPH ZD\ WKDW ZH DOZD\V GLG D ORW RI PDNLQJ RXW DQG PRDQLQJ KDQGV UXQQLQJ XS DQG down each other as we started to SXOO FORWKHV RII 6KH PXVW KDYH EHHQ

34

H[WUD ÀUHG XS WKDW GD\ EHFDXVH VKH ZHQW VWUDLJKW IRU P\ SDQWV EHIRUH , HYHQ KDG D FKDQFH WR WDNH KHU EUD RII WHDVLQJ PH EHIRUH SXOOLQJ P\ SDQWV GRZQ 6KH ORYHG WR WHDVH PH XQWLO , FRXOGQ·W WDNH LW DQ\PRUH ZKLFK ZRXOG WXUQ XV ERWK RQ 6KH ZHQW GRZQ RQ PH IRU D ELW EHIRUH O\LQJ GRZQ RQ WKH JURXQG DQG EHJJLQJ PH WR KDYH VH[ ZLWK KHU , ZDV IHHOLQJ D OLWWOH VO\ P\VHOI VR , WHDVHG KHU D ORW EHIRUH ÀQDOO\ JLYLQJ KHU ZKDW VKH ZDQWHG DQG VKH ORYHG LW ,·P DOUHDG\ D WHUULEOH MXGJH DW WLPH ZKHQ ,·P ZLWK D JLUO ³ LW VHHPV OLNH KRXUV JR E\ LQ D IHZ PLQXWHV ³ EXW WKLV WLPH VHHPHG HYHQ ORQJHU EHIRUH VKH ZDV ÀQDOO\ ÀQLVKHG , RQ WKH RWKHU KDQG VWLOO KDG VRPH JDV LQ WKH WDQN VR VKH VXFNHG PH RII WR ÀQLVK PH ZKLFK GLGQ·W UHDOO\ WDNH ORQJ :H ZHUH VZHDW\ FRYHUHG LQ PXG DQG QDWXUH EXW YHU\ VDWLVÀHG DV ZH SURFHHGHG WR VZLP LQ D QHDUE\ ULYHU WR “clean” ourselves.

7KH QH[W PRUQLQJ , ZRNH XS WR D very nasty surprise. My groin was UHDOO\ LWFK\ DQG , WKRXJKW WR P\VHOI WKDW·V ZHLUG EXW GLGQ·W UHDOO\ WKLQN anything of it. But as I proceeded WR JHW XS DQG FKDQJH P\ FORWKHV , noticed there were red splotches on DQG DURXQG P\ SHQLV , LPPHGLDWHO\ JURDQHG UHDOL]LQJ LW ZDV SRLVRQ LY\ 7KH WKRXJKW RI LW EHLQJ DQ 67' KDG FURVVHG P\ PLQG EXW , LPPHGLDWHO\ GLVFDUGHG LW VLQFH P\ JLUOIULHQG and I were clean and I always use a FRQGRP 7KLV VLWXDWLRQ ZDV HVSHFLDOO\

VXUSULVLQJ WR PH EHFDXVH , KDGQ·W KDG SRLVRQ LY\ LQ DW OHDVW \HDUV , JUHZ XS owning part of a forest and spent a lot RI WLPH UXQQLQJ DURXQG LQ WKH ZRRGV JHWWLQJ FRYHUHG LQ SRLVRQ LY\ EXW LW QHYHU DIIHFWHG PH %XW VXUH HQRXJK WKLV WLPH P\ MXQN ZDV H[WUHPHO\ LWFK\ and annoying as hell. Of course she ZDV FRPSOHWHO\ RN QRWKLQJ RQ KHU ZKDWVRHYHU 0\ EHVW JXHVV LV WKDW VKH JRW WKH SRLVRQ LY\ RQ KHU KDQGV EXW ZDVKHG LW RII ZHOO HQRXJK EXW , KDGQ·W showered thoroughly enough to get rid of it. The rash lasted for weeks, HYHQ ZKHQ , XVHG VSHFLDO FUHDP WR LW KHDO IDVWHU (YHQ ZRUVH LQ DERXW D ZHHN , ZDV OHDYLQJ WR Á\ WR &KLOH /HW PH WHOO \RX KDYLQJ SRLVRQ LY\ RQ \RXU JURLQ IRU D KRXU SODQH ULGH LV DQ DZIXO H[SHULHQFH WKDW , ZRXOG QRW wish upon anyone.

Fooling around in the woods is GHÀQLWHO\ D YHU\ IXQ NLQN\ WKLQJ WR GR ,W FRPHV ZLWK WKH ULVN RI EHLQJ FDXJKW EXW \RX DOVR IHHO PRUH SULPDO OLNH you’re a part of nature. You feel like \RX·UH DORQH LQ D PDJLFDO ZRUOG ZKHUH QR RQH HOVH FDQ WRXFK \RX DOPRVW OLNH \RX·UH IUHH , KLJKO\ UHFRPPHQG LW EXW PDNH VXUH \RX FOHDQ XS really ZHOO DIWHUZDUGV RU \RX PLJKW UHJUHW LW

Prose & Cons

&CONS. PROSE&CONS. PROSE

35

De Tierra

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

By Owen McIlmail

36

los diamantes son supuestamente un s铆mbolo de devoci贸n guijarros deben ser como el odio los diamantes pueden refractar la imagen de su amante en 1 mill贸n de espejos en el techo pero granos de arena est谩n en todas partes y tener menos amor

diamonds are supposedly a symbol of devotion so pebbles must be akin to loathing diamonds can refract the image of your lover into a million mirrors spread across the ceiling but grains of sand are far more plenty and get a third the love

Rain Dance

by Gillian Wenzel

I’m throwing away my umbrellas Because rain is my skin’s baptism Cascading pearls bathing cotton armor Ah blessed be this twisted ocean Where divine meets gravity Bathing the primal calls These scissor beats as tires roll Opal tears to muddy canvases And my annual garden Daffodils birthed again Because they denied the ease of shelter Ice crystals addicted to terrain The metamorphosis season arrives Breaking into bright chasms Tiny diamonds to fertile earth Psalms read robins egg blue Palms sung open in spring Fresh dripping like candles Holding pools like I couldn’t before I rain this cycle of stars Smiling in the bright sheen of new earth Uncovering once more I am no longer veiled

Prose & Cons

Who gives a fuck about “we” ;LIR - GER ½REPP] HERGI Contraptions for mutated shelter Told me they’d keep me happy Safe I was captive and called Hostage on a ship that was not my own Thank you But I’ll meet mine in the water Dancing in the rain petals Exalting and free from umbrellas Where the droplets meet open earth GZRW 4:32pm 04/07/2014

37

Suture

by Samantha Brodsky

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

Writers are supposed to dwell Hunchbacked in the shadows Hidden in the corners of coffee shops and cafés Sipping our lattes with frightened lips Observing with whimpering yet keen eyes Out from under our faded fedoras And thick yet quietly brimmed glasses That mask our faces in mystery While our minds swarm with melodious Jazz And profound quotes from Aristotle %RH VSQERXMG *VIRGL TLVEWIW XLEX ¾YXXIV -R EPP XLIMV HIPMGEG] PMOI FYXXIV¾MIW %W SYV ½RKIVW [MXL E WPS[ XVIQSV Dance across keyboards or pages And sometimes scraps of napkins Stained with coffee and scribbles and tears, Letting our thoughts trail behind us 7S XLEX XLIMV GPSXL PMOI ¾YMHMX] VMTW Tears, is battered and broken until They become fragmented and we must Stitch them back together with our mighty pens And we ponder the world, The wonderfully whimsical world And every last detail of that big, bold world Through the air that is laced with cigar smoke Sweet as it tickles the senses And wafts into our blackened lungs And although we sit in the shadows, We radiate so very brightly with our Clever words, Clever words written from clever minds &] GPIZIV ½RKIVW XLEX XET XET PMOI XSIW And as our bodies slowly wither away Our lives only begin to form on paper.

38

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the third time, why do I keep letting this happen?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not letting it happen.â&#x20AC;?

You were: boring, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give enough, VHOĂ&#x20AC;VK DQG XQFDULQJ spoke only in mistakes.

Not mature enough to understand him.

Nights lost to nerves, mapping the break & bend: D QRQH[FKDQJHDEOH FXUUHQF\ LQ OHVV WKDQ GHPRFUDWLF VWDWHV Full stop.

Emptiness.

No user input allowed; RQO\ WKH 8VHUŇ&#x2039;V FRPPDQGV You forgot his smile & you forgot KLV WRXFK

by Andrew Hinkley

Prose & Cons

How to Sell Your Self-Esteem to an Abuser

Other marks persisted.

His insults HFKRHG & you remembered how you believed.

39

And on the Moon, It was Midnight

by Christian Cassidy-Amstutz

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

Goodnight To the people Through the walls Around me I can hear the creaking Of your bodies The rustlings of your sheets The twice damnable restlessness That simply exudes from you You’re like a pivot point Of energy A shot of caffeine in the air Keeping me awake Forever Good morning Through the earth To the people below me Who I would reach With some shovels And a wheelbarrow Full of time I don’t know what life is like Being led upside down But your esophaguses Must be very muscled And not to be a busybody But do you say “Gah! The blood is rushing to my feet!”

When things go right ways round?

The sun must burn Twice as hot Beating up on you And I have it On good authority mind you That your toilet bowls (S E JYRR] XLMRK [LIR XLI] ¾YWL Good afternoon to everyone else All the people between description Enjoy the lengthening shadows Somewhere Sometime Someone will wish you A merry morning And a restless night So lounge and nap now While you can

40

Without Music

by Alexis Farabaugh

*This is an excerpt of a longer piece. Please check out buzzsawmag.org to read the full piece.

41

Prose & Cons

“Catch me if you can!” I yelled, running into the forest.

“Bailey, wait up! I can’t run that fast!”

My little legs pumped and moved as quickly as they could, demolishing grass beds and dandelions underneath them.

The sun beat down as I giggled my way into the density of it all, the sheer encasement meeting my body. Trees to the left, trees to the right. Sticks and dirt below, branches overhead.

“Henry! You’ll have to do better than that!” I continued from over my shoulder.

When I looked over, I found only the masses of nature I had left in my tracks. I wondered if I really was that fast or if ,IRV] VIEPP] [EW XLEX WPS[ )MXLIV [E] [I [IVI XSS JEV ETEVX XS WII IEGL SXLIV ERH - LEH RS LSTIW SJ ½RHMRK Q] [E] back without him. He knew this area. He knew this grass, this unfamiliar air. The more I thought about it, the more the air became thick and suffocating; where was I? The only sense of familiarity I had was the sun in the sky. The same sun I always knew told me it was noon, or just about. Six hours until I couldn’t see well anymore. That’s about as much as a ten-year-old (who wasn’t a boy scout) WLSYPH ORS[ VMKLX# 2IZIV IEX WSKK] [EJ¾IW 2SVXL IEWX WSYXL [IWX ;LIVI [EW RSVXL# 8LI 2SVXL 7XEV [EWR´X IZIR visible at this time.

What were Mom and Dad going to think? I knew they would miss me if I were gone. Love, although not suggested or seen as a positive thing, but rather a neutral thing, was seen more so in families than in other kinds of relationships.

7MRGI - [EW ]SYRKIV Q] PMQFW IZIR PMXXPIV XLER XLI] EVI RS[ - GSYPH RSX ½RH XLEX TPEGI MR Q] LIEVX JSV YRGSRHMXMSREP love. If it was even a real thing: I didn’t know. It was never really talked about, just in the sense of loving your work.

2006: built with bricks instead of sticks. That’s what they drilled in our brains today. With time we are smarter and more productive. No need for silly things like love.

Just yesterday I had gone to Take Your Child to Work Day and that’s when I really got the sense of what I was supposed to do with my life. Dad worked in a cubicle, punching numbers into the computer methodically. He’s an accountant. Most of my friends are envious of how much of a well-respected position he has earned through his hardworking years. Everyone wants to be an accountant—usually just because of all the money they receive. Mom used to work as an elementary school teacher, but I guess she wanted more money because she started working at my dad’s company.

- [EXGLIH LIV ½PI TETIV EJXIV TETIV EJXIV TETIV 7LI HMHR´X WQMPI SRGI - KYIWWIH XLEX´W [LEX HIHMGEXMSR QIERX I sat down in a particularly soft-looking patch of grass and tried to think about what I was going to do. I couldn’t IZIR ½RH XLI WTIGM½G VSGO XLEX [I [IVI EWWMKRIH XS PSGEXI 3YV XIEGLIV KEZI YW XLI GPIEVIWX MRWXVYGXMSRW XS ½RH E brownish-black rock with white specks. Nobody in our class had tried looking in a forest before, so Henry and I decided to be adventurous.

“Po-tee-weet!”

- XYVRIH EVSYRH MR LSTIW SJ ½RHMRK ,IRV] QEOMRK JSVIMKR WSYRHW EX QI 2S WMKLX SJ LMQ “Po-tee-weet!”

I looked above me, and found a strange creature perched on a branch. It looked at me, its beady little eyes moving up and down, almost assessing my existence. I backed away slowly, wondering if it was the attacking kind of animal. The shell-looking mouth appeared sharp, and its feet looked wrinkly, attached with claws. Its only amiable aspect was its body; it was covered in some kind of skin that looked soft and airy.

It leaped off the branch and spread its arms and swooped to the ground landing safely.

“Po-tee-weet!”

It kept making that noise. “Po-tee-weet, po-tee-weet, po-tee-weet!”

I couldn’t tell what it was doing, but I also didn’t want it to stop. My heart began beating with it, in the same pattern of its noises—I didn’t know why it was doing that, but I didn’t exactly want it to stop.

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

WDUST. SAWDUST. SAWDU

42

In the Criminal Justice System

College student shoots roommate for trespassing on her side, pleads the second

By Rachel Mucha

3

:15, Wednesday afternoon. Ithaca City Courthouse is silent as the defendant, 19-­year-­old Elena Moore, approaches the stand to testify in her own defense.

Moore has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon after shooting her college roommate, Thelma Higgins, in the leg in February. The defendant looks nervous, a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead as she settles into her seat. As she is being sworn in, her defense attorney begins to pace WKH Ă RRU Ă DVKLQJ D VPLOH DW WKH MXGJH DQG MXU\ GLVSOD\LQJ WKH FKDUP DQG FKDULVPD of Richard Gere in Chicago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ms. Moore,â&#x20AC;? he states, leaning against the stand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not beat around the bush. You did, in fact, shoot your roommate, Ms. Higgins.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I did,â&#x20AC;? Moore boldly states. She turns to WKH MXU\ ´%XW , KDG QR RWKHU FKRLFH Âľ %LOO\ Flynn smiles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Continue.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thelma and I were such good friends at the beginning of the year, we did everything together.â&#x20AC;? Moore pauses, collecting herself.

Richard Gere whips out a handkerchief, RIIHULQJ LW NLQGO\ WR WKH GHIHQGDQW 7KH MXU\ eats it up. Next heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to start singing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Razzle Dazzle.â&#x20AC;? ´7HOO XV DOO DERXW WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW LQFLGHQW Âľ 0RRUH

nods. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In November we were having a movie night and ordered Insomnia Cookies.

The cookies arrived while I was at the library, and when I got backâ&#x20AC;Śshe had eaten them all! She ate my cookies!â&#x20AC;? The entire courtroom erupts in chaos. Various observers whip out their phones, checking to see if Insomnia Cookies is open yet and if they do in fact deliver. (Of course they do, LJQRUDQW WRZQVSHRSOH 7KH MXGJH EDQJV KLV gavel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Silence!â&#x20AC;? He shouts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m calling a recess.â&#x20AC;?

[Let the record show that during the UHFHVV WKH MXU\ DQG MXGJH RUGHUHG ,QVRPQLD Cookies. Upon their return they appear to look more sympathetically at the defendant.

Juror number ten still has some chocolate smeared around his mouth and crumbs stuck to his shirt.] â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything went from bad to worse,â&#x20AC;?

Moore continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The second incident occurred a few weeks later. It was in the middle of the night, I was sleeping when VXGGHQO\ , DZRNH WR Ă&#x20AC;QG 7KHOPD VWDQGLQJ over me, a crazed look in her eyes. She whispered, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m da captain now,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; doing her EHVW %DUNKDG $EGL LPSHUVRQDWLRQ Âľ 0RRUH shakes her head. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What hurts the most is we

saw that movie together!â&#x20AC;? At this moment, Juror number eight stands up and yells, ´%DUNKDG VKRXOG¡YH ZRQ WKH 2VFDU +H ZDV UREEHG Âľ 7KH MXGJH UHVWRUHV RUGHU RQFH DJDLQ in the courtroom. Members of the audience begin whispering, trying to remember who ZRQ WKH 2VFDU LQVWHDG RI %DUNKDG â&#x20AC;&#x153;It got to the point where I put a piece of duct tape down the exact center of our dorm. I waited up that night and she started creeping over to my side, her eyes crazier than Crazy Eyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eyes. I did what I had to do!â&#x20AC;? Moore stands up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I shot her! It was self defense! She was trespassing!â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I rest my case!â&#x20AC;? Richard Gere shouts.

7KH MXU\ H[LWV JRLQJ WR GLVFXVV WKH YHUGLFW ,Q D UHFRUG WLPH RI IRXU PLQXWHV WKH MXU\ returns, Juror number ten with even more chocolate on his face and hands. ´:H WKH MXU\ Ă&#x20AC;QG WKH GHIHQGDQW QRW guilty!â&#x20AC;? Cheers erupt in the courtroom as MXVWLFH LV VHUYHG DORQJ ZLWK FRPSOLPHQWDU\ Insomnia Cookies). ____________________________________ Rachel Mucha is a freshman journalism major who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t support gun violence unless her GrubHub account is at stake.

Email her at rmucha1@ithaca.edu.

Mr. R ochon, B uild U p T hat W all!

Cornell alum petitions for more divide between the schools

By Fran Toscano

A

VDOPRQ VKRUWV 0\ ,4 ZHQW GRZQ SRLQWV that day.â&#x20AC;?

However, Collegetown business owners are passionately protesting this movement.

9LWR 6DOVDQR RZQHU RI SRSXODU SL]]D MRLQW The Nines, claims this wall would be a detriment to his business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ithaca College students canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t perform simple math equations as quickly as Cornell students, so they purchase endless pizza and beer and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t calculate the calories. When IC students decide to make the trek to Collegetown, I make more money in one QLJKW WKDQ , GR DIWHU D ZHHN RI MXVW &RUQHOO students!â&#x20AC;?

Surprisingly, IC students seem pretty unfazed by the segregation. Niles Green, Cinema and Photography senior and SUHVLGHQW RI RQ FDPSXV SUR PDULMXDQD organization Legal-­IC-­e It, claims that it will not harsh his mellow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m all about Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ WKH PDQ PDQ EXW OHW¡V DOO MXVW chill out,â&#x20AC;? Green insists. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know what a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is, man. Could you pass me the lighter?â&#x20AC;?

Regardless, construction may begin DV HDUO\ DV VSULQJ RI &LW\ RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV

such as Parks and Recreation director /HRQD .QDUSH Ă&#x20AC;QG WKH SURSRVLWLRQ VOLJKWO\ disturbing, but cannot turn down such a SURĂ&#x20AC;WDEOH RSSRUWXQLW\ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no mystery that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in a time of economic turmoil, and Mr. St. Clairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generous donation makes the creation of the wall an obvious choice,â&#x20AC;? Knarpe explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Plus, it can increase tourism LQ WKH UHJLRQ LW ZLOO EH OLNH WKH %HUOLQ :DOO except instead of representing equality, it will represent oppression and division.â&#x20AC;?

7KLV LV QRW 6W &ODLU¡V Ă&#x20AC;UVW DWWHPSW WR VHSDUDWH WKH FDPSXVHV ,Q KH proposed changing the name of South Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s territory to IthaCanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud to have gone to a little place called Cornell,â&#x20AC;? St. Clair proclaims, â&#x20AC;&#x153;you ever heard of it?â&#x20AC;? ____________________________________ Fran Toscano is a senior IMC major who thinks any school that lets students major in booze should be embarrassed. Unless they give her some. Email her at ftoscan1@

Sawdust

pparently, to some Cornell DOXPQL VHSDUDWLRQ E\ KLOOV MXVW isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough anymore. Cornell DOXP %UDQGRQ 6W &ODLU ¡ KDV JLYHQ XSZDUGV RI ELOOLRQ LQ KRSHV RI FUHDWLQJ D wall between East and South hills, further separating Cornell University and Ithaca Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campuses.

St. Clair, who comes from a long lineage of Cornell graduates, complains that confusion between the campuses is preventing him from getting the respect he deserves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;An Ithaca College graduate interviewed for a position at my investment bank, St. Clair and Associates, and he tried to...relate to me. I refuse to let my Ivy League education be compared to such an average institution. Any school that lets students graduate with a degree in television should be embarrassed, quite frankly.â&#x20AC;?

Opinions on East Hill are split; for H[DPSOH &RUQHOO SROR FRDFK %UDG 0F6QRRW believes the separation has been a long time coming. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once, while shopping for a new pair of boat shoes, I got lost and ended up on their campus. I was there for about PLQXWHV DQG GLG QRW VHH D VLQJOH SDLU RI

43

Just Not My Type of Law Supreme Court passes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Friendzone Doctrineâ&#x20AC;?

By Grace Rychwalski

T

his month, the Supreme Court came to a technically unanimous decision (the three women Justicesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; votes being thrown RXW GXH WR ´FRQĂ LFWV RI LQWHUHVWÂľ LQ favor of a new bill that seeks to outlaw friendzoning.

The bill, aptly named the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Friendzone-­Ending Declaration Of Rightful Associationsâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;FEDORA,â&#x20AC;? will take effect nationwide beginning -DQXDU\ Some of its main articles detail the conduct to be carried out between two persons in order to protect those who have been friendzoned in the past: ´+HQFHIRUWK WKH LQMXUHG SDUWLHV . . no longer be referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;neckbeard,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dudebro,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;resident of the friendzoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. . . These hurtful slurs are now a hate crime to utter . . .â&#x20AC;? (Article I, Subsection 1, 3DUDJUDSK

-­ â&#x20AC;&#x153;. . .a person MUST state his/ her romantic availability to his/her FRXQWHUSDUW %()25( IULHQGVKLS begins . . . Therefore eliminating UHMHFWLRQ ZKLFK JUHDWO\ LPSHGHV a n d

)('25$ GHĂ&#x20AC;QHV ´IULHQGVKLSÂľ DV â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obsessing over another person, especially if he or she is far more globally attractive than you and share none of the same interestsâ&#x20AC;?

(Article I, Subsection 1, Paragraph 1).

The bill, which seeks to save those who have â&#x20AC;&#x153;endured the eternal purgatory that is the friendzone,â&#x20AC;? continues: ´,I \RX DUH UHMHFWHG WKH opposing party, if female, is to be labeled a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;feminaziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and prosecuted to full extent of the law. . . if male, it varies based on. . . situation . . .â&#x20AC;?

(Article V, Subsection 1, Paragraph

-­ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under NO circumstance . .

ZLOO WKH VHQWHQFH Âś<RX¡UH MXVW like a brother to me!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; be uttered, publicly or privately. . .â&#x20AC;? (Article V, 6XEVHFWLRQ 3DUDJUDSK

-­ â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is required by law to consider . . . changing yourself . . . to make him happy . . . in any way . . . physical or emotionalâ&#x20AC;? (Article V, Subsection 9, Paragraph 3).

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

Despite the warm

oppresses the receiving party . . .â&#x20AC;? (Article II, Subsection 3, 3DUDJUDSK

-­ â&#x20AC;&#x153;If interaction with . . . another person becomes what [FEDORA] has GHĂ&#x20AC;QHG DV â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;friendship,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; it is your DUTY and PRIVILIGE to be prepared to . . . romantically dedicate yourself . . . no questions asked.â&#x20AC;? (Article IV, 6XEVHFWLRQ 3DUDJUDSK

44

Image by Lizzie Cox

reception from Republicans, Catholics and forum sites such as Reddit.com, there seems to be growing dissent from the female population, especially from those FEDORA refers to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;feminazis.â&#x20AC;?

In a currently trending text post, Tumblr.com blogger Superwholock-­ Social-­Justice-­1D wrote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, what, now there are more laws to oppress women in our society? Why exactly do I owe my male friends anything, including romantic involvement or sex, MXVW IRU EHLQJ P\ IULHQG"Âľ The blogger went on to rant about minimum wage, racial discrimination and U.S. foreign policy, claiming that ´LQMXVWLFH LV SUHYDOHQWÂľ LQ RXU VRFLHW\ and that â&#x20AC;&#x153;sexism needs to end.â&#x20AC;?

Predictably, she has been discredited by at least a dozen of Political Analysts, all of whom claim that the blogger â&#x20AC;&#x153;must be on her periodâ&#x20AC;? and is therefore XQĂ&#x20AC;W WR PDNH DQ\ VRUW RI VWDWHPHQW DW the moment. When the female analysts UDLVHG GRXEW DERXW WKHVH Ă&#x20AC;QGLQJV WKH\ were told to â&#x20AC;&#x153;get back in the kitchen, where they belong.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is bright day for us all,â&#x20AC;? declared $DURQ 7KRPDV DV KH OHIW KLV URRP to celebrate, Keystone Light in hand.

Thomas is a self-­proclaimed Internet celebrity; his incredibly emotional autobiography I Am More Than My Hat has one upvote on Reddit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really glad that the Supreme Court saw the LQMXVWLFHV KDSSHQLQJ LQ WHUPV of female privilege and, for our lady demographic, the privilege of conventionally hot guys. Now we can put on our favorite hats and grow out our neckbeards without the ugly stereotype affecting us!â&#x20AC;?

Since the ruling, fedora sales are up and shaving cream sales are down. â&#x20AC;&#x153;FEDORA will usher in a new day for the rest of us: the oppressed, who have no power in the United States,â&#x20AC;? continued Thomas, who is D ZKLWH KHWHURVH[XDO PDQ RI %ULWLVK decent. ____________________________________ Grace Rychwalski is a freshman writing major who thinks the Ithacan has a really great personality, but Buzzsaw is like soooo sexy, you know? Email her at grychwa1@ithaca.edu.

The Day I Recieved My Gay Liberal Agenda A memoir

By Timothy Bidon

I

t had been weeks since I had come out of the closet and I was excited to IXOĂ&#x20AC;OO P\ UROH LQ OLIH IRUHYHU DVVDXOWLQJ American family-­values. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a time every gay American longs for, the day they receive their â&#x20AC;&#x153;gay liberal agendaâ&#x20AC;? from the Committee to Undermine Morals (CUM).

I had been checking the mailbox every day, eager to play my part in the destruction of the family, as we know it. I wanted to travel the world and infuse my perverse way of life (which, obviously, was a choice) into foreign cultures. After weeks of waiting, my time had come.

I reached into the mailbox, pulling out a thick envelope covered in rainbows, portraits of Cher and, of course, various depictions of Satan (who, in case you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know, reigns supreme over â&#x20AC;&#x153;the gays.â&#x20AC;?)

At this point I was sweating. For weeks, my part in the destruction of all that was good in the world had been a mere glimmer in the distance, but today my MRXUQH\ ZRXOG EHJLQ I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control the shake in my hand

as I pulled my instructions out of the envelope. When I read it, I nearly keeled over and died of happiness. I was going to be deployed to Vatican City, a coveted position for any warrior of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;gay liberal agenda.â&#x20AC;? Clearly, the people at CUM must have thought I had some great potential, because I was gifted with the task of spreading our agenda to the Catholic Church itself.

After a tearful goodbye with my mother, I was driven to the airport where I was met

by CUMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s president, known to the public as Rosie Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell, who escorted me to P\ SULYDWH MHW DQG EHJDQ WR JLYH PH P\ EULHĂ&#x20AC;QJ â&#x20AC;&#x153;This wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be an easy task, young gay Jedi,â&#x20AC;? she began. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a man by the QDPH RI 3RSH %HQHGLFW DQG KH¡V VWDQGLQJ in the way of our plan for total destruction. <RXU MRE LV WR JHW KLP RXW Âľ As our plane took off, Rosie began to outline my mission more in depth. I was to use my mind-­control abilities (a power bestowed on all homosexuals) to corrupt %HQHGLFW¡V LQQRFHQW PLQG DQG FRQYLQFH

him to resign.

To gain access, I would request that the SRSH KHDO PH RI P\ JD\ DIĂ LFWLRQ $IWHU , had done my work, CUM would enstate a new pope who would go on to destroy the moral fabric of the Catholic Church for years to come. Only then, would we reign supreme.

It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an easy task, but I passed with Ă \LQJ FRORUV , ZDV OHW LQWR WKH 9DWLFDQ with no problem, of course they were eager to save me from my sin. I used my XQJRGO\ DELOLWLHV WR FRQYLQFH %HQHGLFW WR step down and the rest is history.

The end is near, America. Now that we have the Catholic Church, media and Democratic Party on our side, resistance is futile. A new world order fast approaches. ________________________________________ Timothy Bidon is a senior journalism major who can say all of this because his boyfriend is gay. Email him at tbidon1@ ithaca.edu.

Borders is Back, Baby

Bankrupt bookstore chain plans epic comeback

By Chris Thomas

O

OLQHV IURP 0D\ th to September 5th. %RUGHUV ZLOO EH WDNLQJ D SDJH IURP QRWDEOH URFN EDQGV OLNH 8 DQG WKH 5ROOLQJ Stones by touring across the country.

The tour will feature many exciting performances, including a reading of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fifty Shades of Greyâ&#x20AC;? by Pope Francis, a selection of the Old Testament performed E\ %LOO 1\H WKH 6FLHQFH *X\ LQ VSRNHQ word form and a reading of Kanye Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s QHZ SDJH DXWRELRJUDSK\ ´7KH *UHDWHVW +XPDQ %HLQJ WR (YHU %UHDWKH on Earthâ&#x20AC;? by Yeezy himself. Other events will also be at the tour including Kindle ERQĂ&#x20AC;UH DQG 7KURZ <RXU L3DG $ZD\ $QG %X\ %RRNV ,QVWHDG 7RVV In addition to the tour, there will be a Kickstarter campaign that will last throughout its duration. Every $5 contributed gives the donator a signed WKDQN \RX QRWH JHWV WKHP D SRVW LW note with an apology from George R.R. Martin for every favorite character he kills, JLYHV WKHP D SKRWR RS ZLWK 6KHUORFN +ROPHV D PRFNLQJMD\ DQG RU

more gives them a free book. What book do they get you may ask? According to Mars, everyone who contributes at least GROODUV JHWV D UDQGRP ERRN WR NHHS things exciting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can collect them all, MXVW OLNH 3RNHPRQ Âľ Mars has announced that there are RWKHU IXQGUDLVLQJ VWUDWHJLHV LI WKHVH Ă&#x20AC;UVW two ideas do not work out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the tour and the Kickstarter do not raise enough funds for our store, we are prepared to VWDUW VHOOLQJ %HUWLH %RWWV (YHU\ )ODYRU %HDQV RIIHULQJ YDFDWLRQ SDFNDJHV WR Narnia, vampire face-­painting, and we PD\ HYHQ KRVW VRPH %LQJR QLJKWV Âľ Indeed, this summer looks to be an exciting time for readers, and the story of 0DUV DQG KLV EHORYHG EDQG RI %RUGHUV LV sure to be a page-­turner! ______________________________________ Chris Thomas is a sophomore TV-­R major who would rather see his professor speak at Buffalo Street Books. Email him at cthomas5@ithaca.edu.

Sawdust

ne bookstore is making sure you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t simply turn the page on WKHLU UHVSHFWDEOH UXQ %RUGHUV has recently announced that they will hop onto the Reading Railroad and launch a reunion tour across the country.

7KH WRXU ZDV FRQĂ&#x20AC;UPHG E\ QHZ 3UHVLGHQW RI %RUGHUV &DVSHU 0DUV ZKR WRRN RYHU WKH %RUGHUV IUDQFKLVH LQ DIWHU WKH ERRN JLDQW IROGHG LQWR bankruptcy. Mars said that he invested Ă&#x20AC;YH KXQGUHG GROODUV LQ D FRRN ERRN SXEOLVKHU FDOOHG %DFRQ 3DJHV ZKLFK immediately soared in stock. After receiving a fortune from promptly selling his share, he spent the money on nine cheeseburgers and the entire franchise of %RUGHUV ´, ZDV QRW DZDUH WKDW %RUGHUV FROODSVHG when I purchased it, in fact I meant to EX\ %DUQHV DQG 1REOH EXW DFFLGHQWDOO\ got the two mixed up,â&#x20AC;? said Mars. To get money back for the franchise he accidentally spent all his fortune on, a tour will run through thirty-­two state

45

46

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue

by Allie Latini & John Jacobson

?

Buzzsaw Asks Why...

We Just Wanted You to mulch.

Notice Us

by Rachel Maus

Texas admits they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually want to secede from the US

By Tylor Colby

L

PHQW RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV ZHUH VDLG WR KDYH EHHQ seen drinking together at a local pub.

When things turned rowdy after the bartender refused to let them sing that Avril Lavigne song for karaoke night, senators and representatives of the house broke to the streets and took to their Twitter accounts for ven-­ geance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;tbh we dont even care anymore, were way better than u stuck up yan-­ kees and well kick ur a$$ any day,â&#x20AC;? one tweet read. â&#x20AC;&#x153;TEXAS PRIDE hmu Oklahomaâ&#x20AC;? read another.

It is not clear what plans the White House has for dealing with the awk-­ ward situation between the US and Texas, as President Obama was off on another search for the Malaysian plane crash victims when asked to FRPPHQW 9LFH 3UHVLGHQW -RH %LGHQ was, as always, able to comment, KRZHYHU VD\LQJ WKHUH DUH VWLOO EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV to reap from remaining aloof. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We could always barter with them for large quantities of sweet tea, or PRRQVKLQH Âľ %LGHQ VDLG IRUJHWWLQJ WR note that his words were off the re-­ cord. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Or maybe we could even get them to deport Ted Nugent. The pos-­ sibilities are endless.â&#x20AC;? ____________________________________ Tylor Colby is a sophomore writing ma-­ jor who was looking forward to having a bullet as a stamp in his passport.

Email him at tcolby1@ithaca.edu.

3L I\GITX TIVLETW XLI RIZIV ending stench provided campus wide by the inevitable annual mulch MRZEWMSR 8LI SRI RSR ½REPW VIPEXIH thing to turn springtime into absolute shit.

Now, my question is not necessarily why do we need mulch, as the answer to that is rather obvious.

But rather, why is it that Ithaca College chooses year after year to spread the foulest smelling crap around the entire campus just in time for students to start begging â&#x20AC;&#x153;can we hold class outside?â&#x20AC;?

But alas, we are stuck in this fertilized cow pie for the remainder of the semester. We cannot escape the smell because no matter where we goâ&#x20AC;Śit follows us. That smell.

A kind of smelly smell. The smelly smell that smellsâ&#x20AC;Śsmelly.

- ORS[ [I´VI EPP EFSYX XLI PSGEP ERH REXYVEP ERH SVKERMG FYX [I´VI RSX on a farm. No one is going to pick YT XLI žS[IVW KVS[MRK SYXWMHI Williams and eat them.

Pardon my French, but this is GIVXEMRP] WSQI LMKL UYEPMX] FYPPWLMX

47

Sawdust

ast Friday, Texas senator John Cornyn admitted that all of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous attempts to se-­ cede from the Union were simply to get the attention of the rest of the United States of America. Ironically enough, this news coincided with the UG RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDO RQOLQH ´7H[DV 6HFHVVLRQÂľ SHWLWLRQ WR UHFHLYH WKH UHTXLUHG votes for government intervention.

At a press conference on Friday, &RUQ\Q DW Ă&#x20AC;UVW DSSHDUHG ZHOO FRP-­ posed, despite the fact that roughly DGXOWV DFURVV WKH 8QLWHG States have now signed away his right to US citizenship, including those liv-­ ing in neighboring southern states like Louisiana and Tennessee. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a member of this great stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government, I stand before the rest of this country to say that we Texans are sorry for lying to you,â&#x20AC;? Cornyn said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have no intention of ever really VHFHGLQJ ZH MXVW ZDQWHG WR PDNH LW seem like that in order for us to feel loved. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re complicated.â&#x20AC;?

When asked by a reporter why the lone star state even bothers staying in a country that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even value â&#x20AC;&#x153;southern values,â&#x20AC;? Cornyn broke into tears at the microphone, followed by silence. He was eventually ushered out by fellow Texas senator Ted Cruz, who was also in tears shouting, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need this ****ing country anyway!â&#x20AC;? ,Q D UHFHQW SROO WKH PDMRULW\ RI Americans seem to care very little about the fate of the state that gave birth to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Texas Chainsaw Massacreâ&#x20AC;? killer Ed Gein. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What has Texas ever done for us, other than nag, nag, nag?â&#x20AC;? one Penn-­ sylvania resident said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They should have seen the warning signs: All the bills and proposals we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t replied to, the time we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t invite them to the Salt Lake City Olympics. It was practically written all over our face that we were done with their non-­ sense.â&#x20AC;?

Last night, various Texan govern-­

Springtime: arguably the most wonderful time of the year in Ithaca, NY. The snow has melted, the skies are (sometimes) blue, ERH žS[IVW EVI E FPSSQMR´ 8LI *EVQIV´W 1EVOIX MW FEGO XS MXW outdoor location and going to HMRRIV MR XLI 'SQQSRW HSIWR´X mean huddling far away from the door as we wait for our inside table. Even the fountains have hope of being turned on someday soon.

Nothing could ruin this wonderful feeling after the cruel, harsh winter of upstate New York.

48

BUZZSAW: The Borders Issue