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NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 40, No. 17

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012

nyunews.com

High cigarette taxes may be futile

Students react to protests in Spain

By HELEN HOLMES

By NATASHA BABAZADEH MADRID — Tens of thousands of people participated in a demonstration last week, calling for new elections and protesting the austerity measures in Spain. Spain is currently experiencing a high unemployment rate of 25 percent. Among the youth and population of more southern regions, this rate has even reached 50 percent. The scale of discontent among the population is rapidly escalating, too. The austerity measures made by the Popular Party have taken a toll on many Spanish citizens, and protesters are demanding new elections after claiming to be misled by Prime Minister Mariano Rahoe. Due to the government’s mishandling of the current economic crisis, protesters took to the streets to surround the lower house of Congress in Madrid. The series of protests that have

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GLORIA LEE/WSN

Twin Shadow performs with uncontainable energy Twin Shadow and Niki and the Dove put on a lively and eccentric performance at the Williamsburg Music Hall last Friday night, commanding the stage with their charisma and feeding off the enthusiastic crowd.

READ THE FULL STORY ONLINE AT NYUNEWS.COM

South Korean tourists flock to Think Coffee By MARGARET WEINBERG

For years, Think Coffee blended in with the rest of the Greenwich Village caffeine joints. With its delicious beverages, enticing desserts and hip, lively atmosphere, it was a local favorite — nothing more. That was until 2009, when one popular South Korean game show changed everything. The South Korean game show, “Infinite Challenge” featured the Mercer Street branch of Think Coffee during a segment in which contestants were made to order a complicated American espresso drink. Funny antics ensued as the participants dressed in flashy costumes and stumbled over their words. With a camera crew in tow, the customers and baristas alike were surprised by the scene that was unfolding before them. And the antics have not ceased. Think Coffee has experienced an influx of South Korean tourists in the past few years — from individuals to tour groups — marveling at the famous featured

site and ordering their own complicated espresso drinks. Not all Think Coffees have seen this growth. Chris Zen, a manager at the Fourth Street branch, estimates that up to 20 percent of their customers are Korean, but is unsure if this is because of the game show or just the growing diversity of the NYU population. However, Jason Scherr, owner of Think Coffee, confirmed that South Korean visitors to the Mercer branch have increased dramatically since the “Infinite Challenge” episode aired. Think Coffee has now opened three stores in South Korea to please its growing fan base in that area. “I am not sure that it further increased after our stores opened in South Korea, but there are quite a number of people who have visited our stores in both countries,” Scherr said. Surprisingly, not many NYU students have noticed this trend.

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Low-income smokers in New York state spent close to 25 percent of their income on cigarettes in 20102011, according to a study conducted by the Public Health and Policy Research program of Research Triangle Institute International. The report, which released last month, showed that New York has an lower smoking rate than the rest of the nation overall — 16.1 percent compared to 22.2 percent — the report reveals that low-income smokers take a bigger hit in New York than across the country. According to the report, those belonging to the lowest income group — those that make less than $30,000 anually — in the state spent 23.6 percent of their annual household income on cigarettes, compared to 14.2 percent nationally. Grace Nathans, a freshman in the NYU College of Nursing, said the only dent taxes have on smokers is on their wallets, not their habits.

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‘X-Factor’ misses ‘Idol’s’ high notes By BRIA MARIETTE When Simon Cowell announced that he was leaving “American Idol” to executiveproduce the U.S. version of “The X-Factor” in January 2010, both critics and fans couldn’t help but worry about the future of “Idol.” Nevertheless, “Idol” remained the highest-rated reality singing competition on television. “The X-Factor” was a huge success in the United Kingdom, and Cowell was hoping that same success would translate across the pond. Fast-forward to the U.S. premiere of “The X-Factor” in 2011 where the anticipation was high — judges included former Pussycat Dolls lead Nicole Scherzinger along with familiar faces Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. In spite of all this, ratings for “The X-Factor” were dismal. The show premiered to only 12.5 million viewers instead of the 20 million Cowell had predicted. Why didn’t “The X-Factor” become the runaway hit Fox

VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Even with Simon Cowell, “The X-Factor” has lost “Idol’s” audience. had hoped for in the fall? Critics of “The X-Factor” pointed to excessive hype around the judges as the source of the show’s demise. In response, producers revamped the show by replacing Scherzinger and Abdul with two new judges — Britney Spears and former Disney star Demi Lovato. Fans and critics were curious to see the chemistry between

the new judges, but more importantly the interaction between Spears and Cowell — Spears has never been known for stunning vocal talent. So far, the change has not done the trick for “The X-Factor.” The show premiered to 8.5 million viewers this season, 35 percent lower than last

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