NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 66
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
nyunews.com
Violets continue their home game win streak The women’s volleyball team remains undefeated after their game against the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The Violets beat the Mariners in three straight sets at home.
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CAROLINE COLLINS FOR WSN
Alum signs to play basketball Two NYU alumni earn with Slovakian club team MacArthur genius grants By WILLOW FREDERICK
Carl Yaffe, a four-year standout of the NYU men’s basketball team, officially signed a contract to play professionally in Slovakia this past Friday, Sept. 20. “It had always been a dream of [mine] to play professionally,” the Bethesda, Md. native said. Yaffe initially realized that he had a chance to play overseas in his junior year in college. During his basketball career at NYU, Yaffe led the Violets in just about everything — average points per game (14.9), rebounds per game (7.6), assists per game (3.5), blocked shots per game (0.8) and minutes per game (35.3). He scored his 1,000th career point for NYU last November and ended his senior
season as the fifth leading scorer in NYU men’s basketball history with a staggering 1,365 points. That puts him behind former NBA players Mal Graham and Barry Kramer on the all-time record list. It comes as no surprise that head coach Joseph Nesci’s first word used to describe Carl is “hardworking.” “I have great confidence that Carl will be very successful in his playing career going forward,” Coach Nesci said. Not to be limited by the university’s Division III status, Yaffe participated in the Maccabiah Games held in Israel this past summer, becoming more and more acquainted with the Division I atmosphere and near-professional level. At the games,
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By EMILY BELL
Two NYU alumni were among the 24 recipients of the 2013 MacArthur Fellowship or so-called genius grant, announced yesterday. Dancer and choreographer Kyle Abraham and organic chemist Phil Baran will each receive a $625,000 grant over a five-year timespan. The MacArthur Fellowship, which has been awarding grants to intellectual and artistic leaders in different fields for the past 30 years, gives a “no-strings attached” grant to award recipients. According to their website, the grant money can be spent in whichever way the recipients choose and, unlike other grants, there are no reporting requirements. The fellowship increased the amount of the
grant from $500,000 awarded since 2002. “It was both shocking and humbling and it comes with it a great sense of responsibility to not rest on any laurels,” Baran said. Baran said that the freedom that comes with the money will allow him to fund projects that would not be possible from other grants, as well as fund fellowships for graduate students and purchase equipment and supplies. “We’re not going to waste it,” Baran said. “We’re going to use it do things that were impossible in any other way. This time, [we can] pursue very speculative science. It will allow me to help my students more.” Baran is a professor of chemistry at
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Gordon-Levitt impresses with directorial debut ‘Don Jon’
By SHAWN FLANAGAN
Jon only cares about a few things in life — “My body, my pad, my ride, my family, my church, my boys, my girls and my porn.” At least he’s honest. In his directorial debut, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has crafted a great film and titular character with “Don
Jon.” The social critique presented in the film — the idea that people do not understand how to have intimate relationships — is simple, touching and hilarious, but goes a long way because of its relatability. Looking at the list of Jon’s priorities and character traits, this film is not a traditional love story. Rather,
it is a tale about one man discovering what real love actually entails. Jon (Gordon-Levitt) prefers pornography to his many sexual relations in real life. Every Sunday, he attends confession at his local church and goes to dinner with his family. He says his Hail Marys at the gym the next morning, but then he’s back in
his regular routine at the bar and on porn sites. Enter Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson), the most beautiful girl Jon has ever seen. They begin dating, going out for food and meeting each other’s families. She even drags Jon to see romantic comedies, which he can’t stand. And then, inevitably, Barbara catches Jon
watching porn. Jon’s addiction to porn has crippled his ability to be a part of a real relationship. Jon’s statement that romantic comedies are “fake, but they watch it like it’s real life” echoes throughout the film. What he fails to realize is porn is not real love
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