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Arts

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Defend and Serve

Don’t Be Blue

The Start of an Era

Sunny HIGH: 81 LOW: 63

A former MBA All-Star’s donation will increase police patrols on West Hill. | Page 3

Mark Destefano ’16 reviews Woody Allen’s newest movie, Blue Jasmine. | Page 18

Newly appointed head coach David Archer ’05 ushers in a new era for C.U. football. | Page 32

Cornell Tech Taps Forest City Ratner as ‘Master Developer’

By ALEXA DAVIS Sun Staff Writer

This story was originally published online on July 16.

The rapidly developing Cornell NYC Tech made another stride forward last month when it inked a deal with developer Forest City Ratner Companies, which will be the “master developer” of the first phase of construction at the tech campus.

As part of the deal, Forest City Ratner will “This level of investment ... help develop two buildensures that we will have a ings on the tech campus’ Roosevelt Island vibrant mix of activities site. when the campus opens.”

The first, a 200,000-square-foot Cathy Dove “corporate co-location building,” will both house tech companies and be used by tech campus students.

The building will include common spaces to promote frequent, informal interactions between students and tech industry professionals.

When the building is complete, it will act as another way for the tech campus to promote collaboration between industry and academia, administrators said.

Forest City Ratner will also oversee development of Cornell Tech’s first academic building, which will encompass 150,000 square feet of space. The building will be designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne.

Cathy Dove, vice president of Cornell Tech, hailed the University’s partnership with Forest City Ratner, saying in an See DEVELOPER page 6

VIRGINIA SHERWOOD / THE NEW YORK TIMES

No politics please | Keith Olbermann ’79 sits at his former MSNBC desk. Olbermann will return to late-night television with a show on ESPN, where he can talk about anything except his political views.

Olbermann’79 Will Return to ESPN

Despite ‘emotionally charged’ leave,Olbermann returns after16 years

By CAROLINE FLAX

Sun News Editor

This story was originally published online on July 17.

Sixteen years after sports commentator Keith Olbermann ’79 left ESPN under “emotionally charged circumstances,” the broadcast journalist is returning to host a late-night show on the cable network.

ESPN announced July 17 that Olbermann, 54, will be filling weeknight slots with a new show, “Olbermann.” He’ll be talking on air about everything except one topic: politics.

The ban on political talk might have come out of Olbermann’s time at MSNBC, where Olbermann was previously suspended for two days in 2010 for giving See OLBERMANN page 4

C.U.Prof Sports ‘Google Glass’ After Winning Twitter Contest

By ALEXA DAVIS Sun Staff Writer

RYAN LANDVATER / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Reed on | Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) speaks at a town hall at Cornell in August advocating fracking and tax reform.

Reed Attacked for Views at Town Hall

By TYLER ALICEA Sun Senior Writer

This story was originally published online on Aug. 19.

Advocating fracking in upstate New York and tax reform he says will cut the national debt, Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.

23) was assailed by some audience members attending a town hall at Cornell Aug. 17. But the congressman did not back off — he told the crowd he does not “have the luxury” of not taking stances on critical issues.

See REED page 5

This story was originally published online on Aug. 8.

When Prof. Cynthia Johnston Turner, music, walked into the GreenStar Cooperative Market in Ithaca, she did not expect anyone to notice her new pair of glasses. However, a routine trip to the grocery store took an interesting turn when a local resident began quizzing her on the functionality of her latest accessory. This man was the only person who realized that Turner was actually sporting one of Google’s latest products: a high-tech, wearable computer, Google Glass, that costs five times as much as the average smartphone.

Turner was able to join an elite group of 8,000 “Google Glass Explorers” after winning a Twitter contest sponsored by Google. The contest required users to tweet #ifihadglass and express — in 140 characters or less — what they would do with the cutting-edge technology.

She tweeted: “#ifihadglass i’d use it in the music studio, rehearsal room, and classroom to record conducting students and give immediate feedback!”

For Turner, this tweet became her golden ticket into the new Google Glass offices in Chelsea; however, Turner said that victory came with a hefty price tag. While Google Glass Explorers were invited to use the technology, they were required to pay $1,500 to take it home. This price is expected to drop when a consumer edition enters the market at the end of 2013.

This upcoming school year, Turner will be using Glass to research the potential of wearable technology in education, conducting and composing. With the assistance of Barbara Friedman ’81, assistant director of educational outreach for academic technologies and Tyler Ehrlich ’14, who will be building new apps for Glass, she hopes to change the way that audiences See GLASS page 6

2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Today

DAYBOOK

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Daybook

Today Beginning of Semester Gathering With the Department of Near Eastern Studies 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., 4th Floor, White Hall Southeast Asian Awareness Social 2 - 3 p.m., 626 Thurston Avenue Street Fair @626 2 - 5 p.m., Parking Lot, 626 Thurston Avenue Mix It Up With JAM! Musical Mixer 7 - 9 p.m., Just About Music Performance Space

Tomorrow Picnic on Ho Plaza 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Ho Plaza

“Time” Where does the time go?

From morning to evening, it Just goes by so fast ~ Left Behind ’15

Luce Scholarship Information Session 1 - 2 p.m., 103 Barnes Hall Dilmun Hill Work Party 5 - 7 p.m., Dilmun Hill Student Farm Pagan and Christian Trees: From Abrose to “Juniper Tree” 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall McLLunity Welcome Night 7:30 - 9:30 p.m., McLLU Family Room, Clara Dickson Hall

PUPIL POETRY cornellians write verse Students may send poetry submissions to news@cornellsun.com.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013 3

NEWS

Ithaca Shows Patterns Of Racial Segregation

By AKANE OTANI Sun Managing Editor

This story was originally published online on Aug. 19.

The well-worn metaphor of America as a “melting pot” is an idealization — one that gives way to a reality of racial segregation if you look closely, Slate writer Jeremy Stahl wrote in a piece Aug. 15. Is the City of Ithaca an exception?

In the 2010 U.S. Census, Ithaca's population of 30,014 residents was 70.5 percent white, 16.2 percent Asian, 6.9 percent Hispanic or Latino, 6.6 percent black and 0.4 percent American Indian. (The percentages add up to more than 100 percent because some people surveyed reported belonging to more than one race.)

Even with its predominantly white population, Ithaca shows patterns of racial segregation on a color-coded map created by a University of Virginia researcher. The map plots one dot for each person: blue represents Caucasians, green represents black people, red represents Asians, orange represents Hispanics and brown represents all other races.

According to the map, Ithaca’s core is overwhelmingly white. Minorities, on the other hand, seem to mostly live in the city’s eastern and western edges.

For instance, the highest concentrations of black people tend to live in the city’s West Hill and, to a lesser extent, its Southside neighborhoods. Asians are concentrated most densely in the city’s South Hill and past the eastern and northern bounds of the city, including the Village of Cayuga Heights and the Town of Lansing.

The good (or bad) news: Ithaca’s map — dotted with distinct clusters of blue, green and red — is far from unique. In fact, it is mirrored by thousands of other American cities with neighborhoods carved out by race.

Residential segregation is “still a problem” in the U.S., sociologists said in a study released last summer.

“When people say, ‘Segregation is going away’ and ‘We don’t need to worry about it anymore,’ those are messages that people will latch onto quickly. Unfortunately, those types of statements are just untrue,” Prof. Kyle Crowder, University of Washington, sociology, said in a press release issued by the American Sociological Association.

Neighborhoods are less likely to be racially diverse when the supply of new housing is limited or when there is already a high level of poverty and residential segregation, Crowler said in the statement.

Akane Otani can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.

Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/akaneotani.

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Site of several violent attacks | The West Village Apartment complex is owned by former MLB player Mo Vaughn and his business partner, Eugene Schneur.

Former MLB Player In Crime Effort

By AKANE OTANI Sun Managing Editor

13.

This story was originally published online on Aug.

A former Major League Baseball all-star player has given the City of Ithaca $12,000 to increase police patrols around a crime-ridden apartment complex, Ithaca Police said Tuesday.

Former MLB player Mo Vaughn and his business partner, Eugene Schneur, own the West Village Apartment complex on Ithaca’s West Hill. The neighborhood has been the site of several violent attacks, including multiple stabbings whose victims have refused to cooperate with police and the shooting of an on-duty Ithaca Police officer in the fall.

The Ithaca Police Department said in a statement Tuesday that it would immediately send out officers in teams of two to conduct extra patrols

around the West Village Apartment complex. It will encourage officers to patrol on foot, rather than drive around the perimeter, in the hopes of making headway on investigations stalled by silent witnesses.

“We are committed to continuing the hard work that is involved in restoring the West Hill to a vibrant place to live, work and grow,” Ithaca Police Chief John Barber said in a statement. “This additional funding will put officers on the streets up there, and that will enable us to better improve the service that we provide to the Ithaca community as a whole.”

The West Village Apartment complex is just one of hundreds of properties Vaughn and Schneur own. The pair has bought and developed affordable housing projects through their real estate company.

Akane Otani can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.

4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013

NEWS

Alumnus’ Tie With MSNBC Was‘Failing’ OLBERMANN

Continued from page 1

money to political campaigns. He was altogether dismissed in 2011 because of, in MSNBC’s words, “a relationship that’s been failing for a long time.”

Other rough patches have dotted Olbermann’s career, which has included stints at CNN, Fox, NBC and MSNBC. In 2009, Olbermann and conservative commentator Ann Coulter ’84 got into a widely publicized spat over Olbermann’s status as a graduate of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Later, in 2012, Olbermann was fired by Current TV — a channel founded by former Vice President Al Gore and Joel Hyatt — because of a lack of “respect, openness, collegiality and loyalty.”

While at Cornell, Olbermann worked as the sports director of WVBR-FM, a student-run radio station. In January, Olbermann donated an unspecified amount of money to WVBR, a gift that will allow the organization to move their headquarters to a larger space in Collegetown.

WVBR’s new building will be called Olbermann-Corneliess Studios, named for Olbermann’s father Theodore and former WVBR program director Glenn Corneliess ’79, a friend of Olbermann’s who died in 1996.

Caroline Flax can be reached at cflax@cornellsun.com. Follow her on Twitter at @csflax.

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NEWS

Reed:Reducing Debt Among Top Priorities

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013 5

Don’t be a fool!

Read the comics every day.

REED

Continued from page 1

“I know who I am. I know what I stand for,” Reed said to the audience. “We’re just trying to fight for America.”

Although Reed still has more than a year before voters decide whether or not he will be reelected to the 23rd congressional district, he has already made moves to appeal to constituents in the district.

In last November’s elections, Reed eked out a narrow victory over Democratic opponent Nate Shinagawa ’05 M.A. ’09 — winning by a smaller margin than any poll had predicted leading up to voting night.

Now, as his competitor, Tompkins County Legislator Martha Robertson ’75, builds her campaign, Reed said he hopes to continue holding town halls across the district every month.

Meeting with constituents is “really important to me,” Reed said at Saturday’s town hall. “It’s important to our office; the problems facing America are huge,” he added.

Answering audience members’ questions about how he would tackle the country’s fiscal problems, Reed said one of his top priorities is to rein in the U.S.’ $16 trillion debt. Reed — a member of the Ways and Means committee in the House of Representatives — said he hopes to change the “borrow-and-spend” culture on Capitol Hill.

Although reducing the national debt will necessitate making budget cuts, Reed said he will decide which programs to fund based on the country’s priorities.

America “needs to make some hard decisions,” he said.

Audience members also asked Reed about his views on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s key healthcare legislation. Reed made it clear he does not support the Affordable Care Act, saying he does not think the law gets to the root issue of health reform: cost containment.

Reed added that he thinks government, employers and insurance companies have significantly more control over health insurance than individuals. The Affordable Care Act, as it currently stands, does not give enough power to individuals seeking healthcare, Reed said.

“I would like for the individual to have more of a role in that process,” Reed said. “The individual’s role is limited in this day and age.”

Tyler Alicea can be reached at talicea@cornellsun.com.

Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tyleralicea.

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6 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013

NEWS

Dove: Developer Chosen Prof Uses ‘Glass’ for Musical Research For‘Excellent’Team GLASS

Continued from page 1

DEVELOPER

Continued from page 1

email that “this level of investment in the campus validates Cornell Tech’s enormous economic development potential for New York and ensures that we will have a vibrant mix of activities when the campus opens in 2017.”

Dove said Cornell Tech selected Forest City Ratner, which built The New York Times Building, because of its vision and “excellent” team.

While development and construction goes on, Cornell Tech will continue to operate in space donated by Google in Chelsea.

Dove added that Cornell Tech hopes to build the campus so it will withstand any potential natural disasters, like Hurricane Sandy in 2012, while posing minimal disruption to the surrounding community.

“We have taken a series of measures to ensure the campus is prepared to weather future storms and floods, and we have worked closely with the community to ensure that the impact of construction is mitigated where possible,” Dove said.

Alexa Davis can be reached at adavis@cornellsun.com.

experience music.

The research team will focus on three main goals: building a metronome app in Glass to teach students conducting; embedding a virtual score for musicians, which would eliminate the task of manually turning sheet music; and creating a live video-feed from the conductor’s perspective to enhance an audience’s experience, Ehrlich said.

Friedman and Turner said that their work with Google Glass has faced criticism from colleagues in the music world.

“There is already backlash from some colleagues of mine in the conducting world who basically say that music is for the ears — not for the eyes. To which I say: ‘Why not the eyes? Why not all the senses?’” Turner said.

Although professionals in the conducting industry are apprehensive, Turner’s colleagues at Cornell are more optimistic about her research.

Prof. Geri Gay, computer and information science and director of the Interactive Design Lab, said she thinks Google Glass and other wearable technologies are the future of higher education and specialized careers that require people to use their hands, such as conducting. Gay said that other departments in Cornell that are “more hands on," such as those in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning or the School of Hotel Administration, should also consider incorporating Google Glass into their instruction.

Gay said she supports Turner’s research, but she also urged consumers to consider the

potential privacy issues that may arise if Glass becomes popular.

Gay referenced concerns that have been raised about the potential to take photos and videos covertly with Google Glass.

“You have to look at the pros and cons. What are we gaining and what are we losing?” Gay said. “We need to think about both and be optimistic but also aware of what is going on. ... Just because [technology is] there doesn’t mean that we always have to use it.”

Turner disagreed, saying it is “very obvious when someone is taking a video or picture.” She said that the creation of “niche specific apps," regardless of privacy concerns, will “make or break” Google Glass’s commercial success. In her opinion, the eyewear does not make everyday activities simpler. It provides the largest benefit to those who can use Glass as a camera overlay during hands-on activities, she said.

“At the end of the day,” Turner said, “I’m only one of a few people who want to wear a phone on their face.”

To see more of their experience, follow Turner, Friedman and Ehrlich as they document their Glass experience on Turner’s blog.

Alexa Davis can be reached at adavis@cornellsun.com.

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By SOPHIE LIN Sun Staff Writer

This story was originally published online on June 29.

With more than 40 police officers in the Tompkins County Courthouse to watch the proceedings, Jamel Booker, the 23-year-old man accused of shooting an Ithaca Police officer in the fall, was sentenced to 25 years in state prison June 28.

In October, Ithaca Police Officer Anthony Augustine attempted to pull over a vehicle allegedly stolen by Booker on West Hill. Instead of stopping, Booker fled on foot to a wooded area, shooting Augustine in the chest and triggering a massive manhunt, police say.

The impact of the bullet triggered a stroke in Officer Augustine that led to partial loss of peripheral vision in both eyes and long-term nerve damage in his body. In the months leading to Booker’s sentencing, police have expressed dismay that Booker, who was found guilty of seven charges on April 22, was not found guilty of the most serious charge leveled against him: attempted murder.

At the trial, the prosecution urged Judge Judith Rossiter J.D. ‘86 to approve the maximum sentencing of 30 years, stressing that there was a clear intent to murder and a persistent criminal nature in Booker.

The defense objected to the characterization of Booker as having murderous intent, arguing that Booker fled and shot Augustine because he panicked.

“Mr. Booker is a young man and he was scared. He never meant for any of this to happen,” said Kristine Shaw, Booker’s defense attorney.

According to Shaw, Booker shot Augustine because black suspects have been shot by Ithaca police officers in the past, and “[Booker] thought he would be shot in the bushes.”

“Growing up in Brooklyn, you don’t know what I’ve been through,” said Booker in his last emotional appeal to the courtroom.

“I still pray for you and may God bless you,” he added, addressing Augustine.

Unswayed by Booker’s remarks, however, Rossiter responded, “You can talk all about life in Brooklyn, but your mother wanted you to get

you out of that situation when you moved to Ithaca. I think you blew that opportunity.” Booker moved to Ithaca when he was 12.

Jamie Williamson, public information officer for IPD, later said that Booker’s statement that he shot Augustine in an act of selfdefense was ungrounded and part of Booker’s “history of deflecting blame.”

In addition to sentencing Booker to 25 years in state prison, Rossiter ordered Booker to pay $116,000 in restitution for Augustine’s medical expenses after his release.

After his sentencing, Booker smiled as he was escorted away in handcuffs.

“It shows his true character. He has no respect for human life,” Augustine said in response.

The court adjourned with mixed feelings.

“We are disappointed that maximum sentence wasn’t handed down, but pleased that Jamel Booker is behind bars for a long time,” Williamson said. “There is one less bad guy on the streets.”

Augustine’s wife, Rhonda Bullard, said she thinks “justice was served.”

“He got what he deserved, which is good,” Bullard said.

Speaking to reporters outside of the courthouse, Augustine concurred, saying he is “not disappointed with 25 years.”

“He would have liked to see me dead. For me, it’s over; at least I can move on,” Augustine said.

Augustine noted that he has talked to the D.A. about appealing to retry Booker in connection to the attempted murder charge, but declined to comment further.

Sophie Lin can be reached at slin@cornellsun.com.

or

.c

w w w. c

Man Accused of Shooting Ithaca Police Officer Gets 25 Years in Prison

om

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7

NEWS

nellsu

n

8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013 9

OPINION

Darrick Nighthawk Evensen |

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

On and Off The Midway

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Trustee Viewpoint

E

very year the Great New York State Fair punctuates my summer. As students arrive on campus, I head to Syracuse for several days to judge 4H exhibits. The range of fascinating displays, activities and entertainment, and the sheer amount of utter ridiculousness at the fair, makes this a wonderful way to bind this season of joy and relaxation.

This year I came to realize just how much the State Fair, in all its splendor, caprice and fancy, relates to the student experience at Cornell. Therefore, as one of your student-elected members of the Board of Trustees, I could not think of a better way to introduce you to our wonderful campus than through metaphors of the various vagaries of the State Fair.

The following represent many experiences and aspects of life at Cornell that you will soon discover: 1. THE PAVILIONS: At the State Fair, you may find yourself wandering from the horticulture building through the arts and home center to the science and industry building, while stopping off in countless livestock pavilions in between.

You often do not know how you got into a certain building, how to get out, or how to find the building you are truly looking for. This mirrors a typical academic trajectory at Cornell. You arrive on campus, start taking courses in one subject area, are distracted by something interesting elsewhere and often continue searching for a while before settling into a specific area of study. This liberal arts exposure is an essential aspect of college life. You would miss a great deal by only entering those pavilions you thought were interesting a priori.

2. THE MIDWAY AND THE AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM: These are perhaps the clearest bipolar manifestations of the schizophrenic State Fair. The museum is sedate, peaceful, learned, often replete with older folks and offers a window into an intriguing past. The midway is loud, crazy, crowded, brimming with the joyful screams of children and offers escape in many forms. Both are essential to an integrated fair. At Cornell, your experience will not be complete unless you find and indulge in experiences that epitomize both the museum and the midway.

Yes, you are here to seek knowledge, to grow in your awareness of the world, and to challenge your assumptions. You are also here to have fun, to constantly remember your inner child and to be crazy and loud enough to remind you that you are indeed alive. Too much time

on the midway or in the museum will diminish the value of your experience.

3. THE 25¢ RAINBOW MILK: The line at the fair’s Dairy Barn to purchase this eccentric item always puzzles me. The drink sounds disgusting, and yet, the queue wraps around the building and out into the blazing heat as people await their opportunity to indulge in it. This reminds me of the list of “161 Things to Do at Cornell.” Many of the items are insipid and/or non-sensible and yet, tradition makes Cornellians want to pursue these actions and experiences. I am not sure whether this is good or bad; it’s probably a little of both. While here, I encourage you to actively learn about classic Cornell traditions, and then think about whether the wait in the line is really worth your rainbow milk.

4. FRIED FOOD: In reality, it should not be called “fried food,”but rather just “fried.” There is nothing “food” about fried Oreos or fried Dr. Pepper. At the State Fair, “fried” becomes a noun. As a student at any college, you will encounter many things that are obviously horrible for you but that you simply cannot resist. Moderation in all things is the best advice I can offer. Believe me; the post-fried-Dr. Pepper stomach ache is not always worth it.

5. THE MASSIVE BUTTER SCULPTURE: This year the life-size “masterpiece” is a cow, dressed in the attire of the statue of liberty, and yes, carved entirely from butter. Countless fairgoers gawk at this iconic statue each year. Impressive is not exactly the word I would use, but it’s certainly unique. Less observed practices at the fair are the constant behind the scenes food preparations and clean-ups after the livestock. There will be moments at Cornell when you shine and all eyes are on you, and moments when you are simply shoveling manure — doing what needs to be done. At all times you are doing important work, whether you bask in the light or not.

In summary, approach your experience at Cornell with the wide eyes and open heart of a fairgoer. Constantly reflect on your experiences here and consider how to use your time well. There is much to do at the fair; don’t miss out.

Darrick Nighthawk Evensen is a graduate student in the Department of Natural Resources and the graduate student-elected trustee. He may be reached at dte6@cornell.edu. Trustee Viewpoint appears alternate Tuesdays this semester.

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013 11

OPINION

Jacob Glick |

T

Glickin’ It

Preserving The College Experience

he streets of Collegetown are once again alive with roaming herds of freshmen, and the week-long slog of tepid recitations about our lessthan-thrilling summer internships is, blessedly, almost over. As Orientation Week comes to a close, we have hopefully welcomed our newest Cornellians into the cherished embrace of the “college experience.”

It’s this “experience” — whatever exactly that may mean — that defines, in a fundamental way, these four years of our lives. We bask in the glow of our own institutional successes; the students at the world’s thirteenth-best university, reading the country’s best collegiate newspaper, have a reason to celebrate in the shadow of yet another round of campus construction projects.

At the outset of this school year, we like to think of ourselves as vibrant, full of the unbridled possibilities of college. But this magical chapter of our lives does not exist in an idyllic vacuum between Dunbar’s and the Oxley Equestrian Center. As we return to Cornell, hopeful and ambitious, we must pay attention to events, striking closer to Ithaca than we may have expected, that show us how very fragile — and, to a certain extent, untenable — this “college experience” is.

Last week, President Obama, no longer tied to a travel schedule drawn on an electoral map, ventured into the Democratic bastion of the Empire State to tout his new education plan. The President, perhaps intimidated by our “We Didn’t Go to Harvard” cheers, did not ascend far above Cayuga’s waters; he did, however, visit SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Binghamton, thus bringing a sense of urgency to all the New York students who are unused to the attention that swing-state colleges receive. His message was clear: Our “college experience” is in danger.

During the summer, Congress passed (and President Obama signed) a bill that lowered student loan rates and tied the cost of borrowing to the state of financial markets. In sum, student loan rates will remain low so long as the economy fails to pick up steam; if current trends continue, however, and the economy booms, working-class families will pay the price as interest rates rise. While this attempt to fix the student loan crisis is perhaps the best that can be hoped for from this paralyzed Congress, it is nothing compared to a guaranteed, fixed-rate program that would help finance our nation’s future. Alas, most members of Congress would prefer to talk about Edward Snowden.

At the center of this crisis is the President himself.

In an era of tuition hikes and everexpanding University bureaucracy, how can we, as students, be sure that we are celebrating Cornell for the right reasons?

Unable to push a progressive education through the House of Representatives, he has taken his case to the American people. The center of his proposal, as outlined in his visits to the SUNY schools, amounts to a fundamental realignment of how colleges ought to be judged. He criticized college rating systems — such as the U.S. News and World Report’s rankings over which Cornellians are celebrating — because they are not sufficiently tied to the affordability of the offered education. His proposal, which would still need to weather the ingrained misanthropy of Congress, would seek to rate colleges on criteria such as tuition, student debt and the financial diversity of the campus. This new rating system would, according to the President, soon translate into a new system of federal aid in which colleges that have proven themselves to be affordable receive a larger chunk of taxpayer benefits.

The spark of innovation behind the President’s proposal is that he would seek to tie a successful “college experience” to universities that have, first and foremost, demonstrated an ability to provide an effective education at a reasonable price. Success would be rewarded, creating a virtuous cycle that would lower the cost prohibitiveness of higher education. This may upend the reign of universities that have achieved prestige without tackling the economic imbalance of their campuses. This noble principle, which ought remind Cornellians of our “any person, any study” motto, brings us back to the overarching quest for a “college experience.”

If the profit-based status quo of higher education remains intact, the “college experience” will be defined by exclusive, rather than inclusive, criteria. In an era of tuition hikes and ever-expanding University bureaucracy, how can we, as students, be sure that we are celebrating Cornell for the right reasons? Once on the Hill, it is tempting to forget the formidable economic hurdles that each of us have overcome to get here, and that have kept so many others from joining us. O Week parties, first days of classes, latenight runs to CTB: all these treasured aspects of life at Cornell are meaningless if they are too defined by the personal wealth of those students who can enjoy them. If the gulf between collegiate dreams and economic realities continues to decimate this important facet of the American Dream, then each of our “college experiences” will be fundamentally cheapened.

We students must answer the call to action that President Obama issued not an hour’s drive from Ho Plaza. We must lobby the administration to ensure that the University’s ranking will only improve if we are judged not by the fame of our faculty, but by the affordability of their lectures.

Jacob Glick is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at jglick@cornellsun.com. Glickin’ It appears alternate Tuesdays this semester.

T

imes like these test the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s powerful pronouncement that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Trayvon Martin’s shooting death by G e o r g e Zimmerman’s gun, the difficulty with which he was brought to trial and his subsequent acquittal on all charges have justifiably generated a maelstrom of anger and confusion.

These events clearly constitute a deep miscarriage of justice. What is less clear is whether this miscarriage operates only in an especially unmistakable corner of the realm of immorality, a place which is deeply unsatisfying for its formal unenforceability. The public outcry at every stage of this morbid saga has been a heartening reminder that Dr. King’s lifetime of sacrifice was not in vain — the tradition he championed of collective civic action in the name of ameliorating injustice has clearly survived, as citizens continue to recognize that they must actively maintain whatever moral progress has been wrought in our nation’s tumultuous history.

But the moral universe is imprecisely monitored by the rigidity of the legal system. The same energetic ac tivism which has forced this case into the national consciousness and galvanized a wideranging abstract discussion of morality must be turned toward more earthbound legal details.

Reforming statute may lack the glamour and neat gratification of punishing a perceived bigot for his obviously evil deed. But failing to do so would mean squandering a unique opportunity to more closely align the moral and legal universes in order

TO

remove the ambiguity that ultimately s a n c t i o n e d Zimmerman’s homicide. We will never know the exact sequence of events that precipitated the struggle culminating in Trayvon’s death. As the law stands, the way these events unfolded is crucial to assigning legal culpability despite Zimmerman’s own admission that he murdered the un armed teenager.

Reforming the law, then, rather than seeking to nail Zimmerman to a punishment that may not actually exist, is essential to achieving justice.

“Stand Your Ground” laws exist

gun carriers like him in SYG states are emboldened by the knowledge that they can initiate, escalate and violently terminate conflicts.

Thus, their version of the events will be the only surviving one if they have a true enough shot.

It’s far easier to convince a jury that you were in real danger when the only other interested party is dead.

Meanwhile, privately-held prejudices can be acted upon and embellished into legitimate sounding defenses when examined in the context of such a non-standard of justifiable violence. A recent Urban Institute study found

Sam Kuhn |

Guest Room

standard for determining culpability (what seems a “reasonable” threat of harm is different for different people) is to deny that consciously or subconsciously-held biases (racial, sexual, it doesn’t matter) can pervert juror perception and fill in for evidence-based review. Abolishing SYG laws would remove this ambiguity.

The dense and tragic history of American racism starkly illustrates the fact that racial prejudices are deeply personal and widely social phenomena that cannot be comprehensively addressed by the law. But it is well

Making Your Anger Worthwhile in various iterations in nearly half of the 50 states. Florida’s criminal code holds that “a person … who is attacked … has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself.” The threat this law poses to justice is twofold: First, in privileging the shoot-first mentality which escalates conflicts everywhere the law stands, and second, in requiring juries to accommodate the unbelievable ambiguity SYG laws entail. Though we may never know in our heart of hearts how racist Zimmerman is, and punishing him for this suspected prejudice is (rightly) legally impossible, we do know that

that in states without SYG laws, black-on-white homicides were only found to be justified 1.2 percent of the time, while whiteon-black homicides were justified in 11.4 percent of reviewed cases. The disparity grows in SYG states, where juries are called upon to make judgments on ambiguous criteria which are more susceptible to subjectively held preconceptions: Black-on-white homicides were found justified in 1.4 percent of cases (a statistically insignificant increase), while white-on-black justified homicides jumped almost 50 percent, to 16.9 percent of reviewed cases. As before, it’s impossible to prove that the racial disparity in homicides deemed justified is the result of juror bigotry. But to rely on such a subjective

within the responsibility of the law to eliminate ambiguities which give these deeply personal prejudices room to operate in the realm of legal permissibility. Earlier this month, Trayvon’s parents courageously recognized this by initiating a petition on Change.org calling on the governors of every state with SYG laws to review and amend them.

Changing statute as controversial as SYG laws is slow work; powerful vested interests have screwed their considerable money and influence, if not their courage, to the sticking place. Adding your name to the list will be a crucial first step in bending the legal universe back toward the moral.

Sam Kuhn is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

He may be reached at skuhn@cornellsun.com. His column appears alternate Tuesdays this semester.

SUBMIT LETTERS AND GUEST COLUMNS OPINION@CORNELLSUN.COM.

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UNITARIAN CHAPLAINCY AT CORNELL A gathering of Unitarian Universalists, religious humanists and freethinkers.

RELIGIO

— CORNELL UNITED R

MEMBER G

Meets monthly on the first Wednesday at 5:00pm in the One World Café in Anabel Taylor Hall.

First meeting, September 4, 2013

TIBETAN BUDDHIST MEDITATION

Rev. David E. Grimm, Chaplain (607) 379-3738, email: minister@davidegrimm.com Sponsored by First Unitarian Society of Ithaca At the corner of Aurora and Buffalo Streets www.uuithaca.org

The Venerable Tenzin Choesang, CURW Chaplain tc342@cornell.edu

Meditations: Mon. Wed. Thurs.

12:15-1:00 pm Founders Room Anabel Taylor Hall Please contact Tenzin Gephel for information Additional Information can be obtained: Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies 412 N. Aurora Street, Ithaca

607-273-0739 office@namgyal.org

Meditations: Namgyal Monastery Mon. Wed. Fri. 5:15-6:00 pm Meditation Instruction: 4:30 pm 1st Friday of Month Tea Social: 6:00-6:45 pm 1st Friday of Month

The Religious Society of Friends Ithaca Monthly Meeting

Quakers Student Welcome Picnic

Saturday, August 31 at 5:30 p.m.

Burtt House Friends Center, 227 N. Willard Way (A3) Rides from Purcell (Jessup Rd. side) (E1) at 5:15 p.m. – Look for the car with FRIENDS sign

(607) 273-5421

THE NAVIGATORS To know Christ and to make Him known. www.cornell.navigators.org

Meeting for Worship

Raymond Pierson rhp57@cornell.edu Megham Mutchler mom26@cornell.edu

Sundays 10:30 a.m.

120 Third Street, Ithaca (607) 229-9500 www.ithacamonthlymeeting.org

Weekly large group meetings and Bible Studies.

Find our info table at the Christian Fellowship Fair.

THE CHURCH OF

JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

CORNELL STUDENT BRANCH

Worship Services

Sunday

9:00 a.m.

114 Burleigh Drive, Ithaca, 257-1334 Latter-Day Saint Student Association at Cornell Classes – Fellowship – Activities Anabel Taylor Hall, Room 320 Advisors: Elder Dewain and Sister Maryl Lee

Chabad is dedicated to bringing the warmth and richness of Jewish life and tradition to students of all backgrounds. We are your home away from home… the heart of Jewish campus life.

Come for our free home-cooked Shabbat dinner, or for a Torah class. Call for information about Judaism, or just to talk.

For more information regarding Chabad’s programs and activities, please e mail: Rabbi Eli and Chana at: es79@cornell.edu or call: (607) 257-7379 Eli & Chana Silberstein

www.chabadcornell.com

Ithaca Baptis

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OUS LIFE

RELIGIOUS WORK —

R GROUPS

Are you looking to connect with a community of believers?

Do you know that Jesus really does care about your academic success?

Come and join us for an exciting, relevant, and transformational study in God's Word!

Korean Church at Cornell Worship (Anabel Taylor Hall)

AAWS was founded to address the spiritual needs of students of color, yet during our gatherings our leadership effectively communicates the gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that promotes building bridges across diverse identities and religious traditions. All of gatherings are conducted in a family atmosphere that is welcoming of all students.

FREE FOOD, FUN & FELLOWSHIP AT EVERY GATHERING! When: Every Tuesday, 6:30pm-7:45pm Where: UJAMMA Conference Room Advisor: Dr. Christopher A House cah357@cornell.edu 607-274-3216

Hindu Student Council

Contact: Raga Kolli rhk63@cornell.edu Check out hsc.cornell.edu to find out about pujas and weekly bhajans as well as other events we’ll be holding!

ptist Church

LUTHERAN CAMPUS MINISTRY WELCOMES YOU TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 149 Honness Lane Worship at Trinity at 10:30 a.m. Sunday (607) 273.9017

www.trinityithaca.org

Welcome Picnic & Campus Fellowship check out details at: trinityithaca.org Megan Hill: Prof. Mike Thompson: Rev. Robert Foote, Pastor: Karla Terry:

moh9@cornell.edu mot1@cornell.edu rmf93@cornell.edu BUCA@trinityithaca.org

Free transportation provided for all events

Help Pack 300,000 meals Sept. 6-8

check out: www.facebook.com/ithacamobilepack

beginning Sept. 8)

20 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Together we can make a difference.

Located 3mi. north of The Shops of Ithaca Mall on Triphammer Road.

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST SATURDAY SERVICES Worship – 10:45 a.m.

Sabbath School – 9:30 a.m.

Fellowship Luncheon To Follow Services Weekly

1219 Trumansburg Road, Ithaca • Phone 273-5950 DUSTIN HALL, Pastor • www.ithacaSDAchurch.com

10:00 a.m. Worship & (Children’s choirs child care available)

Fellowship and Education follow

Rev. James

SUNDAY SERVICE/SCHOOL 10:30AM WEDNESDAY TESTIMONY MEETING 7:30PM

Henery, Pas tor Rev. Alice T Associate ewell, Pastor

272-2800

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST • 101 UNIVERSITY AVENUE, ITHACA CHRISTIAN SCIENCE READING ROOM 117 SOUTH CAYUGA STREET 607-272-1650, MON-FRI 11AM-5PM, SAT 11AM-2PM http://www.christiansciencenys.com/ithaca.html

St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church

120 W. Seneca Street, Ithaca, has regularly scheduled liturgical services on Sundays, feast days, and special saints days.

On Sundays, Orthros begins at 9:00 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

On special feast and saints days, Orthros begins at 8:30 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m.

Confessions are heard by appointment. Call Rev. Fr. Athanasios (Tom) Parthenakis at (607) 273-2767 (church) or (607) 379-6045 (home).

Everyone is welcome to attend these worship services and the Orthodox Christian Fellowship on Thursdays at Anabel Taylor Hall, Cornell University.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PARISH Mass Schedule Mon. & Thurs 12:10 p.m.

Tues. Wed. & Fri. 7:00 a.m.

Saturday 4:30 p.m.

Sunday 8:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

113 N. Geneva St. 273-6121

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL C HURCH stjohnsithaca.org 273-6532

Buffalo & Cayuga St. SUNDAY SERVICES 8:00 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

Welcome Students

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Night Film Is Here — and it’s Okay frightening and more mysterious than he could have ever imagined.

To my deepest chagrin, Night Film, though suspenseful, intriguing, and exciting at times, is no Special Topics. Pessl worked hard to fight the sophomore slump, and the thriller she has provided us is often entertaining. Nevertheless, it lacks the intelligence and depth that her fans have come to expect.

The best part about Night Film is the uncannily accurate representation of magazine, newspaper, and blog articles sprinkled throughout the novel from institutions like Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, including real photographs of the characters. She also includes police reports, medical records, and an invented fan website for the director.

These extremely

LUCY GOSS Sun Staff Writer

If you’ve never read Marisha Pessl, you’ve probably heard of her. She’s commonly known as the literary world’s “it girl,” with recent features in New York Magazine and ELLE to promote her highly anticipated thriller novel, Night Film, out this month. Pessl’s attention stems not just from her beauty and wealth, but also from her quick wit and masterful storytelling, as seen in her debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics (2006). It’s ever since I put down that mesmerizing first book that I’ve been impatiently awaiting the arrival of her second novel, Night Film.

It’s finally here.

Night Film is told from the perspective of a disgruntled reporter, Scott McGrath, who obsessively tracks a mysterious director of cult horror films, Stanislas Cordova.

Night Film Cordova’s films are so brutal and disgusting that they are

By Marisha Pessl banned almost everywhere, but his fans have created an expansive underground following. Few have actually seen Cordova, but dozens of detailed theories surround him. When the direc- and well-researched additions make the tor’s enchanting daughter, Ashley, a once story feel chillingly real. There is even an musical prodigy, is found dead, McGrath app you can download to use with the is determined to break into Cordova’s elu- book, which decodes the many cryptic sive life, this time with the help of his two clues throughout the story. unlikely friends, Nora and Hopper.

Pessl deftly molds Stanislas Cordova’s Through a long-winded investigation of frightening persona by including detailed Cordova’s few acquaintances and secretive plots for several of his films. The terror locations, McGrath uncovers secrets more and intrigue created by these underground

movies makes you wish you could find a secret meeting of “Cordovites” (as they’re called) to discuss the meaning of symbols like the thumbCOURTESY OF screw tattoo MARISHA PESSL or the Mu r a d cigarettes — she does an excellent job of devel-

oping this imaginary sub-culture.

However, the backbone of the story — McGrath and his journey — fails to inspire. Where Special Topics’ heroine, Blue, was smart and spunky, McGrath is tired and boring. There is nothing particularly interesting or impressive about him.

His jokes are not funny. His struggle, particularly with his daughter, Sam, and exwife, is not engaging. Sam is adorable and

realistic, but her father’s motivations are not entirely clear.

Moreover, though Night Film ends with a bang, the mystery throughout the novel lacks direction. It’s hard to guess what’s going to happen next, not out of suspense but out of uncertainty for what McGrath is looking for. At more than a few points, the novel jumps into witchcraft and black magic (which feel trite and unnecessary), and then inexplicably abandons the topic. I enjoyed the many characters that McGrath meets along the way, particularly the decrepit Hughes sisters, old, rivaled sister actresses once connected to Cordova, but many of the sub-characters have stories that are nonsensical, or not likely to be revealed to our average protagonist.

Overall, I was invested in the story, if only for the mystery that is Cordova and Ashley, but I closed the book with a shrug, feeling nowhere near as shocked or thrilled as I had expected. Not surprisingly, the film rights for the novel have already been sold, and I am sure that Night Film will make a great (and probably nail-biting) movie if placed in the hands of the right director.

Although Night Film was disappointing, I am certain that it will not stop me from eagerly awaiting Pessl’s third novel, whenever it might arrive. Her magic — when properly honed — is irresistible.

Lucy Goss is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at lgoss@cornellsun.com.

Tangled Up in Blue Jasmine

BY MARK DISTEFANO Sun Staff Writer

The storyline of Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen’s newest film, jumps back and forth between two stages in the life of its protagonist, Jasmine Francis (Cate Blanchett). At some points, the film traces her life as a wealthy college dropout, married to a shady real estate mogul (Alec Baldwin) as she splits her time between luncheons, polo matches, and dinner parties. At others, Allen flashes forward to her life in the wake of catastrophe: her husband has been exposed as a fraud, and she has lost her house, her money, and some part of her sanity. Once annoyed at the prospect of entertaining her less-than-average sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), Jasmine is now forced to move in with her until she gets her legs back.

When she loses her fortune, Jasmine moves from New York to San Francisco, where she tries to enter the local workforce and get back in the dating game. Her sister’s ex-husband (Andrew Dice Clay) is quite sore about Jasmine moving into her house. Apparently, Jasmine convinced him to invest with her ex-husband, meaning he lost everything to the fraudulent business dealings. Similarly, Jasmine is not particularly well-liked by Ginger’s current boyfriend, Chili (Bobby Cannavale). Culture clash is all but inevitable from the start.

A person of Jasmine’s stature, accustomed — if not addicted to — luxury and a diet of martinis, forced to live with a woman who bags groceries and her auto mechanic fianceé? There is bound to be friction. And that friction plays out in several colorful ways. Jasmine gets a job as a receptionist in the office of a dentist (Michael Stuhlbarg)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

who takes a liking to her. In one of the movie’s best scenes, he explains to her there is an awful lot you can tell about a person by looking in their mouth. When she’s not popping Ambien to deal with her frustrating job, she studies computer science so she can become an interior designer, and tries to rub elbows with whatever members of the 1% she can. Eventually she meets a wealthy businessman (Peter Sarsgaard) who has an eye on running for office in California. Jasmine swiftly sweeps her secrets about her hus-

from the horse into the grind of lower-middle class life.

Jasmine is a role that requires an actress with the finesse and poise of Cate Blanchett. Her performances makes this film the strongest effort from Woody Allen in years, and is entirely Oscar-worthy.

The film is a kind of Streetcar Named Desire-meets-Bernie Madoff scandal marriage, which owes its memorability to the strength of its cast. Aside from Blanchett, Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) is radiant as Jasmine’s put-upon sister.

Ginger is impervious to the class differences that are bogging her sister down, even if she’s perhaps willing to settle for less than she’s worth. She’s possibly one of the nicest siblings I’ve ever seen; only a person with a heart of gold would be able to tolerate Jasmine’s attitude. There’s a lot of comic gold mined during scenes when Jasmine’s pampered disposition is chafed by Ginger’s sons playing loud music, Chili and his friends whooping in front of a boxing match, and by all-around the lack of sympathy for her plight.

It’s no surprise that Woody Allen hasn’t lost his touch for writing strong, remarkably detailed female parts, ranging from Annie Hall to Hannah and Her Sisters. After 40 plus years, almost nobody can match him for authentic, humorous exchanges between characters. But as a filmmaker who manages to produce a film a year, he has been unable to avoid repeating himself in previous films from the past few years.

With as many films as he has to his credit, some are COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES bound to land low on the totem pole. What makes band and family under the rug, in desperation to return to Blue Jasmine rise to the top is the simplicity of its construct and her indigenous lifestyle. its focus on the performances. This is a funny and saddening litWoody Allen garnered high praise two years ago for tle movie about a judgmental woman cast out of her depth, the Before Midnight, but Blue Jasmine is a more earnest, deeper genuinely amusing supporting players around her, and the film. The structure of the story, the leaps in time between antics that follow. It’s also one of the most entertaining movies the Jasmine of the past and Jasmine of the present, makes it of the summer. a very interesting and at times hilarious character study. It presents a unique opportunity for its lead actress to portray Mark DiStefano is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. a millionaire housewife in her element, and then thrown He can be reached at mdistefano@cornellsun.com.

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Tuesday, August 27 2013 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 23

The Gramsci Monument: More Than Just a Shack?

KAI SAM NG Sun Staff Writer

This review was originally published online on Aug. 20.

This summer, the prestigious Dia Art Foundation is sponsoring two big blockbuster art installations in New York City. James Turrell brings his haunting light-play to the Guggenheim with Aten Reign, which unfortunately keeps selling out. The other is Thomas Hirschhorn's Gramsci Monument, which is open without admission, lines or fees: the only barrier to entry is a spontaneous subway trip to the Bronx.

It is strangely unsurprising that Hirschorn would devote an entire monument to the Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci. Known

COURTESY OF THE DIA ART FOUNDATION

for his high-concept works that tackle issues like poverty, commercialism, and disposability, his meticulously assembled trash heaps often don't evoke this claim to opposition politics— rather, he tells the press that they are oppositional. Nevertheless, these pieces command a cult-like respect in the art world. The monument is not the first Hirshhorn has devoted to a philosopher: it is actually his fourth and final tribute to his favorite thinkers. All have been built by poor or working class people inside housing projects they live in. And all three previous monuments— to Spinoza, Gilles Deleuze, and Georges Bataille— have fallen into the trap of empty oppositional politics rather than intellectual education.

In light of these previous failures, the Gramsci Monument is devastatingly disappointing. The previous three aren't immediately relevant to the lives of everyday people: Understandably, many locals thought of these monuments as an amusing spectacle rather than the serious political art that Hirshhorn intended them to be.

Bataille is sadistically frightening, Spinoza is obtuse, Deleuze maddeningly so. However, Gramsci's idea of cultural hegemony is brilliantly simple. It explains why the poor and working class so readily identify with the interests of the bourgeois ruling class, even those interests conflict. In the wake of the "99% vs. 1%" slogan, its immediate applicability is the easiest to teach.

What we get instead with the Gramsci Monument is a plywood shack, assembled with screws and generous amounts of brown packing tape. Blue tarps hang from cotton strings as ceilings, and glued Plexiglass windows fill gaping holes. Hand-written with spray paint on limp white banners, Gramsci quotes hung over doorways. And the quotes chosen like "I live, I am a partisan" function as little more than something nice to put on Wikiquote. Is it supposed to reflect the prison of the working class by imitating how a prison looks? Who knows — it's hideous and not educational.

And lest there is any doubt of Hirschhorn's selfish motives, he told the New York Times that his goal for the monument "is not so much about changing the situation of the people who help me, but about showing the power of art to make people think about issues they otherwise wouldn’t have thought about." This lack of selfawareness is frustrating. Believing that everybody has time to look at quotes a privileged man dog-eared at bedtime, rather than on more pressing matters (like "hey, there's a wooden shack in my backyard") is what makes the Gramsci Monument as political art an utter failure. Rather than proselytizing Gramsci's ideology, he approaches it as a privileged artist proclaiming solidarity with the people by making one big empty wooden gesture. Hirschhorn claims the monument's purpose "does not come from my understanding of Gramsci, but from my understanding of Art in Public Space today." If the Gramsci Monument is not about Gramsci, what is supposed to be?

The community that surrounds the Monument provides an answer. Calling the Gramsci Monument "Thomas Hirschorn's" is a misnomer for the sake of convenience, because the installation's authorship is more complicated. The utter failure of the monument as Art lies with Hirschhorn alone, but the community has reappropriated the space into something for itself. Hirschhorn, to his credit,

has tried to involve the community that surrounds his philosopher monuments. The Gramsci Monument could not have existed without the president of Forest Houses, Erik Farmer, who acted as a liaison to bring the community on board with the project.

The secret to this part of the monument success, ironically, is because people could care less about Gramsci. Ostensibly, the monument's daily newspaper, radio station, computer room, Marxist library, and small museum are part of Hirschhorn's nebulous education-noteducation motives. On the lazy summer morning I visited, the newspaper raged over the Trayvon Martin verdict, not a class war. The radio station blasted out Jay-Z and later promised a debate about ObamaCare. Kids were playing Counterstrike in the computer room, much to a staff member's resigned chagrin. The Marxist library's books tempted to be read, but were untouched. And more promisingly, a community group painted beautifully colorful murals on the drab plywood- none of which mention Gramsci.

And it is best this way. There are better ways to create a community space than putting a wooden shack in someone's backyard, but it is a pretty eye-catching way of doing so.

Hirschhorn, also to his credit, did not dictate strict spectatorship with his political art, unlike Damien Hirst’s most insufferable works. If they didn't like it, the Forest Homes community could mold it into whatever they wanted to be, and that is exactly what they did. On that languid summer morning I saw Hirschhorn, along with a few other workers, tending to the community garden. And as I watched him bend awkwardly to avoid dirtying his skinny jeans, I knew that the community had claimed Hirschhorn as their own too.

Kai Sam Ng is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He can be reached at kng@cornellsun.com.

Popped a Molly, I’m Kvetching

E

xplosions in the Sky finished their transcendentally emotional set with a teary bang. Then, just moments later, I found myself swimming upstream through a crowd of bros and bro-ettes, elbowing swarms of tank-top clad dudes just to make my way to the other side of Parc Jean-Drapeau.

On paper, this year’s Osheaga music festival sounded like a music-lover’s paradise. With acts ranging from electro-indie darlings Majical Cloudz and noise-rockers/fashion model/internet troll DIIV to Vampire Weekend, Big Boi and Mumford and Sons, the lineup literally had something for everyone. Add parties and poutine in the international center of cool that is Montreal, and you get an orgasmic weekend for any music and culture nerd.

Apparently the scene has also tickled the fancy of mollypopping, concert-ruining têtes-carrées from all across North America. That reality was all too obvious when I found myself fighting my way through the dense herd of sleeveless males stampeding en masse from Macklemore to Porter Robinson. Unfortunately, they didn’t just cause traffic jams before Beck. While they were thankfully absent at some of the best shows on the smaller stages (British rockers Palma Violets were a standout), whiny drunk girls and belligerent meatheads loudly and unabashedly talked over the music at every show at the main stages, including Alt-J and Frightened Rabbit. Even worse, they sang (read: screamed) every lyric at popular, more mainstream shows like Phoenix.

Last year Osheaga wasn’t like this.

While it had a few pacifier-sucking Torontonians, most of the attendees came first and foremost for the music.

Although it featured acts such as Snoop Dogg, the Black Keys and MGMT, mainstream pop acts were fewer and farther between. More importantly, Osheaga wasn’t a household name. Beyond some east coast music lovers whose favorite bands were performing, the festival wasn’t on many people’s radar. This year though, the word got out. Osheaga managed to sign bigger radio acts and beefed up its elec-

tronic offerings. Since people like me came home last August and talked their friends’ ears off about how great a time they had, Osheaga 2013 was filled with people who came primarily to party, and secondarily to see major acts like the Lumineers.

That’s exactly what happened with the group I went with this time around. My friends were more concerned with sleeping off their debauchery-filled nights than getting to the festival grounds at the bright and early hour of 1 p.m. They’d also routinely leave early from or even skip shows that they’d planned on seeing just so they could beat out long lines for the Metro or get a jump on pre-gaming.

While I understand they aren’t as musically interested as I am, they were letting the festival, whose tickets alone cost almost $300, take a backseat.

In many ways, this worked out for me. Osheaga’s setup allows for essentially two distinct scenes, separated by a bridge. The east side, which hosts the smaller acts, is mellower, more focused on the music, less fratty and relatively club drug-free. I left without my lazy friends early on Saturday so I could catch Wild Nothing at 1:30, and stayed solo on the east side of the bridge for essentially the entire day. Staying alone on the east side allowed me not only to avoid shoving people just to get within 100 yards of acts I don’t particularly care for, but also to discover some exciting new music including L.A., riot grrls, Deap Vally and francophone Montréalais Michael Sosnick hip-hop duo Loud Lary Ajust.

What happened to Osheaga this year isn’t a unique occurrence; rather, it’s a single example of a greater phenomenon. Given the hype of events such as Coachella and Bonnaroo and the three-daylong raves of EDC and Electric Zoo, the idea of a music festival as a giant party has penetrated the modern youth conscience. It seems like every festival with top-40 headliners gets an influx of people more excited to drink and screw

Guest Space

SANTI SLADE / SUN STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

than appreciate some live music. What I’ve experienced at Osheaga is no different from what Chicagoans are seeing at Lollapalooza and what trance and deep house fans are lamenting at Ultra. And just because your bro had a siiiiiiiick time rolling face in Miami back in March, doesn’t mean that Osheaga’s lone electronic stage is the right place to replicate the experience.

While I’ll still make my annual August pilgrimage to Île Ste-Hélène, it’s naïve to hope that Osheaga will return to being populated almost exclusively with dedicated music heads. The organizers are making too much money catering to frat stars to want to change. In the meantime, you’ll find me redirecting my time and money to smaller-name events spread out around many venues in a city such as Brooklyn’s Northside Festival, Pop Montreal and (fingers crossed) Reykjavik’s Iceland Airwaves.

Michael Sosnick is a sophomore in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences.

He can be reached at msosnick@cornellsun.com. Guest Space appears every Tuesday.

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26 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Seepage at sea 6 King’s tenure 11 Attach a button, e.g.

14 “Bye, José!”

15 WWII sub 16 “Go, José!”

17 Easy-to-swallow gelatin pill 19 Luau instrument 20 Util. supply 21 Gets a load of, so to speak 22 Backpack part 24 Daily Planet cub reporter 26 Swab brand 27 Pirate on the Jolly Roger 28 Sydney natives 31 Decorative piece behind a couch 34 Cost-of-living fig.

35 Sticks around 36 Wish undone 37 “For goodness __!”

39 European peak 40 Aromatic burner made from vegetable wax 42 Lake __: “Prairie Home Companion” town 45 Thin coin 46 Colorado natives 47 Valuable violin 49 Persian Gulf emirate 51 Refinery waste 52 Arduous expedition 56 Flow back 57 Seafood selection suggested by this puzzle’s circles 60 Gibson of “Braveheart” 61 Artist Rousseau 62 Pisa place 63 Pay dirt 64 Out of the harbor 65 Styles DOWN 1 Slider’s goal 2 Recipient of bags of fan mail

3 “That’s __!”

4 Snuggled up on the couch, say 5 PC “oops” key 6 Mumbai money 7 Jed Clampett portrayer Buddy 8 Promissory notes 9 Guy’s pal 10 Experimental bomb blasts 11 Cucumber in brine 12 Betty’s role in “Hot in Cleveland” 13 Have a bawl 18 Desirable quality 23 “__ the season ...”

25 Grassy expanses 26 “__ Sera, Sera” 27 Bathtub popper 28 Actor Guinness 29 Fencer’s sword 30 Family nickname 31 1944 invasion city 32 Presley’s middle name 33 Pay cash for 35 Tool with teeth

37 Fit of temper 38 Acknowledges responsibility for 40 “Mayday!”

41 Maxim 43 LAX listing 44 Teahouse hostess 47 Four-time Emmy winner Woodard 48 Underworld society

49 Tutorial feature 50 Slangy prefix meaning “super” 51 Phoenix cagers 53 Place for a pothole 54 Couture monthly 55 Jinglers on rings 58 Vietnamese New Year 59 Poorly lit

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

COMICS AND PUZZLES

Sun Sudoku

Puzzle # 712

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)

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SPORTS

Jets Begin to Trim Roster, Including McKnight, Peterman

NEW YORK (AP) — A tumultuous summer for Joe McKnight just got worse.

McKnight, a backup running back and the team’s primary kick returner the last two seasons, was among the New York Jets’ first 14 cuts Monday.

The team's fourth-round draft pick in 2010 was involved in a series of incidents this summer that included an arrest for unpaid traffic warrants, a concussion, migraine headaches, a few questionable posts on Twitter and some tension with the media.

Veteran guard Stephen Peterman, who was signed in the offseason and appeared in line to start at left guard until recently, was also released.

Peterman was signed in April after spending the last seven seasons with Detroit. The improved play of Vladimir Ducasse and rookie Brian Winters at left guard made him expendable. Peterman was also working a bit at center to potentially back up Nick Mangold.

Also cut as the Jets reduced their active roster to 75 players by the NFL’s Tuesday deadline were: running back Chad Spann, offensive linemen Patrick Ford and Trey Gilleo, wide receivers Joe Collins, Marcus Rucker, K.J. Stroud and Rahsaan Vaughn, linebacker Sean Progar-Jackson, defensive backs Donnie Fletcher and Bret Lockett, punter Ryan Quigley and long snapper Patrick Scales.

McKnight was active for the first time this preseason on Saturday night after being sidelined by a concussion, but did not play. In an interview with The Associated Press last week, McKnight said he didn’t feel comfortable about his roster status.

“I have to get on the field this week, these next two games, and then prove something,” he said last Tuesday. “I’ve got to make sure these next few practices and these last two preseason games are real good. I've just got to get out there on the field and make some plays. I just need to do this.”

He never made it onto the playing field against the Giants,

n cor

ells

un .c o m

even on kickoffs, which seemed curious at the time. McKnight has two career kickoff returns for touchdowns, including a team-record 107-yard return in 2011 that stands as the longest play in Jets history.

Kyle Wilson, Clyde Gates, Jeremy Kerley and even Antonio Cromartie might now serve as the team’s kick returners.

In May, McKnight angrily responded to speculation that his time with the Jets could soon be up, saying: “They’ll have to kill me to take my spot.”

McKnight didn’t pass his conditioning test the day before the team reported for training camp to SUNY Cortland last month, but did so the next day.

He was arrested in New Jersey on a day off from camp last month for outstanding traffic warrants, and later released on bail.

McKnight then injured his head during practice — he confirmed it was a concussion although the Jets never officially called it a concussion — and was cleared to return a few days later, wearing a red no-contact jersey. He refused to answer questions that day about the concussion or arrest, repeatedly saying, “I’m not getting into that right now.”

Two weeks ago, McKnight was carted to the locker room, wearing an oxygen mask, after banging his head on the ground during a play. He had taken a knee three times on his way to the field earlier that day while dealing with a migraine headache. Later that morning, he angrily responded on Twitter to someone he thought was a reporter who wrote that he should get released.

The final straw for the Jets might have come last week when McKnight, refusing to speak to the media, gave a reporter one of the team-issued media “bridges” cards that was given to players with suggested talking points for interviews.

“I’m over it all, but for what’s going on, I know who my enemies are and who’s with me” he told the AP last week. “I’ve just got to address those people accordingly.”

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013 27

28 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013

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SPORTS

New Faces Fight for Spots FOOTBALL

Continued from page 32

seat to winning and competing with my team.”

Even with these preemptive awards hanging over his head, Mathews said he does not feel pressure to perform up to certain expectations.

“I think when you are focused on the right things, such as improving each day, you don’t have time to worry about others expectations for you,” he said. “I know what I need to do to put our team in the best position to win, and that’s all I’m focused on.”

After completing the 2012 season at 2-5 in the Ancient Eight and in a tie for sixth place with Columbia, the Red was once again picked sixth in the Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll.

“Honestly, we don’t care about the preseason rankings. Our team understands that we will have the opportunity to play every team in the Ivy [League} and we look forward to competing,” Mathews said.

According to Mathews, Archer and his staff has worked tirelessly to improve the Red before the start of the season, hoping to beat the odds of the preseason poll.

“We will have a lot of new faces competing for spots, and it will be fun to see the guys get better,” Mathews said. “We are solely focused on improving each day.”

As for a new head coach and different staff this season, Mathews said his team has the utmost confidence in Archer and what he has done with the program in just a few months in his new role.

“Coach Archer has done a great job of establishing our identity as a program,” he said. “He really focuses on bringing in great people and our staff is comprised of very well respected coaches. Coach Archer bleeds Cornell Red and his passion is infectious.”

Scott Chiusano can be reached at schiusano@cornellsun.com.

Staying Away From Scandal LIAO

Continued from page 32

on these cheaters instead of the athletes actually performing on the field. People forget about the Dodgers winning an incredible 42 of their last 51 games after the addition of Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez, or the seemingly cursed Pirates still leading their division.

Instead, the public wants to hear about what caused these individuals to cheat and how many others are out there.

The story got even more complicated recently when it was discovered that Alex Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games — a season more than anyone else — because he tried to hide information from the MLB and bribe Tony Bosch’s attorney to release the names of the others before his own. The outrage over Rodriguez in particular has caused many superfluous stories about A-Rod, Yankees management and any other possible contrived angle you can imagine. The outrage even spilled onto the field, as Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster purposefully hit Rodriguez in a game. It’s a shame when something like this begins to affect the play of teams in meaningful games.

The PED scandal is not contained to just baseball; there have been several reports of PED use in the NFL, headlined by Bronco’s Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller’s six-game suspension. However, this was only the start of the offfield distractions for the NFL. Earlier in the summer, Patriots Pro Bowl tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested for the murder of his friend Odin Lloyd in the biggest sports-related news story since Tiger’s fateful Thanksgiving Day Dinner. As more and more reports came out, the story became wilder and wilder, as a murder from last year was being blamed on Hernandez as well. As a result of this despicable crime, people started manufacturing stories blaming anyone from Urban Meyer to Tom

Brady, soaking up all the media attention. Again, Hernandez’s unspeakable actions outside of his sport completely overshadowed all the hours of hard work the other players have been putting in.

Moving into the amateur (can it be called amateur at this point?) realm of college football, we see much of the same story. This time, the focus is Johnny Manziel and his behavior turning from sophomoric to simply idiotic. He began the summer by partying and doing what college sophomores do, but this latest scandal of charging autograph dealers for his signature may force the NCAA to suspend him for a few games. This is especially ridiculous when considering that his family is not poor; he has been spotted in fancy cars and in the front row of a Miami Heat Finals game. The hoopla surrounding Manziel was so intense that at the SEC Media Days, there were more reporters crowding around him than in the heydays of Tim Tebow — a controversial figure in his own right.

Of course, some of this boredom must be blamed on the schedule itself. Of the four major sports, only baseball is in season and it is the off year between World Cups and Olympics. In fact, even in this off year for soccer, the biggest sports-related story may have come from the USA men’s soccer team, who reeled off 12 wins in a row, a record for the country. Although this is a great story for the state of soccer in this country, it’s indicative of how boring the summer has been when it comes to actual sports. As we begin another year on the hill, we can only hope that the sports world will resume as well. I sincerely hope that both the players and the media will concentrate on what happens on the court, and ignore all the surrounding noise off of it.

Albert Liao can be reached at aliao@cornellsun.com.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013 29

30 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013

SPORTS

Miller,Rodriguez At Helm of Offense SPRINT

Continued from page 32

top group of linebackers, led by seniors Kyle Higgins and John Kelder and junior Noah Shephard.

“I think our linebackers have always been a strength of the team,” Guccia said. “We’ve been a defensive-oriented team — our defense has been one of the best in the league over the past six, seven years.”

Still, Guccia has his eye on the changing sprint football landscape, where recently offensive and defensive adjustments have become “a game of cat and mouse.”

“As in any other football conference, as teams evolve they tend to get more wide-open,” he said. “That’s how the league has evolved — from a strictly run type of offense to a wide-open shotgun zoneread, so now defensively teams have to prepare for that type of a game.

However, perennial CSFL powerhouse Navy — who defeated the Red, 11-3, last season — plays a different style from other teams in the league.

“Then again, you have to prepare for Navy, who’s still old-fashioned football but can play wide open, so it’s a challenge the way the game has evolved,” Guccia said.

With the recent additions of Mansfield, Post and Franklin Pierce, the CSFL has become increasingly competitive. While the “I have an Red is excited by the challenges from these new schools and the expectation to win service academies, one oppoevery week.” nent stands out more than any other.

Brendan Miller “Always Penn,” Miller said.

“I have an expectation to win every week, but I think the big rivalry developed against Penn. And then given the marathon game we played last year that went into six overtimes. It’s just a really, really, really intense game every year — a lot of hard hitting. We’re always relatively evenly matched teams, so I’m really looking forward to that game.”

The Red defeated Penn in that marathon match, and will once again take on the Quakers in its first home match of 2013. A week prior it will travel to neutral turf in Saratoga Springs to face off against Franklin Pierce in the annual Adirondack Trust Allegiance Bowl. “[That’s] another big one,” Perez said.

With strong play early in the season, the Red has a chance to replicate last season’s 3-0 start and stay in the hunt for the team’s first league title since 2006.

“As a team, we just need to get over that hump,” Miller said. “It seems like we’ve been around that four or five win a season mark since I’ve been here. You can go back and say ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda’ on a bunch of different games and say ‘we could have had six wins this season’ or ‘we could have had a championship this year’ or whatnot. I expect to go into every game and win every game and be a league champion. Obviously, it’s a lot easier said than done, but as a group I think that if we go in with those expectations it will be a lot better.”

Backed by a strong defense and plenty of contributors on the offensive line and in the running game, Miller will have the opportunity to meet the team’s lofty expectations in 2013. But perhaps most instrumental to the team’s success will be the Red’s secret weapon — All-CSFL First Team kicker and 2012 team scoring leader John Rodriguez. ‘[H]e’s just such a weapon,” Miller said. “When you have a guy who can come in and hit a 50-yard field goal — put it through with five or ten yards to spare — that’s a pretty big weapon in this league, and he definitely kept us in a lot of games. He’s already the best player on our team, but I expect him to get a lot more notoriety for what he has done over the past couple seasons.”

The Red travels to Waterbury, CT for the team’s season opener against the Post Eagles on September 14.

Chris Mills can be reached at cmills@cornellsun.com.

MICHELLE FRALING / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Secret Weapon | Senior kicker John Rodriguez led the team in scoring last season and will once again be an important component to the offense.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Tuesday, August 27, 2013 31

Sports

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2013

32

FOOTBALL

New Era to Launch for C.U. Football

By SCOTT CHIUSANO Sun Assistant Sports Editor

With the first preseason practice completed last Tuesday and the week of grueling fall camp that followed, newly appointed head coach David Archer ’05 and his staff ushered in a new era for Cornell football.

Though the squad lost some key components in wide receiver Luke Tasker ’13 and offensive lineman J.C. Tretter ’13, the Red returns two-time Bushnell Cup finalist quarterback Jeff Mathews for his final campaign in a Cornell uniform.

Though the loss of Tretter and Tasker — who both worked out with NFL teams this summer — is a significant one, Mathews said he is confident that his team can collectively work to ease the pain of their absence.

“One player cannot step in and fill the void of guys like that,” he said. “We need the entire receiving core and O-line to improve as units.”

After receiving his first All-Ivy second team honor last year, senior wide receiver Grant Gellatly will take on Tasker’s role as Mathews main option in the passing game.

OLIVER KLIEWE / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Shoes to fill | With the loss of wide receiver Luke Tasker ’13, senior Grant Gellatly (above) will be a primary option for senior quarterback Jake Mathews this season.

“We have a lot of talented players in both groups,” Mathews said. “Grant Gellatly is a returner and wide receiver and one of the best players in the league, and we have a lot of young players vying for spots.”

Seniors Josh Grider, Brad Wagner and Zach Wilk all return to the offensive line this year. Wagner was a preseason second team All-Ivy pick, and Grider and Wilk both earned third-team nods. Sophomore running back Luke Hagy — who was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award last year — also received preseason All-Ivy honors on the third team.

“On the O-line we have a good mix of seniors and underclassmen,” Mathews said of the group that will make up his protection on the field. “There will be a lot of

competition for the five starting spots.”

Of the underclassmen that Mathews mentioned, 31 are the freshmen making up the class of 2017. Seven of these new additions to the Red are offensive lineman, including Jake Waltman, Dan Morin, Flint Geier and Alex Emanuels — all of whom were first-team all-state selections in their senior years. This recruiting class also contains one quarterback in Robert Somborn, who will likely be groomed for the future.

Somborn was a two-time first-team all district selection in Texas and threw for more than 300 yards in five of his 10 starts as a senior.

Though the class of 2017 is diverse and talented, Mathews acknowledged these players might still need time to develop.

“I think it’s very difficult to play as a freshman, but each player will have a chance to earn a spot,” he said.

Heading into his senior campaign with the Red, Mathews has received numerous preseason accolades. He has already been named a Preseason First-team FCS All American and was put on the CFPA Performer of the Year Watch List. Most recently, Mathews was named to the Initial Senior Bowl 2014 watch list. He is one of only two Ivy Leaguers on the list. Still, the star quarterback remained modest about his achievements.

“I came here to win football games,” he said. “The awards will always take a back See FOOTBALL page 29

Summer Sorrows Red Sets Sights on First Title Since 2006 A SPRINT FOOTBALL

By CHRIS MILLS

Sun Staff Writer

Lost among the buzz surrounding Jeff Mathews’ senior season has been Cornell’s other outgoing star quarterback —2012 All-CSFL First Team selection senior Brendan Miller. “[Mathews] throws extremely well, and he has a great read on the game. In his own right, Brendan [Miller] in our league is the

same way,” said co-head coach Bart Guccia. “He reads coverages very well and throws extremely well.

So the two are very comparable in what they do for each of our teams.”

This season, it will be up to Miller to command a squad that went 4-3 last year and has lost two of its star wideouts — Abe Mellinger ’13 and Spenser Gruenenfelder ‘13.

“I’m definitely looking

forward to a lot of competition,” Miller said. “[When] you have a lot of young guys who are competing for jobs, that’s when your team can be dangerous, because you have guys fighting for a lot of different spots and that’s when everybody steps up.”

According to Guccia, the loss of these receivers means the Red will have to search its depth chart for replacements.

MICHELL FRALING / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Going long | In his final campaign with the Red, All-CSFL First team selection senior quarterback Brendan Miller hopes to improve on the team’s recent four and five win seasons.

“We have to take a look at the players we have coming back and some of the new players coming up and actually some other players in other positions that might be able to work out as wide receivers,” Guccia said. “Right now, it’s a work in progress.”

One candidate who could help to fill the offensive void in 2013 is versatile senior running back Nick Perez, who finished third on the team in total offensive production last season According to Miller, he is just about “the fastest kid on the team.”

“I’m thinking about switching to receiver — that’s definitely a possibility,” Perez said. The Red will have the luxury of moving Perez around the field thanks to a deep stable of returning halfbacks, highlighted by sophomore Ben Herrera, who led the team with 190 rushing yards as a freshman. “He’s really going to add a lot and [do] a lot of damage in the league,” Perez said.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Red will again feature one of the CSFL’s See SPRINT page 30

fter completing our final exams last semester, we all earned a well-deserved break. It seems as if the entire sports world went on the same hiatus. After very compelling NBA and NHL Finals, the realm of professional sports seems to have been

but competition is why we watch. In that regard, this summer has been very disappointing — and boring — for me and other sports fans.

The most prevalent story of the entire summer has been the performance-enhancing drug scandal surrounding

Albert Liao Playing the Field put on pause. Next to nothing has happened since the finals and instead of focusing on the sports themselves, the media and the public have heavily scrutinized the many off-the-field incidents in which athletes have been involved this summer. The reason why sports are a multibillion dollar industry is because of the competition on the field; a motivational background story for one of the players is nice once in awhile,

Tony Bosch, Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez. If you haven’t heard the story yet, Tony Bosch — the founder of Biogenesis — supplied PEDs to several MLB players and ratted out the players he helped, leading to the suspension of 13 players.

We can get into a longwinded debate about the implications on the sport as a whole from this report, but the fact is, people are concentrating See LIAO page 29