INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 130, No. 102
FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014
News
Arts
Sizzlin’ Things Up
Cats at the Haunt
Willard Straight Hall’s Student Union Board hosted their 10th annual Chili Cook-Off Thursday. | Page 3
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
James Rainis ’14 positively reviews punk rock band Perfect Pussy’s concert at The Haunt. | Page 8
Cornellians Say Redesigned SAT Increases Access
16 Pages – Free
Sports
Weather
Winner, Winner
Partly Cloudy HIGH: 37° LOW: 19º
The men’s track and field team won its second consecutive Indoor Heps title this past weekend. | Page 16
Snaps all around Guest speaker Sangu Delle reads several of his poems about Ghana to celebrate the 57th anniversary of its independence at Goldwin Smith Hall Thursday.
By ANUSHKA MEHROTRA Sun News Editor
Though some students said the newly redesigned Standardized Achievement Test enables increased accessibility to low-income students, other members of the Cornell community criticized the College Board’s elimination of a mandatory essay in the exam. Beginning in Spring 2016, the SAT will revert back to a 1600-point scale, make vocabulary more relevant and eliminate the guessing penalty, the College Board announced Wednesday. The SAT currently consists of three parts — critical reading, math and writing — and is one of two exams prospective students have the option of tak“My personal preference ing to gain admission to the would have been to keep University, according to the Cornell admissions website. the writing section Provost Kent Fuchs said the exam’s writing section mandatory.” promotes the development Provost Kent Fuchs of critical skills. “My personal preference would have been to keep the writing section mandatory in both the ACT and SAT, due to the importance of composition and critical reasoning,” Fuchs said. “The other changes in the SAT, such as changing the focus of vocabulary and math questions and not penalizing for guessing, seem reasonable.” Fuchs said the University is still discussing whether the changes to the exam will affect the admissions process to the seven colleges. “It will take some discussion and planning in the admissions office and in the colleges and schools before we will decide if the SAT changes will influence our admissions procedures and requirements,” he said. Yamini Bhandari ’17 also said she was opposed to the College Board making the essay component optional. “The essay portion actually challenges students to think outside the box on issues and craft their own viewpoint,” she said. See SAT page 4
RULA SAEED / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Law Professor Will Appear on New CNN Program Sunday By JINJOO LEE Sun Senior Writer
In 2012, 53-year-old Edward Lee Elmore walked out of prison, having spent three decades behind bars, most of which he spent on the death row. Despite evidence showing his innocence, Elmore had been convicted three times for sexual assault and murder. Without the perPROF. BLUME sistence of Prof. John Blume, law, defense attorney Diana Holt and litigator Chris Jensen, Elmore may have never left prison.
Proposed Memorial Would Honor Civil Rights Activists By ALISHA FOSTER Sun Staff Writer
The Student Assembly voiced their support Thursday for the construction of an outdoor memorial for three young men — including one who attended Cornell — killed by the Ku Klux Klan 50 years ago. Current plans are for the memorial
Mississippi Burning | An existing memorial stained glass window in Sage Chapel honors the memory of three Civil Rights Movement activists murdered on June 21, 1964.
to be built in front of Anabel Taylor Hall. Michael Schwerner ’61, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were killed on June 21, 1964 while registering black voters in Mississippi. All three were active participants during the Civil Rights Movement and worked diligently for civil rights across racial, religious, and regional lines. Project Coordinator Bill Schechter ’68 said the memorial should be a source of pride for Cornell. “Now we want them to stand together on this campus,” he said. See MEMORIAL page 4
Elmore’s story, told by Blume and others involved in the case, will be featured in the first episode of CNN’s new series, Death Row Stories, which will premiere Sunday. The series, directed by Academy Award-winning directors Alex Gibney and Robert Redford, will reveal “America’s most compelling capital murder cases,” according to CNN. Blume, who argued for Elmore’s third direct appeal, said the case showed everything that was wrong with the American death penalty system: incompetent counsel, racial bias, prosecutorial misconduct and what Blume described as “junk” forensic science. Blume was an executive director of South Carolina Death Penalty Center when he assigned See BLUME page 4
Facing the issues
SONYA RYU / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Prof. David Levitsky, nutrition, moderates a discussion about health care issues and solutions to obesity in Goldwin Smith Hall Wednesday.
2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014
Today
Friday, March 7, 2014
Daybook
Quotes of the Week
Today Q&A With Screenwriter for Film and TV: Ben Robbins 2 p.m., Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Discussion Club: Janice Dowell, Syracuse 3 - 5 p.m., 206 Stimson Hall Food, Farm and Fuel Panel Discussion 3 - 6 p.m., 423 ILR Conference Center
Mind and Meditation Mixer 5:30 - 7 p.m., 414 Willard Straight Hall
Tomorrow
Ritmo de Caribe: A Celebration of Our Roots 7:30 p.m. - 1 a.m., Ballroom, Statler Hotel C.U. Music: Cornell Chamber Orchestra 8 - 9:30 p.m., Barnes Hall Auditorium
Alderperson George McGonigal (D-1st Ward)
Falconry at Cornell and Around the World 8 a.m., Mann Library
L www.cornellsun.com
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Business: For questions regarding advertising, classifieds, subscriptions or delivery problems, please call from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. News: To report breaking news or story ideas, please call after 5 p.m., SundayThursday.
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News, “Cornell Police Chief: Recent Violent Crimes ‘Will Not Be Tolerated,” Wednesday Speaking about three reported crimes on or near campus and what they mean for women “What these reports might be saying, however, is that women are finding the strength to come forward. Both of the crimes reported this weekend were originated by strangers, which are the easiest forms of sexual assaults to report because of the disconnection with the perpetrator.” Narda Terrones ’14 News, “Ithaca Common Council Passes Changes to Collegetown Zoning,” Thursday Speaking about bringing the local Ithaca population back to Collegetown “Collegetown in the past few years has been what I call a ‘college-only’ town. To be really successful, the area has to become a fabric of the entire city again.”
New Boys of Old New York in Concert 8 - 10:30 p.m., Arts Quad
ALL DEPARTMENTS
Opinion, “TRUSTEE VIEWPOINT: Divestment: A Need for Better Arguments,” Tuesday Speaking about arguments both for and against divesting the University’s endowment from the fossil fuel industry “I enjoy a good debate; I’d like to take a position on this issue, but the rationales for supporting or opposing divestment are too weak. I challenge the University community to offer better arguments for or against ‘divestment of Cornell’s endowment from public holdings in companies with large fossil fuel reserves.’” Darrick Nightwalk Evensen grad
Celebrating Cornell's Relationship to the Civil Rights Movement: Remembering Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman 9 a.m., Africana Studies and Research Center
Editor in Chief
News, “BUSINESS NEWS | Engineers See Highest Starting Pay,” Monday Speaking about report that says College of Engineering graduates earn the highest mean starting salary at Cornell “It is short-sighted to look at this data and base a career choice on top of that. We have [many] alumni who graduated in more difficult economic times but even then if you look at the alumni who graduated within the past 10 years, then they chose to do what they wanted to do and didn’t necessarily go after the highest salary and they are doing great.” Christa Downey, assistant dean and director of College of Arts and Sciences Career Services
Color of Our Character 5:30 - 7 p.m., Statler Auditorium, Statler Hall
Haley Velasco ’15
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014 3
NEWS
Ithaca Police Honor Man For Ithaca Falls Rescue thinking and decisive actions,” Barber said. “Your immediate response reached the pinnacle of public service: that of saving a On Wednesday, Ithaca Police Chief John human life.” The Ithaca Police Department will ship a Barber recognized England resident John Garry Smith for saving the life of an plaque and a letter of commendation as an acquaintance who fell into Ithaca Falls in award of appreciation, which will be presented to Smith at a ceremony next Friday in May 2013. According to police reports, Smith had Sheffield, England, according to Jamie Williamson, public inforbeen in Ithaca with mation officer for the Sureshnath Maturi of “There is no doubt that IPD. Houston, Texas on a busi- your friend is alive Williamson said had ness trip when Maturi Smith not acted, Maturi slipped and fell into the today because of your may have become a victim water. Maturi struggled to quick thinking.” of the Ithaca gorges. stay afloat and was drifting “Our gorges are beautidownstream when Smith John Barber ful. They’re a part of what entered the water, pulled him to the shore and continued administer- makes Ithaca a wonderful place to live in. ing CPR until personnel crews arrived and But they’re also very dangerous,” took over. The subject made a full recovery, Williamson said. “If you don’t obey the postit signs, if you don’t employ common sense, the report said. “There is no doubt in my mind that your if you don’t think before act in our gorges, friend is alive today because of your quick tragedy is just around the corner.”
World hero
By SUSHMITHA KRISHNAMOORTHY
Sun Contributor
ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kelechi Umoga ’15 dicusses his experience returning to Nigeria to build a health clinic at the Fafanua L’Afrique event hosted by the Coalition of Pan-African Scholars Wednesday.
Barber agreed with Williamson, reminding Ithacans and visitors of the falls to stay aware of their surroundings. “This is perfect reminder for anyone who visits our gorges to stay on the trail, off the
prohibited area [and] to be cautious,” Barber said. Sushmitha Krishnamoorthy can be reached at sk2273@cornell.edu.
Smith’14 Talks S.A.Engagement,Shared Governance at Luncheon By ARIEL SMILOWITZ Sun Contributor
With Student Assembly elections on the horizon, current S.A. President Ulysses Smith ’14 sat down with students Thursday in an installment of 626 Thurston Ave’s weekly luncheon series to discuss engagement and shared governance at Cornell — things he believes might be ignored after elections are finished. “S.A. elections are in full swing; however, there never seems to be an actual discussion of what happens after elections and how you engage your representatives,” Smith said. “The
S.A. is supposed to be respon- problem with participatory govsive to their constituent groups; ernance. It takes a long time,” it’s supposed to see into the Smith said. “How does each future and handle problems person on the S.A. know what their constituents want? Do accordingly.” they hold meetings Although repreother than office sentatives are encourhours?” aged to meet with Smith also said it is their constituent “incredibly imporgroups and take into tant” for students to account their opintake part in the shared ions, there are times goverance of the S.A. when the representa“Many of the reatives have to make a sons that S.A. memdecision and do not SMITH ’14 bers are not as actively have the time to ask their constituents what their engaged with their constituent groups is because there’s such a thoughts are, Smith said. “Time is of the essence in a lack of interest on the conlot of cases … that’s everyone’s stituent side,” Smith said.
Though the S.A. frequently updates its social media accounts, Smith said it is still difficult to figure out which constituent groups are missing. Smith added that the busy schedules of both constituents and representatives can hinder further engagement. “I don’t like the fact that as president, I’m not as close to the ground as I used to be,” Smith said. “I try to make it my business to respond to people within 24 hours — the problem with that is that I get at least 20 emails an hour, on a calm day.” Audience member Kern Sharma ’17, who is also a staff
photographer for The Sun, said at the luncheon he believed the S.A. could do more in order to increase accessibility. “The S.A. does lots of good work, but as I’ve looked into them, it doesn’t seem like they’re using data-driven procedures to really help their constituents,” Sharma said. “Moving office hours to places with higher traffic or conducting them at more reasonable times are ways I think that the college representatives could better facilitate talking to their constituents.” Ariel Smilowitz can be reached at ags233@cornell.edu.
C.U.Hosts Tenth Annual Chili Cook-Off
Burning Question
Winning chili flavors include ‘spicy three bean chili with bulgur,’ ‘Pirate’s Cove’
In light of Cornell hosting its 10th Annual Chili Fest Thursday, if you were a chili flavor, what would you be?
By ANDREW LEE Sun Staff Writer
Cornellians sampled a variety of unique chili flavors — from coconut to roasted poblano chili — at the Willard Straight Hall Student Union Board’s 10th annual Chili Cook-Off Thursday. Students said they were impressed by the efforts of the cook-off’s organizers to expand the amount of vegetarian options available.
“I went to the Cook-Off last year and was kind of disappointed that they only had two different vegetarian chilies,” Emily Tso ’16 said. “But they really did a lot to improve this year.” Students sampled four meat and four vegetarian chilies, according to student union board executive director Andrew Newman ’14. Chicken chili, as well as macadamia nut seltan bean and barley chili were some of
LISA GISBON / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Spicing it up | Andrew Newman ’14 serves Subramanian Iyer ’15 vegetarian chili at the 10th Annual Chili Cook-Off Thursday.
the other flavors offered at the event. “I think we’ve really hit the perfect balance this year,” Newman said. “Last year, we had six meat and two vegetarian chilies. It’s a lot better to have half-and-half.” Newman said he was grateful for the help he received from the seven dining halls that agreed to participate. “We have to make our reservations a year-and-a-half ahead of time, and we contact dining halls a month or two before the event to make sure they’re committed,” he said. Newman said though the Cook-Off was a success, the Student Union Board ran into a few logistical issues prior to the opening of the event. “It’s always a bit of a challenge making sure we have enough volunteers and dining halls sign up to participate on time, but that’s why we have to innovate,” Newman said. He added that the event
was a success due to the efforts of various organizations — including the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. Newman said he hopes to expand the Cook-Off’s offerings to incorporate more of Cornell’s ready-to-serve, ready-to-eat restaurants like Trillium and Martha’s Café in the future. “These are places that aren’t necessarily dining halls, but they also serve chili, so we’re hoping to get them to participate as well,” Newman said. The winning entry in the vegetarian chili category was “Spicy Three Bean Chili with Bulgur” by Okenshield’s Chef Renee Heroux with 208 votes according to Jung-Ju Lee ’16, a member of the WSH Board of Governors. The winning meat entry was “Pirate’s Cove” by Robert Purcell Marketplace Eatery’s Chef Kegan Selover with 160 votes. Andrew Lee can be reached at alee@cornellsun.com.
“Sizzling hot.”
— Oh So Fine ’16
“Raw fish and mozzerella.” — Deadly Combination ’16 “Salty with a side of sass.” — Not Too Cold, Just Chili ’16 “Coffee chili.” — Gotta Get That Caffeine ’17 “Nice and warm.” — Shivering Cold in Ithaca ’16 “Chili that tastes like a steak burrito from Chipotle.” — Say What ’15 “Chocolate and cinnamon chili.” — ’Nati Native ’16 “Breakfast food flavor.” — Leslie Knope ’15 “Real chili has beef in it, so you could probably figure it out.” — Ron Swanson ’16 — Compiled by Sofia Hu
4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014
NEWS
C.U. Split Over New SAT Changes Law Professor Says U.S. Death Penalty Has Several Flaws SAT
Continued from page 1
“I think making that portion optional will really hurt student writing development because it takes the focus away from developing that skill.” Bhandari added that the changes do little to address the “problem” of creating a test that captures the needs of today’s students. “Learning a breadth of vocabulary and being able to make cogent arguments in an essay are really valuable skills that our education system needs to emphasize,” she said. Application fee waivers for low-income students and free access to practice problems are among the changes being made, according to the College Board website. Seth Lutsic ’17 said he “welcomed” the changes — particularly those that make the exam more accessible to low-income students. “Now, with [the creation] of new programs to help low-income students, the College Board is not only better connecting standardized testing with the work of high schools, but also giving all
students a more fair testing ground,” he said. Others, however, said they were concerned about the implications the changes will have for the test preparation industry. “In a way, this is feeding into the test prep industry because it now requires students to get all new prep books for this new exam that’s somehow supposed to measure someone’s intelligence in four hours,” Bhandari said. Thaddeus Talbot ’15, Student Assembly minority liaison at large, said he thought the test would require less extensive preparation as a result of increasing the relevance of tested material. “By realigning the SAT with actual coursework material, the test may actually examine a student’s wealth of knowledge, as opposed to their wealth of wallet,” he said. “My parents sacrificed for me to have access to intense SAT coaching and tutoring — other high schoolers may not have that luxury.” Anushka Mehrotra can be reached at amehrotra@cornellsun.com.
S.A.Voices Support for Memorial MEMORIAL
Continued from page 1
Professor Salah Hassan, history of art, interim director of the Africana Center, said his department fully supported building the memorial. “Of course the project [has] our full support in Africana and [we] will do anything to help facilitate it,” he said. A petition for the project secured over300 student signatures. Fifteen organizations — including Cornell Hillel and the
Multicultural Greek Letter Council — have already expressed their support, according to Schechter. “[It’s] not just the historical remembrance and the cultural challenge about service, but also how inspiring this is that they reached across race, religion and region to try to work together to do something positive,” Schechter said. Schechter said he thought the three young men were on “the right side of history.” “In the case of the [men,]
what’s a more defining contribution to a democratic society than to make sure that everyone has the right to vote?” The memorial will supplement a stained-glass window in Sage Chapel that Schwerner’s own graduating class dedicated to the three young men in 1991. There will be a public meeting regarding the proposal at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Africana Center. Alisha Foster can be reached at afoster@cornellsun.com.
BLUME
Continued from page 1
defense attorney Diana Holt — who was then an intern — to Elmore’s case. “It was probably the best decision I ever made, and I’m sure Eddy Elmore would agree with that,” he said during a Google+ Hangout with CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield. In 1982, Elmore, a mentally disabled African American man, was accused of sexual assault and murder of Dorothy Ely Edwards, a woman whose house he occasionally visited to wash windows and clean gutters, according to The New York Times. The prosecutor said 53 hairs were gathered from Edward’s bed, where the assault supposedly took place, with most of them being Elmore’s pubic hairs, The New York Times reported. But something seemed odd about the prosecutors’ evidence, according to The New York Times. Though the prosecutor had claimed there were 53 hairs, the actual count was 49, and there were only 42 left in the bag because seven were taken out for examination. The bag of hair was not sealed, which meant that the hairs could have been planted in the bag at any point. Furthermore, two other pieces of evidence against Elmore disappeared: the hair that was found on the victim’s abdomen during autopsy and a fingerprint on the victim’s bathroom. State officials said they could not find them. After Elmore’s lawyers’ persistent search, the two items were found and then tested. Neither the hair nor the fingerprint belonged to Elmore, according to The Atlantic. The investigators also seemed to have missed key pieces of evidence. Although investigators took almost 100 pictures at Edward’s house, they took no photos of the bed where they had claimed the sexual assault happened and they did not take the sheets from the bed for evidence because there were no visible stains present, according to The New York Times. Still, Elmore was sentenced to death in three trials. In a turn of events, the Fourth Circuit of Appeals ordered a new trial in 2011, and the judge ruled that was “persuasive evidence “My view on the criminals there that the agents were outright disthat should receive that honest,” and there was “further evidence of police ineptitude and death penalty have deceit,” according to the Death narrowed.” Penalty Information Center. Elmore’s conviction was then Gregory Braciak ’14 overturned based on the prosecutorial misconduct. However, Elmore pled guilty in exchange for immediate release when prosecutors refused to dismiss the case, according to the Death Penalty Resource website. Holt, Elmore’s defense lawyer, advised him to plead guilty, Blume said. Otherwise, he may have had to stay in jail for more than a year awaiting trial. Trials were no longer attractive for Elmore, Blume said, after three juries had already sentenced him to death. Elmore’s case was a struggle, and Blume said he was “never convinced of the outcome until [they] won in the Fourth Circuit.” Blume said the case was his second most memorable case in his career. The most memorable one, he said, was Richard Charles Johnson’s, his former client who was executed, despite what he thought believed to be overwhelming evidence of innocence. “I still have nightmares about his execution, which I witnessed, and I still wonder whether there was not more I could have done to save his life,” Blume said. Blume said he hopes the episode on Elmore’s case will expose the flaws of the death penalty system in the U.S. “Hopefully seeing how an innocent person can be sentenced to death and spend more than three decades in prison for a crime they did not commit will give some people pause,” he said. Even though Blume said he opposes the death penalty, some students that take Blume’s class, Law 405: The Death Penalty in America, said they support it. Gregory Braciak ’14 said he is in favor of the death penalty only in extreme cases, for “only the worst and vile crimes that indicate a depravity of mind and reckless abandon for human life.” He said taking Blume’s class has changed his view on which criminals deserve capital punishment. “I was more liberal in applying the death penalty prior to [taking the class], but as the semester draws on, my views on the criminals that should receive the death penalty have narrowed,” he said. Julius Kairey ’15 said that while he believes in the death penalty of the “most heinous of crimes,” he is taking Blume’s class to learn more about procedures that can “limit arbitrariness and bias in the system.” Sixty percent of Americans said they favored death penalty for a person convicted of murder, according to a Gallup poll from October. Asked why he opposes the death penalty, Blume said, using an old Talmudic saying his mentor used to paraphrase: “The Justice of God may at times ordain that there are some crimes for which a man should die, but the Justice of man is altogether inadequate to determine who those people might be.” Jinjoo Lee can be reached at jinjoolee@cornellsun.com.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014 5
OPINION
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
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the berry patch
MORE ORIGINAL ONLINE CLASSES
Last month, the University launched its first massive open online course to the public. While the University has made this committment, we at The Sun wanted to gage the public’s reaction to MOOCs and potential topics that people would be interested in learning through these virtual learning platforms. So we enlisted our best Berry Patch reporters — who we found sleeping on top of their textbooks in the library — and sent them to find out what classes should be added to the course list. Beyonce 101: Our peers at Rutgers have created a class called “Feminist Perspectives: Politicizing Beyonce.” Why is this greatness only being shared at Rutgers? We want one, too. The pop goddess deserves to be immortalized at Cornell amongst the legends and there is no better way to do it than in MOOC form.We love it like XO. Introduction to Wines: This class would be similar to the traditional class at Cornell, except it would have to be a BYOB situation. Unfortunately, we found that the University cannot afford to buy all of us wine. The viewers at home will have to buy their own, but get to learn about the dizzying drink while viewing the professor from their couches. Instead of having a prelim, the examinations for this MOOC would be to encourage those watching to have a dinner party. Harry Potter: From Brooms to Books: This potential MOOC would have the professor teaching from the A.D. White Library — it does look like Hogwarts already. Not only would you learn your typical, run-of-themill spells but also transfiguration and fortune telling would be included on the class syllabus. Guest lectures would feature professors in the Law Library including a surprise visit from an adorable house elf ... you guessed it ... DOBBY! How to Get a Guy in 10 Days ... Or in 10 MOOC Sessions: For the loneliest viewers out there, this is the MOOC for you. This would be a class that took place in multiple love-provoking locations including the line at CTP, Pixel Alley and of course while doing a lap at Dunbars. As the song goes, “you fell in love in a hopeless place” and this is what this MOOC is all about.
WOE IS ME I have such a tough time when I am hungry, I just feel so faint all of a sudden. It’s to the point where if I don’t have a snack I’ll need to lie down. — S.C. WOE IS ME, BUT ACTUALLY THOUGH My professor cancelled class on Tuesday and emailed everyone about it but me. UGH. — K.S.N. OVERWHELMED The number of emails that I get in a day is ludicrous. If I could turn them into food, I think I could cure world hunger. — H.A.V. VERY UNDERWHELMED All I want is for some people to tell me their problems, you would think people woud jump at the chance to unabashadly complain about something. Like if you’re not telling me, who is listening to all of this? — C.S.F.
WINTER IS HERE All I want to do is wrap myself in a blanket burrito and hibernate like a fat polar bear in the dead of winter, but obviously this is Cornell and obviously that isn’t going to happen. — A.B. PHILOSOPHI-COLD When Nietzche said, “hope is the worst of evils for it prolongs the torment of man,” he must have had Ithaca’s “spring” in mind. Ithaca gives us tantalizing mild days here and there, and then completely decimates our hopes with subzero temperatures. — D.O. NEEDY I miss you, bed. We haven’t had the proper quality time lately that is necessary to maintain our relationship, and I
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know you’re on the verge of leaving me. Two nights worth of sleep spread across five days is no way ot make this work. Just hang on for one more night and I promise things will be different. — N.R. OVER-AGE As great as it is to turn 21, I go to my favorite bars and get mad when I see all of these young kids. But then I realize I used to be one of them. So there’s that. — F.C. WE’RE GONNA MAKE YOU QUAKE I have a confession to make: I am that kid in your class who is always shaking his leg. Sorry not sorry I have better things ro do and class makes me antsy. — T.A.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014 7
OPINION
Julius Kairey | Guest Column
On Israel, Hypocrisy and Double Standards T
he lengths to which boycott supporters will go to defame the State of Israel are indefensible. The narrative they put forward is always relatively simple: In a series of wars after World War II, Israel systematically threw Palestinians off of their land. Israel then took steps to divide the country between Jews and Palestinians through apartheid policies. Palestinians, largely innocent in the grand scheme of the conflict, have been helpless victims of Israeli brutality. The problem with this narrative: It isn’t true. But before I get to attacks on Israel, I want to return to the issue of academic freedom as it relates to the boycott. How can boycotters claim that telling institutions which schools they can collaborate with will not limit the academic freedom of the people who work for those institutions? In response to my column in this newspaper, a number of authors gave the following answer: Because the boycott targets institutions, and not individuals, academic freedom is not impinged. This would be a sensible argument if institutions did not consist of individuals. The fact that the members of the Cornell government department would be prohibited from having an academic conference with the government department of an Israeli university does tell individuals who they may and may not interact with. By the boycotters’ reasoning, banning Students for Justice in Palestine from campus would not limit the freedom of those individual students to advocate for their cause, because individual students would not be the targets of such a ban. It is illogical to be basing an argument for the boycott of an entire nation upon that premise. Now let’s get back to the accuracy of the boycotters’ attack on Israel’s character. Is Israel really the twenty-first century’s South Africa? As a matter of fact,
Why, or indeed how, could an “apartheid state” grant Palestinians living within Israel full citizenship rights? Israel is a Western-style democracy quite unlike the repressive regimes of the West Bank and Gaza (try peacefully dissenting against Hamas in Gaza or the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank). Let me ask the boycotters something: Why, or indeed how, could an “apartheid state” grant Palestinians living within Israel full citizenship rights? More than 20 percent of Israel’s citizens are Palestinians. They exercise their right to vote, and some of them are members of the Israeli Parliament. Anti-discrimination laws in Israel prevent, rather than foster, unequal treatment. How many other countries in the Middle East foster such democratic diversity? Another thing boycotters like to discuss is the construction of the security wall that physically separates many Palestinians from Israel. But there is a reason why boycott supporters never tell you the reason why Israel built it. The intent was to stop the killing of its citizens. Before the construction of that barrier, dozens of Palestinians would strap bombs to themselves, cross into Israel, and blow up civilians. More than 100 Israelis were killed by such attacks in both 2002 and 2003. In a world where Hamas continues to launch missiles into Israel, causing casualties and forcing their citizens to run in fear to the nearest bomb shelter, Israel must be afforded the ability to defend its citizens’ right to life. Or do the human rights of Israelis not matter because Palestinian acts of terror are to be either justified or ignored? The hypocrisy of boycott supporters would be comical if it weren’t so manifestly obvious. If partnering with an Israeli university, as Cornell is doing, constitutes participation in genocidal Israeli policies, then every student on this campus, through their tuition, is investing in the “genocidal” Israeli state. Are they serious about divestment when they seem so willing to hand over large sums of money to an apartheid-supporting university? I am not asking that social activists be perfect people. But I am asking that they not tell others to “divest from death” when they — if we accept their argument — invest in it every day by attending this university. If these activists feel so passionately about their cause, why are they not willing to make the same sacrifices they ask from others? They seem like boycotters who do not want to boycott. As dozens of nations around the world deny human rights in brutal ways, we hear the loudest calls for the boycott of one country’s institutions: Israel. What explains this application of a double standard that would be unacceptable in nearly any other context? Why is Israel singled out over the worst human rights abusers? What explains why boycott activists ignore real “open air prisons” like China, Cuba and North Korea? Do they not deserve their attention? I suppose academics and students who constantly call for “symbolic action” against Israel fall silent when it come to countries that are either too hard to bully or where people do not have the luxury of being able to form civil institutions to call for boycotts. But regardless of the motivations of its supporters, this boycott does not deserve the support of any community devoted to truth and fairness. Julius Kairey is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at jkairey@cornellsun.com. Guest columns appears periodically throughout the semester.
Comment of the day Web
“I don’t agree with Chipotle on all accounts, particular the issue of GMOs which I feel you represented fairly. However, I do feel this is a discussion we should be having, and while I disagree with the way Chipotle is proceeding with it in many ways, I’m still pleased that there is now a major voice from the other side to propel this discussion into public dialogue.” Barbacoa Re: “GUEST ROOM | Chipot-lies: Farmed and Dangerous” Arts and Entertainment, published Feb. 3, 2014
Zellnor Myrie | Barely Legal
Toppling the House of Cards, One N.Y. Legislator at a Time
B
y now you are undoubted- aid, extortion, misappropriation ment and need to be changed. ly familiar with America’s of “pork” funds, racketeering As suggested by several commisfavorite southern gentle- and petit larceny. Oh, and that’s sions tasked with tackling govmen — the wily, ruthless, but not including a recent scheme to ernment corruption, it’s time we irresistibly charming politician rig the nominations for the New lower the felony bribery threshfrom South Carolina who nar- York City mayoral race in which old, treat LLC’s as corporations rates his machinations for power one councilman stated that (and not as individuals) and to the camera as we (binge) “money is what greases the change the “agreement and watch from the comfort of our wheels.” understanding” provision in the homes. Frances Underwood, the So how can we help put an bribery law to a stricter standard. star of the popular Netflix series end to (or at least abate) such All of these require simple House of Cards, has captured the systemic corruption? Let’s use changes to current state law that attention and adoration of mil- fictitious New York would show the public that New lions of Americans with his Assemblymember, Hank York is serious about cleaning up unabashed thirst for power and Overwood, to flesh it out. If I their government. Public corwillingness to do anything to wanted to wield some influence ruption doesn’t just rob taxpayattain it. with Assemblyman Overwood, I ers of honest service and their But what about the real could legally donate the maxi- hard-earned tax dollars: It erodes Frank Underwoods out there? mum amount for an individual their trust and encourages civic There’s an operating assump- ($5,000) to his campaign, create apathy. And while I enjoy tion by the public that politics is a couple of Limited Liability watching House of Cards as inherently dirty and that every Corporations and contribute the much as the next person, I want politician is my elected offisomehow “on cials to be men the take,” or No public official is perfect. Nor should we and women getting kickwho fight for backs. This empowerexpect them to be. ... They are not, however, the assumption, of ment of the course, does a community, not excused from serving with integrity to the great disservice of themselves. to the countNo public best of their abilities. less elected official is perofficials fect. Nor around the should we country who expect them to serve honorably every day. But maximum for each LLC — they be. They will inevitably make the unfortunate reality is that are treated as an individuals in mistakes and take positions that public corruption is not that New York — offer his chief-of- are unpopular or contrary to the uncommon. In fact, in many staff $9,000 in “pocket money” will of their constituents. They instances, it is legal. These laws and all of this, in and of itself, are not, however, excused from that make it easier for politicians would not be enough to convict serving with integrity to the best to compromise the integrity of him of impropriety. of their abilities. Our public corgovernment belong on TV, not Under current New York law, ruption laws play an integral role in our state capitals and, unfor- Overwood couldn’t be charged in ensuring that they do so and tunately, we don’t have to look with bribery unless we had an New York has the opportunity to far to see how bad things have “agreement and understanding” gain back the trust of its citizens gotten. that my “contributions” to his with a few simple policy In the last 15 years, New York political endeavors were intend- changes. has served as a dubious example ed to influence his actions as a So sit back and enjoy the next of what happens when public public servant. So as long as I time you watch Frank corruption laws are weak. Since never explicitly asked Overwood Underwood cajole, lie, and 1999, 22 legislators to leave for any favors, it would be very schmooze his way to the top — office did so in handcuffs or hard to convict him. Similarly, I know I will. But let’s not forget under ethical violations. New York law has no prohibi- that while we’re watching, there Recounting their many discre- tion on creating multiple LLC’s are real Franks out there, plottions would provide enough for the sole purpose of con- ting their next move. Hopefully material for six seasons of House tributing to campaigns and also some changes in the law will of Cards, but know that over the has a $10,000 threshold for stop them dead in their tracks. years, New York officials have felony bribery of a public serZellnor Myrie is a first year law stubeen charged with bribery in vant. dent. He can be reached at exchange for favorable legislaThese loopholes in the law zym4@cornell.edu. Barely Legal tion, theft from fictitious non- contribute to the culture of cor- runs alternating Fridays this semesprofits receiving government ruption in New York govern- ter.
8 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Friday, March 7, 2014
A&E
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PHOTOS BY CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
UpsTate’S FinEst: PErfect PusSy at The HaUNt BY JAMES RAINIS Sun Senior Writer
Perfect Pussy’s ascent in the world of noisy punk rock has been ridiculously swift. Armed with just their cacophonous (and insidiously addictive) four-track demo tape I have lost all desire for feeling and an alliterative, provocative band name — “Are you going to call me a cunt?” asks singer Meredith Graves. “Are you going to tell me I'm ugly? Well, here's my band name — do your worst, motherfucker.” — the band has gone from Syracuse hardcore also-rans to national subculture darlings. Hell, Meredith Graves was even invited to write a Tour Diary for style magazine Elle, a tribute not only to her band’s ascendency but to her own unique fashion and magnetism. She’s a blunt woman, writing lyrics about backstabbing friends whose eyes are “low and heavy with shame and cum,” and her band’s aural assault — which includes a full-time pedals-and-pedalsonly guy along with the standard power trio — is just as confrontational. Tuesday night, Perfect Pussy kicked off their largest tour to date with an absolutely stacked show at The Haunt, cosponsored by Ithaca Underground and Dan Smalls Presents. The show served not only as a sending off party for one of Upstate New York’s most celebrated young bands, but as a showcase for some of the region’s finest underground groups. Even as Graves donned a fur coat and smoked cigarettes outside with her bandmates, those who
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
came early were not to be disappointed. Hardcore revivalists King Sized Pegasus rang in the proceedings, and by “rang in” I mean “pummeled the audience’s faces in.” Their brand of punk rock is not at all dissimilar to Black Flag or Minor Threat — loud, concise statements played at breakneck speeds, they alternate between screams of misanthropy (one song’s only lyrics are “Fuck you!”) and sardonically silly songs about drinking gasoline and being bad at mathematics. Naturally, their subminute songs served as a moshing warmup for all involved, and they even got the crowd involved in some pithy banter (In response to a fan shouting “King Sized Pegasus for President:” “I’m in a punk band. What makes you think I’m gonna be president? Fuck Barack Obama.”), which was charmingly bratty of them. Keep an eye out for their upcoming merch: underwear with the label “King Sized” emblazoned on the front. Following KSP was the decisively mellower Cat Names. The trio of embattled Syracuse natives sarcastically tried to convince the audience that their bassist was the man inside Otto the Orange (the Syracuse University mascot) costume; their bassist defiantly announced his allegiance to HobartWilliam Smith. Their drummer sings and they have a song where the bassists uses a slide. I don’t even need to say any more — you already know these guys are cool — but I will: Cat Names peddle in a classically twangy, yelping brand of indie rock not terribly far removed from Modest Mouse’s more rambunctious moments but with sweeter harmonies. They have a song called “Sexy Ghost,” which is damned fun, and a song in sevenfourths time helpfully titled “Seven.” The world is better off for the existence of these songs; thusly, the world is better off for the existence of Cat Names. Binghamton quintet Summer People was up next, and I get the feeling that the name is a bit of a misnomer. Instead of being some faux-hip, Urban-Outfitters-soundtracking beachpop act, these guys rock sludgy riffs that recall The Stooges or The Queens of the Stone Age at their most rad (read: on Songs for the Deaf) and sing about pain,
drinking and domestic violence. I’d imagine these guys would be more accurately called Whiskey People, but I’m sure some bluegrass group stole the name and they just were like, “Fuck it, warm weather is nice.” Jokes aside, these guys were absolutely baller: menacing guitars, thud-happy bass and hectic drums all give way to their singer, who is likely the genetically engineered spawn of Ronnie James Dio and Frank Black. Sweating, strutting and occasionally playing the bongos, he was an absolute riot to watch and listen to. If you’re lucky enough to live the kind of lifestyle where you drive around in Camaros while wearing sunglasses and beating the shit out of people who stole your meth, get some Summer People jamming in your tape deck. I think you guys might get along. Finally, Perfect Pussy made it to the stage. Meredith Graves sat demurely on a monitor while her band got ready, and her patient demeanor had me worried: Would Perfect Pussy be the hellacious noise-punk experience I had heard so much about? Short answer: yes. The band’s songs grow nearly amorphous in small spaces: the pedal tones provided by synth and pedal guy Shaun Sutkus overwhelm a place like The Haunt, but once the guitars and drums crash in, it builds into a typhoon of potent, noisy chaos as guitarist Ray McAndrew’s trebly riffs settle upon his rhythm section’s relentless churn. Bodies were being hurled around the dancefloor with reckless abandon (at one point, I almost broke a girl’s tooth with my skull), and all the while Graves tapped into her inner Henry Rollins, hollering her lyrics like accusations and calling the audience “babies” for not moshing hard enough. She’s a natural star, with a stage presence that miraculously manages to emerge through the cacophony and a beautiful way with self-deprecation (“This song is for anyone who’s ever had a drunk person come over to their house and invalidate their experiences,” she says as she introduces a song, “We know you’re out there.”) Even when the band took their foot off the gas during the Sonic Youth-indebted “Interference Fits,” Graves and company maintained their fierce aggression. After a brief, 25-minute set, the hurricane of limbs and guitar squall was over. Not only did Perfect Pussy prove their worthiness of all the hype with a set of boiling hot punk tunes (and, yes, amid the noise there are some hummable melodies in there), but Upstate New York’s finest made a statement: Groups like Perfect Pussy are not an anomaly. I left The Haunt Tuesday not only satisfied by the promise of Perfect Pussy, but enlivened by the reaffirmation of an Upstate music scene that is young, eager, adventurous and ready to make a statement. James Rainis is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at jrainis@cornellsun.com.
A&E
Friday, March 7, 2014 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 9
Pulp and Circumstance: Politicizing the Genre Flic ZACH ZAHOS Sun Senior Writer
If you really love movies, you must respect the genre film: the not-quite-blockbusters, shot for $50 million or less, serving time-worn action, horror, sci-fi and Western thrills. To revere Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang and Anthony Mann and dismiss those following in their footsteps is a most common hypocrisy amongst film enthusiasts today. Genre films bring home money instead of Oscars, yet the best of them exert intelligence and an impeccable command of cinematic technique. NonStop is not the best of the best, but it is up there. While Liam Neeson reprises a more nuanced take on the badass paternal figure he has been playing since 2008’s Taken, director Jaume Collet-Serra situates his actor in a story and setting packed with more post-9/11 commentary than its poster would have you expect. It all starts pretty Screenwriting 101: In slow motion, a pair of hands tip a flask into a coffee cup, stir the drink with a toothbrush and reach for a wrinkled photo of a little girl. Bill Marks (Neeson) is a grizzled alcoholic with a sad, yet-to-be-explained backstory sitting alone in his car when he receives a call that, yes, he has one last job to do. He works as an air marshal, despite being scared of plane takeoffs, and this flight from New York to London should keep him on his toes. There is a reticent Muslim (Omar Metwally), a non-PC cop (House of Cards’ Corey Stoll) off to see his “fairy brother marry a guy with a British accent,” Julianne Moore yapping in the seat next to him and, worst of all, a giggling supermodel (Bar Paly) cuddled with her beau behind him. It’s all clichés, tropes, been there, done that for the first few minutes. But you stick with it, because all Liam Neeson movies these days start the same, and this one gets a whole lot better than any of
D
them, save The Grey. Midway through the flight, Bill receives cryptic text messages over his secure network that if he does not wire $150 million to an account in 20 minutes, a passenger will die. Neeson’s Savior Mode activates, as he recruits Moore and a familiar flight attendant (Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery) to look for conspicuous cell phone use. But this is 2014, so everyone is a suspect. The Agatha Christie vibe escalates once 20 minutes elapse and, through Bill’s direct actions, a passenger ends up dead in a bathroom stall. The TSA traces the terrorist’s bank account to Bill Marks’ name, and it looks like our imperfect hero has been framed. At this point, I could describe the Non-Stop fight scenes, which are scarce Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra arises that Bill, their but claustrophoprotector, may Starring Liam Neeson, Julianne avowed bic, intense and be the terrorist, the pasMoore, Scoot McNairy awesome. When sengers fret over what reviewing a bad action to take. They action film, you know what happened can adjectivise on United 93 and rechand-to-hand ognize that Hollywood combat and fill six and U.S. history paragraphs. Thankposthumously (and rightfully, Non-Stop is quite good, so there is more ly) valorized the civilians aboard it because they going on than Neeson kicking ass and, there- took decisive, selfless action. Meanwhile, the fore, much more to talk about. In fact, the irony that a federal agent assigned to defend story’s momentum depends on Bill Marks back- would turn and hijack a plane proves too ing himself up, through tactical miscalculations, appealing for news pundits to ignore. There is into a corner for most of the movie. Targeting a great shot of passengers plugging in their the Muslim on-board proves to be a prejudiced headphones and watching, on back-of-headand rushed judgment, as does singling out a rest screens, talking heads accuse Bill of terrorblack man wearing a hoodie for search. The ism or worse. The isolation of today’s media — issue of profiling criminals according to race everybody has their own screen — prohibits and gender vexes Bill throughout his mission, conversation and connection, for we prefer to and the diversity of the flight’s passengers repre- take for truth the words of a suited man before sents a microcosm of America at large. a camera than whatever a real, beat-up human The matter of security — its necessities, being seated next to us might say. limits and enforcers — in post-9/11 America The politics of Non-Stop are difficult to also haunts Non-Stop. When the possibility decode, but they are there. Collet-Serra leans
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Jack Bauer conservative, in that homogenous bureaucracies often distort and lie while flawed but passionate agents wield their dogmatism to best unfavorable odds. The script stoops to two sappy, on-the-nose speeches about such themes, but grandstanding is sort of a requirement in a movie like this. Take them with a grain of salt, for Collet-Serra embeds his own perspective through camera placement, text message superimposition and other cinematic techniques alone. Prior to its release, Reverse Shot critic Nick Pinkerton tweeted, “What sort of human garbage gives a poor review to Non-Stop?” I don’t think he was being facetious, and neither am I. Non-Stop follows the book, yet it fills in its margins with questions, patterns and Liam Neeson. The challenge here is to enjoy the superficial thrill of it all while daring to appreciate it as, if not art, then seriously smart entertainment. Balance those two tasks and you may just save America. Zach Zahos is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at zzahos@cornellsun.com.
F*** You, Eat This
emolishing my fourth Manndible’s burrito in as many days, I clicked between the umpteen browser tabs of food programming on my laptop. As I watched David Chang scarf down street meat and Anthony Bourdain scarf down street meat and Eddie Huang scarf down street meat on their respective shows of nearly identical content, I looked to myself, scarfing down this infant-sized sack of meat and cheese — unquestionably the height of gastronomical offerings here at Cornell — and wondered A) why is guac always extra? and B) when do our appetites for culinary celebrity became bigger than our appetite for culinary fare? This question is so commonly posed nowadays that, similar to the trend of the art-opsy (elucidated by Sam Bromer ’16 in his column on Monday), the constant media coverage on the rise of the celebrity chef pounds our newsfeeds ad nauseum. And though culinary stardom is a relatively new phenomenon — the Food Network was created in 1993 — it’s a phenomenon that has existed for the entirety of our lifetimes. So I can’t help but feel as if the world, like me, has always been weaned on the dulcet tones of Ina Garten’s horrific Hamptons humor and Jean Georges’s lava cakes. Now that it has boomed, we may be cycling towards a bust — or at least a mutation — of what once was a scene dominated by the Marios, Gordons and Emerils of the industry. Identifiable by their first names, celebrities without even the qualifier of “chef,” these former line cooks and dishwashers did their time in kitchens across the world. Peeling potatoes and carving radish roses for years, they eventually amassed their swaggering empires of restaurants, foods, books, and television programs. And yet, today, you no longer need to be someone’s grill bitch before hitting it big with your ruddy mug on your own brand of spaghetti sauce. More and more, the wholesome image of the TV chef, of wide-eyed and bushy-tailed Giada DeLaurentis and Rachael Ray, is nixed for something edgier. Though the culinary industry was always surfeit of the under-
ground, off-beat types (or so Kitchen Confidential had us believe), those same druggie-immigrant-vagrants are breaking onto the silver screen. The most famous example of rock star chefs on TV is, of course, the aforementioned Anthony Bourdain. However, my newest discovery, the freshest enfant terrible to burst onto the culinary scene, is Eddie Huang of Vice’s online mini-series, Fresh Off the Boat. Huang’s career spanned from bunked streetwear designer to one-time attorney to drug dealer to stand-up comedian before he saw some success with the 2009 opening of his casual East Village eatery, Baohaus. Selling pork-tastic Asian buns, Baohaus’s positive reception led to the opening of his zero-star, Four Loko-slinging Chinese small bites shop, Xiao Ye, which promptly went out of business. Huang’s career trajectory speaks to a fundamental change in food culture: It’s no longer about earning cred the hard way anymore — especially if, like Eddie, you’ve started a hilarious food-memoir-hip-hop blog. In an industry that increasingly intersects with social media and public image, the number of followers you have on Twitter has become its own remunerative commodity, greater than any decades spent under fine dining tutelage. In turn, Huang’s blog has led to his book deal, which has Profanity led to his Vice show, which has led to an Prayers NBC sitcom pilot of his life story. Through these outlets, Huang has created a cult of personality, riding on his unique cocktail of charisma, luck and hustle. Maybe his culinary chops are secondary, and maybe that’s okay. I still derive massive enjoyment from his show as he smokes blunts with rapper Danny Brown in Detroit and devours sheep eyeballs in Mongolia. Fresh Off the Boat is not unlike Chang’s or Bourdain’s formulaic travel-logue shows of general debauchery and food porn, but Huang’s dynamic persona has created programming that is part standup comedy, part philosophical musing and part Flavor Flav. Is he Bourdain’s second coming, now 60 percent more ethnic and 40 percent more incongruous? Maybe, as he once introduces himself on Fresh Off the Boat in a No Reservations-esque opener: “What up? It’s your boy Eddie Huang. Writer. Chef.
Alice Wang
ZANDER ABRANOWICZ / SUN STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
Human panda. BangBros connoisseur and I’m horny for more.” Then he asks a passer-by for a joint. Fresh Off the Boat truly reads as a Huang’s stream-of-consciousness, rife with all the DGAF word vomit and masturbatory self-indulgence. As he lights a blunt in a Chinese-American restaurant in Shanghai, he says, “This city’s got the ugliest, ugliest fucking doo doo bombs, fucking poop weed I’ve ever seen.” As he passes by a few female employees at a soup dumpling joint earlier that morning, he hollers, “Bad bitches that also know how to use an abacus!” As he eats a German sausage casserole topped with broccoli in Taiwan, he makes an apt analogy for Asian dick size: “Don’t let your shrubbery look bigger than your weaponry.” As he attacks his camera crew with phallic popsicles and Taiwanese breakfast foods, the screen flashes with the disclaimer “Cameraman Eating Break: we feed our crew you fucking mouth breathers!” Huang is a bombastic raconteur, unapologetic in all his exquisite vulgarity. His show is an endurance test of human indecency, of manic globe-trekking exuberance, of dick jokes and tiger-stripe jumpsuits, of “Fuck you, eat this.” Please, enjoy the verbal abuse and culinary education from the world’s most reputable human panda. Alice Wang is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at awang@cornellsun.com. Profanity Prayers appears alternate Fridays.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
10 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Small amount 4 WWII MIA location 11 NFL captains 14 __ Jima 15 High-class tobacco products 16 Samovar 17 GPS finding 18 Good chap 19 Nonpro sports org. 20 Plot 22 Providing with a transcript, possibly 24 __-tzu 25 Climbing aids 29 Arm support 31 Viral chorus? 32 Turkic Russian 33 Histrionic display 37 Roast, in a Baja dish 38 Stuck 39 __ mining 40 “Argo” actor 43 NBA coach Thomas 44 Historic town in Lazio 45 Santa __ winds 46 Innocuous sorts 50 Way to find out what you know 52 3-D graph part 53 “It’s just __ thought ...” 54 “South Pacific” song 60 Highway or city stat 61 “Illmatic” rap star 62 Mythical symbol of purity 63 Fitting 64 Room with hoops 65 What this grid’s big symbol is, Across and Down 66 Albany is its cap.
DOWN 1 Dump 2 Man __ 3 Autocratic approach 4 Book with shots 5 Poison __ 6 Morgantown’s st. 7 Low island 8 Afr. country 9 If said again, group in a 1950s African uprising 10 Studying on a couch? 11 Draw back with alarm 12 Stock mark 13 Curls up 21 Books about Toronto and Ottawa, say 23 Country abutting Nicaragua 25 Put away 26 Not down: Abbr. 27 FDR loan org. 28 Papa John’s rival 29 GDR spy group 30 Holds up
34 Annoy 35 __ bono: “Who stands to gain?” in law 36 B&O stop 40 Org. for Nadal and Djokovic 41 Lucy of “Kill Bill” 42 Colorado NHL club, to fans 47 Band guitarist, in slang
48 Lacking stability 49 Army squad NCOs 50 Sharp tooth 51 Words from Watson 55 Buy from Sajak 56 Paris lily 57 Suffix with tact 58 __ polloi 59 Valiant’s son
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Sun Sudoku
Hummingbird Heartbeat #II
Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once. Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name. (Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki /Sudoku)
The Lawn xwordeditor@aol.com
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12 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014
SPORTS
Laxers Face ‘First Big Test’ Rivera Continues to With Visit From Cavaliers Save,Donates Three M. LAX
Continued from page 13
coach Ben DeLuca ’98 and several talented, graduating seniors, has changed since last year’s run to the Final Four. “[We’re] a young team,”
Buczek said. “We’re a fairly inexperienced team, game-wise. I think a lot of these guys have been waiting a couple years and [are] finally getting their chance. It’s a different game as soon as the scoreboard turns on; you get out there for your first posses-
sion. You’ve got a few pre-game jitters early in the game so you want to make a play, so I think it’s one of those things where everyone’s just starting to get their feet under them, get a little game experience and you start really getting in the flow of the game.” Slow starts have been an issue for the Red, and a visit from Virginia could tempt the laxers to overcompensate against a national powerhouse. One of the weaknesses the team has been working to correct, according to Edmonds, is “[n]ot being focused and trying to do too much instead of playing our game, playing patient, ‘hitting singles’ like coach always says, getting everyone a touch, and playing as a team.” Opening possessions aside, the Red’s showdown against the Cavaliers will be a major earlyseason measuring stick for the young squad’s in-game resiliency. “Our goal is always to go undefeated at Schoellkopf every year, so this is our first real big test where we see what we’ve got in that locker room,” Buczek said. “I think the guys are going to step up, have a great week of practice and we’re going to give it a great shot Saturday.” Chris Mills can be reached at cmills@cornellsun.com.
Million to Local Church
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (AP) — Now that he’s retired, Mariano Rivera says he misses spring training and his Yankees teammates, but baseball doesn’t compare to doing God’s work. “The baseball field is one thing. We won championships,” Rivera said Thursday after the dedication of a once-crumbling church his foundation restored. “But this is totally on another level. This is to hopefully bring families closer to the Lord. ... Changing people’s lives, that’s what counts.” The legendary reliever’s foundation poured about $3 million into the 107-year-old church for Refugio de Esperanza, or Refuge of Hope, the Pentecostal Christian congregation led by his wife, Clara. “It has been a privilege to fulfill a dream that God put in our hearts,” Rivera told the crowd of about 350 during an exuberant, bilingual, musicand-Scripture-filled celebration. Sunlight, filtered through new stained glass windows, provided a golden glow beneath the church’s old but
restored ceiling timbers. Asked if the rescue of the church in downtown New Rochelle, about 6 miles north of Yankee Stadium, should be added to his record 652 saves, Rivera said, “You could say that. This was the big one.” Three years ago, the building was on the verge of collapse and being used to store evidence by the police department next door. That was when Rivera, whose home had been serving as the diverse congregation’s meeting place, was looking for a bigger space. The former North Avenue Presbyterian Church had been vacant since the 1970s and was badly in need of repair. “It was in bad shape but I saw a beauty beyond that,” Rivera said. “God gave us the inspiration and the desire to really renovate it and make it the thing it is. It wasn’t me. It was the Lord.” Former City Councilman Joe Fosina, a longtime friend of Rivera who showed him the gray stone church, looked around the new space Thursday and said, “To come so far so quickly, it’s amazing.”
SPORTS
Younger Pannell Headlines Virginia’s Offensive Threat M. LAX
Continued from page 16
“We were a little bit loose with our passes and not being sure with them,” Kerwick said. “ [O]ur guys responded well.” Leading that response was sophomore midfielder John Edmonds, who scored the next two goals for the Red and helped spark a 12-0 run that continued into the third. “This year we’ve been struggling to get that kick-start — that big lead and keeping it,” Edmonds said. “So it’s good being patient. Coach always says ‘[L]et the game come to you,’ so that’s what happened.” Cornell opened the second period with five goals against the Golden Griffins over a threeminute span. Junior midfielder Connor Buczek got in on the action with two consecutive scores of his own and Edmonds then found junior attackman Matt Donovan to extend the lead to 6-2. “I was coming to the cage and [senior attackman/midfielder Dan Lintner] threw me a pass, a little low, I mean it wasn’t here,” Edmonds said, holding his hands up above his chest. “I kind of just went down for it and saw the defense coming to me and saw Don out of the corner of my eye and I just tried to get it to him as high up as I [could] and flick it across to him and he’s just going to put it away.” From there, the Red extended its lead to 13-2 by the early third period, and assistant coach Peter Milliman’s defense kept Canisius searching for answers until the clock hit zeroes to cap the 19-6 victory. A contributing factor to the win was a combined 46-19 advantage in ground balls that helped the Red control possession in every period. “It’s our number one stat,” Kerwick said. “We’ve done a great job all year. In all four games we’ve been pretty dominant in the ground ball stat and that’s very important for us and that’s why we’re 4-0 right now.” This Saturday’s showdown of unbeatens with the University of Virginia will give Kerwick’s team a new challenge on the field and in the ground ball department. The Cavaliers have held the ground ball advantage in five of the team’s six victories this season, including a recent 51-22 ground ball advantage en route to a 17-12 win over No. 9 Syracuse. “This is what it’s all about; the level of play picks up quite a bit,” Kerwick said. “Virginia’s one of the best in the country — they always are.” After beating the Cavaliers on their home turf last season, Buczek acknowledged that Virginia would be searching for revenge on Saturday. “They’ll come to play,” he said. “Last year we went down to Charlottesville and stole one from them. I’m sure they weren’t too happy. They’re going to give us a great shot.” In addition to a No. 2 national ranking, the Cavaliers will also bring a familiar name to Ithaca:
attackman James Pannell. Pannell currently ranks second in Division I lacrosse with 26 points, behind only teammate Mark Cockerton’s 31. He is also the younger brother of former Cornell standout Rob Pannell
’13. Having a Pannell on the opposite sideline of Schoellkopf this Saturday will serve as a reminder of how much the team, which parted ways with head See M. LAX page 12
TINA CHOU / SUN FILE PHOTO
Defending home turf | Junior midfielder Connor Buczek says the Cavaliers will gun for a victory after the Red stole a win in an away match last season.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014 13
14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014
SPORTS
Women’s 4x400 Relay Named to All-Ivy First Team TRACK & FIELD
Continued from page 16
Austin Jamerson finished third and fifth, respectively.Both set personal bests in the process, with Jamerson breaking his own freshman record. Freshman Grant Sisserson broke his own freshman record as well in the pole vault, moving to No. 2 all-time at Cornell, with a second place finish in the event. In the weight throw, Mozia came in ninth, with sophomore Bryan Rhodes finishing in first. Senior Montez Blair (No.2 in the nation) also impressed with a win in the high jump. Blair, Hortelano-Roig, Mozia, Rhodes, Hairston and Weinlandt were all named to the All-Ivy first team after the meet. “The best things in On the women’s side, sophomore life are not easily Udeme Akpaete won the 400 in 55.21. obtained.” She later joined juniors Zena Kolliesuah, Elyse Wilkinson and senior Ebolutalese Bruno Hortelano-Roig Airewele in the 4x400 meter relay win, recording a time of 3:41.56, besting last year’s time by three seconds. The quartet was named to the All-Ivy first team as well, with Akpaete also earning the honor in the 400. Adding to the scoreboard were freshman Adrian Jones in the 200, senior Emily Shearer in the mile, seniors Anjelique Parnell and Dominique Corley in the long jump, Rachel Sorna in the 3000, Zaakirah Daniels in the 60 meter hurdles and junior Jennifer Markin in the pole vault. All of them recorded Top-six finishes. Cornell’s next challenge is the IC4A/ECAC Championship at Boston University, which begins on Saturday. “[T]he success this team had was only possible because we knew the taste of defeat all too well and we decided we had enough of it,” Hortelano said. “The best things in life are not easily obtained. But everything is possible, if you believe it is.” Lisa Awaitey can be reached at lawaitey@cornellsun.com.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, March 7, 2014 15
SPORTS
EQUESTRIAN
Red Prepares to Ride in Regional Show at Alfred By ANNA JOHNSON Sun Staff Writer
On Saturday, the Cornell equestrian team heads to the regional show at Alfred as a favorite with a chance to advance to nationals. After clinching a convincing lead early in the season, the Red had a lock on the regional title ever since its own Cornell Show on Feb. 16th. According to sophomore Reina Baizan, this weekend’s event will be important in setting a precedent for nationals. “The team is doing fantastic this year, and we have so many excellent riders competing in regionals. … I feel like it’s very important to put in a good showing at regionals, because it really sets the tone for the upcoming zones and nationals competitions,” she said. “Although regionals is an individual competition, the team as a whole has a very good shot at going to nationals, and I am so excited to be a part
of that. … Equestrian is so often thought of as an individual sport, which makes it all the more spectacularly satisfying to succeed as a team.” Freshman Shana Coffey also said that the team is focused on the future. “Everyone is extremely dedicated to the team and to preparing for these upcoming shows,” Coffey said. “Having won the region, the team is well poised to be successful at zones … also to hopefully advance to nationals this year.” Being this close to nationals is new to the team — and, to many of its riders, college equestrian in general is, too. This year, the Red’s roster features 12 freshmen, and senior Alexandra Cheng said this has given the team an opportunity to grow as a unit. “We’ve all had the wonderful opportunity of learning and growing together and our success in the region is simple proof that all of our hard work individually and as a unit has paid off,” Cheng said. On the individual end, her season has
SHAILEE SHAH / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Trotting along | After the Regional show this Saturday at Alfred, the Red will set its sights set on the nationals competition.
not been without challenges, but Cheng many dedicated members of the team there said she is staying focused on the upside. are, because riders who are not competing “It's been an interesting year for myself at regionals still work hard in practice. as well. … I was sidelined for over half the “Even the girls that aren't competing at season with a concussion and therefore regionals have been coming to the barn to could not individually help out with pracqualify for my classes, tice,” she said. “While open fences and flat,” “I think that making it to making it to zones and hopefully nationals is Cheng said. “Despite the national level would being injured, I've definitely a personal goal of mine, I think been so lucky to be really help us gain more making it to nationals part of a group of girls recognition. ” as a team is everyone's who care so deeply ultimate goal. I think about their sport.” Elizabeth Drake we have a really good Sophomore shot this year — we Elizabeth Drake faced a similar injury last year, and has had the won the region by a significant margin and chance to make up for lost time this season. have a lot of exceptional riders.” Drake said that success at the national Drake has qualified for the regionals meet and, after last year’s injury, is now poised level would help to increase knowledge and recognition of equestrian at Cornell. for a comeback. “As one of Cornell's youngest sports “Personally, I'm really excited to be showing at regionals this weekend. Last teams … I think that making it to the year I missed a pretty big part of our season national level would really help us gain due to a concussion, so it was really great to more recognition as a serious, successful be able to come back and qualify this year,” team, which could mean a lot for our program,” Drake said. she said. With plenty of motivation, the team is Though excited for her own chance this weekend, Drake, too, focused less on her- prepared to do what it takes at regionals this weekend. On Saturday, the Red will self and more on her team’s success. “For the team as a whole, I'm so proud have its closest shot yet at securing a spot at of the dedication everyone has shown in nationals, and plans to compete. Looking preparing for regionals and zones. … I ahead to Saturday’s competition, Cheng think that winning regionals really helped said she was confident that hard work bring our team together and get everyone would pay off this weekend. “We have so many individuals who have excited for the rest of our season, which is really important going into these tougher worked tirelessly and have an amazing opportunity to shine on their own,” Cheng competitions,” Drake said. However, Drake acknowledged that the said. “I can definitively say that in terms of team’s success has not come without dili- what we can control — our preparation, riding style, fitness, both mental and physgence. “It takes a lot of commitment and ded- ical — our individually qualified riders are ication to practice like we do — it was -11 as prepared and ready to compete as they've degrees when we went to the barn for 6 ever been, and all that is left is getting into a.m. practice this morning — but everyone the ring on Saturday.” is being really supportive of one another,” she said. Anna Johnson can be reached at According to Drake, it is apparent how ajohnson@cornellsun.com.
Bayless’ ‘Angry Lebron’ Article Disrespects One of NBA’s Best SHATZMAN
Continued from page 16
not even have been in the discussion after a season in which James came relatively close to averaging a triple-double. His claims look absurd on paper, but it makes me cringe in hindsight to watch the videos of Bayless acting 100 percent certain of himself, unwilling to entertain possibilities that the majority of NBA fans believed to be indisputable. Those predictions were a few years ago. LeBron James has won back-to-back NBA titles since then. He has won back-to-back MVP awards. Since James won his first title, Bayless eased off on the hate, but barely. In that sense, Bayless reminded me of a 12year-old who is so afraid to admit being wrong that he whines and complains and makes it painfully obvious that he knows how wrong he was. As a fervent King James supporter, I relished watching Bayless continue to disrespect him. I figured that at some point he would give LeBron the respect he deserved. So when I read the first sentence
tion are palpable. Sports Illustrated writer Richard Deitsch tweeted his regular Bayless “first-person count,” which landed in the 20’s. Skip holds so much pride in his utterly inaccurate predictions, knows now that he is obviously wrong, decides to write a column finally expressing support for LeBron James I needn’t quote the sorry and then proceeds to become an insecure brat piece of writing that to me from the second pararesembles the lowest of graph to the final sentence. the low in the Please, please read the Skip-LeBron Saga. entire column. Every sentence is oozing with Bayless’ inability to admit much I will ‘hate’ on their misjudgment. He has no right four-time MVP and two-time to mention the name “LeBron James” after this blatant disrechampion.” Finally, Skip had come spect. His basketball opinions clean. So I thought. I was quite are irrelevant and serve no other purpose than morning mistaken. In what appeared to be entertainment. Consistent brilliant journalwriting supporting James — that is what Skip said it was — ism is published on ESPN’s he offered sentence after sen- Grantland. It is a shame that tence of blatant shot-taking at lowly Skip Bayless is able to LeBron, both as a player and as publish nonsense like this on a person. I needn’t quote the the front page of ESPN. Stick to TV, Skip. sorry piece of writing that to me resembles the lowest of the low in the Skip-LeBron saga. Ben Shatzman can be reached at The arrogance and self-promo- bshatzman@cornellsun.com.
Celebrating seniors
of Skip’s “Angry LeBron,” it seemed that maybe, just maybe, Skip had finally grown a pair. He opened the column with this: “This no doubt has come as a discombobulating shock to LeBron lovers who watch ‘First Take’ in part to see just how
KERN SHARMA / SUN CONTRIBUTOR
Senior forward Dwight Tarwater (above), along with guards Dominick Scelfo and Jake Matthews, will play in their final Cornell games this weekend.
Sports
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
FRIDAY MARCH 7, 2014
16
TRACK & FIELD
Men Bring Home Second Straight Indoor Heps Championship Title Hortelano-Roig,Mozia named Heptagonal MVPs for standout performances By LISA AWAITEY
set the All-time Ivy record at 6.69. Senior Justin McCollin, also adding to Cornell’s score, finished fifth, clocking in at 6.97, an IC4A qualifying time. The track and field team traveled to Hanover, N.H. Hortelano-Roig returned for the 400, winning the final this past weekend to compete in the Ivy League in 47.36 with sophomore Larry Gibson finishing in Heptagonal Indoor Championships. For the second third. Earlier in the preliminaries, Hortelano-Roig — year in a row and the seventh time in the last twelve ranked No. 19 in the country — ran a 47.04 to set a years, the men’s team won the title, dominating the new school record. competition with seven event wins, The Heps proved to be a record including two meet records and one setting meet. Sophomore Max “I’m not one to believe Hairston dominated in the 60 meter Ivy League record. The women’s team walked away with two event wins, finin settling for anything hurdles, winning in 7.90, No. 2 allishing fifth place overall in the meet. time at Cornell and a meet record, less than the highest The men were led by seniors Bruno tying Saidu Ezike’s ‘08 previous time. ambition.” Hortelano-Roig and Stephen Mozia, Freshman Wynn Curtis placed sixth in both named Heptagonal MVPs on the 8.39 seconds with an 8.28 in the preBruno Hortelano-Roig track and field, respectively. Hortelano liminaries for a No. 10 all-time and Mozia were awarded this honor by Cornell mark. Senior Will Weinlandt a unanimous vote made by the league’s coaches. defended his 800 meter title with a time of 1:50.47, Cornell’s win was a result of a team effort, as it ranking him No. 22 in the country. outscored Princeton, 145-117. The Red’s relay teams put on an exciting show for the “I’m extremely proud of the team for winning the meet’s audience as well. The 4x400 relay team of indoor conference title, and I'm honored to be named Gibson, senior Kinsley Ojuwku, Hairston and track MVP,” Hortelano said. “Still, I'm not one to Hortelano-Roig crossed the finish line ahead of believe in settling for anything less than the highest Princeton, although Cornell was disqualified on a conambition, and I can’t say I will be fully satisfied until we troversial ruling. In the Distance Medley Relay, freshearn our outdoor conference title, too. That will make man James Gowans, junior Cisco Olloqui, freshman senior year the best it could possibly be, so for now only Mark Tedder and sophomore Ben Rainero ran for half the war has been won.” fourth place with a time of 9:50.24 — No. 5 in school Hortelano-Roig championed the 60 meter race, post- history. ing a time of 6.74 seconds. During the preliminaries he On the field, Mozia — No.2 in the nation in shotSun Staff Writer
MEN’S LACROSSE
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Forming a dynasty | The men’s track & field team captured the indoor Heps title for the seventh time in the last twelve years.
put — shattered Olympic Gold medalist Adam Nelson's meet record of 19.30 meters by throwing 20.30 meters on his fourth try. On his fifth, he broke the all-time Ivy record with 20.59, and again on his final throw with 20.79. In the heptathlon, senior Mike Rabbitt and freshman
Bayless vs. Lebron
Cornell
Why Skip should stick to TV
vs.
S
kip Bayless is an entertaining guy. I enjoy watching him mix it up with Stephen A. Smith on First Take. He is perfect for television. He has a knack for getting under his counterpart’s skin, a keen understanding of
Virginia Tomorrow, 12 p.m. Schoellkopf Field
Let’s get it started | Junior midfielder John Hogan got the scoring started in a win over Canisius on Tuesday.
Laxers Conquer Canisius, Prepare for No.2 Virginia By CHRIS MILLS
After a bumpy offseason filled with personnel changes, the Cornell men’s lacrosse has found its groove early in 2014. The No. 15 Red (4-0, 0-0 Ivy) routed Canisius (2-2, 0-0 MAAC), 19-6, Tuesday at home for a lead-in to this Saturday’s high-stakes clash against out-of-conference rival, No. 2 Virginia (6-0, 0-0 ACC) on Schoellkopf at noon. “I thought the guys were ready to play today,” said interim head coach Matt Kerwick following
When James signed with the Miami Heat and subsequently lost in the Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, Bayless jumped all over it. After the series, he pointed solely to James as the reason for the Heat’s loss. Bayless failed
Ben Shatzman
TINA CHOU / SUN FILE PHOTO
Sun Staff Writer
See TRACK & FIELD page 14
the victory over Canisius. “We started a little bit slow, but overall we were very pleased with the effort, the intensity. We’ve been doing some good things offensively, but haven’t been finishing with the ball as well as we’d like and I think today we turned the corner.” An opening-minute goal from junior midfielder John Hogan following a deflection off the post put Cornell up 1-0, but Canisius stormed back to take a 2-1 lead of its own with 8:01 remaining in the first period. See M. LAX page 13
Guest Column playing “devil’s advocate” and is a character whose presence alone ensures that viewers will be entertained. I respect his accomplishments and recognize that he is a veteran in the sports journalism world. But over the past few years, my respect for Bayless as a sports connoisseur has dwindled. Yesterday, that respect reached an all-time low when ESPN published his column titled “Angry Lebron.” Bayless’ unbelievably low opinion of LeBron James has been among the most publicized and scrutinized views of any sports figure in recent years. Bayless predicted that James would never win an NBA title.
to give any significant credit to that guy named Dirk Nowitzki — you know, the 7-footer who put on an epic performance in that series. He failed to entertain the idea that maybe the Mavericks beat the Heat. To Bayless, the only possible explanation for the Finals was that LeBron had lost it on his own. There is more. Bayless did not include James in his list of the Top-five NBA players at a time when LeBron was widely accepted to be the best in the league — and if not, then a close second. Skip then said that James did not deserve to win MVP and should See SHATZMAN page 15