NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 28
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013
nyunews.com
STREET BOUND Homeless population on the rise
Shelterless men, women and children fill the streets of New York City as the loss of public housing and the lingering effects of economic downturn weigh on the city.
STORY ON PAGE 3
RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Village tenants plan to appeal dismissal of lawsuit against 2031 expansion plan By KEVIN BURNS
GAY MARRIAGE IS COMPATIBLE WITH CONSERVATIVE VALUES:
As marriage equality goes to the Supreme Court, the WSN editorial staff demonstrates contrary to popular belief, that same-sex marriage is consistent with conservative ideology.
RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN
JOE’S PIZZERIA SERVES AUTHENTIC PIES IN UNION SQUARE:
Joe’s, a famous West Village instution, opened a new storefront in Union Square earlier this month. The shop serves fresh, delicious pizza based on traditional family recipes.
would be a problem,” Weinstein said. “I don’t see this as a victory for the Sexton plan.” Coin advised the tenants to refer their suit to the Department of Housing and Community Renewal. With the appeal, however, it appears as though the residents will continue their battle in court. NYU spokesman Philip Lentz said the university is confident the court’s original decision to dismiss the case will stand if future appeals are allowed. “We argued before the judge that the case should be thrown out and it was. We
2031 continued on PG. 3
Film gives Snow White silent treatment By KATHERINE TEJEDA
OPS on PG. 7
JOE on PG. 8
Tenants of the NYU owned high-rise complex Washington Square Village appealed the dismissal of their lawsuit to block a portion of NYU’s 2031 expansion plan yesterday. The high-rise residents’ lawsuit aimed to stop NYU from eliminating any part of a park located in the center of the group of high-rises. It was dismissed by a New York State Supreme Court judge on March 14. NYU plans to remove the park and replace it with a smaller one in a different location, as part of its 2031 expansion plan. Justice Ellen Coin dismissed the suit on grounds that the case did not yet warrant
the attention of the State Supreme Court since the construction project is still in its early stages. NYU has not yet finalized plans or secured construction permits. Coin said the suit is currently more of a community than a State Supreme Court case. “Such oversight is more akin to an administrative function rather than determination of a justiciable controversy,” Coin said in a statement. NYU professor of history Barbara Weinstein, a member of the Faculty Against the Sexton Plan group, said she had hoped the judge would pass down a stronger decision. “I do wish the judge had been more proactive and said that building on those spaces
Bullfighting, murder and dancing. “Blancanieves,” directed and written by Pablo Berger, is an adaptation of the classic Snow White fairy tale. But this film is not the story you grew up with — it’s not a fairy tale at all. Our Snow White is a girl named Carmen, and the film takes place in Seville during the 1920s. Carmen (Macarena García) is sent to live with her father, Antonio (Daniel Giménez Cacho), and his new wife, Encarna (Maribel Verdú), after her grandmother’s passing. Encarna is your typical evil stepmother, but her ill will is also directed at her husband who, after a bullfighting accident, is
BLANCANIEVES continued on PG. 4
left completely paralyzed. Once she’s had enough of him, Encarna kills Antonio and sends her lover to kill Carmen only for her to be saved by one of six bullfighting dwarves named Rafita (Sergio Dorado). After jumping in the ring to save Jesusín, another one of the dwarves, Carmen goes on to become a famous bullfighter while Encarna searches with the infamous poisoned apple in hand. One of the most interesting aspects of “Blancanieves” is its lack of audio. The silent foreign film lacks distracting subtitles. The montage and rhythmic editing are especially effective, most notably in the scenes where Carmen and her grandmother are dancing after her communion. The quick tempo and dance movements are combined with a series of
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The fairy tale’s familiar dwarves are actually bullfighters in “Blancanieves.”