Vol. 41, No. 11 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 nyunews.com

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWSNYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

Rally calls for cleaner energy

‘Girls’ star branches out with writing, directing RALLY continued on PG. 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

IMMIGRATION on PG. 3

VIOLENCE on PG. 5

OPS on PG. 7

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HYDROFRACKING CAN ALLEVIATE ENERGY WOESWhile it has risks, hydrofracking has potential to reduce pollution and fuel economic growth

LINK BETWEEN VIOLENCE AND VIDEO GAMES REMAINS THINIn the wake of the tragedies at Sandy Hook and Atlanta, displays of violence in artistic media have come under fire. But this criticism relies on little evidence and ignores important causes of criminality

STUDENT IMMIGRATION MAY SOON BE EASIER Bipartisan support for reform could relax restrictions on NYU’s international students

CHUCK KUAN FOR WSN

By WILL LANDMAN

Alex Karpovsky is a very busy man. In ad-dition to starring in HBO’s “Girls” as Ray Ploshansky, Karpovsky directed, wrote and starred in two movies — “Rubberneck” and “Red Flag — which will be premiering as a double feature this Friday at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. But he does not find his schedule overwhelming.

“Usually I’m on [a project] for one or two to three days,” Karpovsky said. “So it really doesn’t take up that much time. At least it doesn’t feel that way.”

Despite the large number of projects and characters that he takes on, Karpovsky makes sure to fully commit to each endeavor.

“My big thing is to make sure I understand what I’m doing in a fundamental, comprehen-sive sense,” he said. “I want to know if I totally understand what this character’s about, what his motivation is during the scene [and] how this will seem appropriate to the bigger picture. I just want to make sure I get it, that I get everything.”

In “Rubberneck,” Karpovsky plays a Boston research scientist named Paul. Months after a weekend fling, Paul continues to lust after his coworker Danielle (Jamie Ray Newman).

This role came naturally to Karpovsky. “My

dad’s a scientist,” he said. “I grew up in a com-munity of scientists, so it was easy for me to draw from that and the general personality traits from these scientists.”

In “Red Flag,” however, Karpovsky’s part reflects his own personality. In the film, he is a newly single indie filmmaker who is traveling to promote his film “Wood-pecker,” a film he actually directed in 2008. Alex is forced to suffer through a series of humiliations, each one more ab-surd and comical to watch than the last.

“I took my genuine fears and insecurities, basically amplifying them for comedic ef-fect,” Karpovsky said. “I find that stuff funny. Woody Allen used to do that. Louis C.K. kind of does that with his show. At this point, I feel I know a portion of who I am and I have enough perspective on some of my traits to caricature myself for comedic effect.”

Karpovsky was also eager to share his advice for the aspiring writers, directors and actors of NYU.

“I think, right now, more than any other time, there is no excuse not to make your film,” he said. “There are many ways to raise money, and we don’t have to bend over to executives as much anymore. The re-sources are there, your excuses are empty. Go out and make your movie. Take your time, do it right, but set a deadline.”

Will Landman is a contributing writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.

Alex Karpovsky has lept onto the silver screen with two new directorial efforts.

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By COSTANZA MAIO

On Sunday, 40,000 people con-verged on the Washington Mon-ument to urge President Barack Obama to keep his promises on environmental issues.

The Forward on Climate rally was coordinated by 350.org, the Sierra Club and the Hip Hop Caucus, three of the largest environmental justice organizations in the United States.

According to protesters, the first and most significant step in protecting the environment in the long term is to reject the Keystone XL pipeline plan.

This plan, proposed last year by the company TransCanada, con-cerns extending an existing pipeline from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast. Tar sands are sources of unrefined, toxic oil. Due to the danger of spills and leaks, this pres-ents harmful environmental risks.

Chinatown hosts Lunar New Year paradeOn Sunday, Feb. 17, the Year of the Snake was celebrated in Chinatown. This year was the 14th

Chinese Lunar New Year Parade and Festival, which is organized by the Better Chinatown Society.

RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN

ON THE SIDE COMPILED BY THE WSN STAFF

2 WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM

A marcher holding a janggu drum waits for the Lunar Year parade to begin.

PHOTO BY RACHEL KAPLAN

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Managing Editor

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SENIOR STAFFuniversity TATIANA BAEZcity/state VERONICA CARCHEDIinvestigative NICOLE BROWNarts JOSH JOHNSONfeatures KRISTINA BOGOSsports MARY JANE DUMANKAYAmultimedia RACHEL KAPLANcopy MICHAEL DOMANICO, WICY WANGforeign correspondent JULIE DEVITO senior editors GENTRY BROWN, DAN HINTON, CHARLES MAHONEY, CLIO MCCONNELL, STEFAN MELNYK, LAVYA YALAMANCHI

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About WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published Monday through Thursday during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods.

Corrections: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact managing editor Amy Zhang at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.

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IN AND OFTHE CITY

It’s a big city and a widespread university. Catch up with our daily updates on university and city/state news headlines other publications are covering.

STAFFPLAYLIST

By JOSH JOHNSON

With the amount of music out there, sometimes it’s just easier to pick a band with a cool name. But that’s not always the best route.

Here is a list of awesome songs by bands with terrible names.

“Funeral Dress” – Wussy

“Grim” – Ass Ponys

“Myth Takes” – !!!

“Gangsta” – tUnE-yArDs

“Club Foot” – KASABIAN

“Low Budget Slow Motion Soundtrack Song for the Leaving Scene” – CARISSA’S WIERD

“Leaf Blower” – THE ASYLUM STREET SPANKERS

“The Age of the Understatement” – THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS

“Barfight Revolution” – MARGOT AND THE NUCLEAR SO AND SO’S

“The Desert Is On Fire” – MURDER BY DEATH

“Good to Sea” – PINBACK

“Just Drums” – TAPES ‘N TAPES

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THREE HEROES SAVE MAN FROM SUBWAY TRAIN

At 2:40 a.m. on Monday morn-ing, a young man who ap-peared to be drunk fell onto the subway tracks at the Co-lumbus Circle subway station two mintues before the 1 train approached. Three young men jumped on the tracks and saved him before the train ar-rived in the station.

NYU FOOTBALL WEBSITES MERGE TO CREATE WHATUPNYU.COM

In an effort to gather all the NYU Football Team sites in one place, NYU Hookups, Things Overheard at NYU, NYU Secrets, NYU Memes, NYU Compliments, Things NYU Students Don’t Say, NYU Missed Connections and Hu-mans of NYU are now aggre-gated on WhatUpNYU.

NEW YORK STATE GUN LICENSES CAN REMAIN PRIVATE

Gun owners living in New York state can now file to exempt their personal information from the state’s Freedom of Information Law. This provision is a part of the state’s gun control law. The owner filing must state a legiti-

mate reason for exemption.

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS DELI ACCUSES OSCAR WINNER OF SHOPLIFTINGA Morningside Heights deli employee frisked Academy Award-winning actor For-est Whitaker after wrongly accusing him of shoplift-ing. The deli’s owners have since apologized.

STEALING IS IN SEASONThe New York Police Department is searching for two thieves who broke into the Four Seasons hotel on 57th Street over the weekend. The men stole $166,950 in valuable jewelry, including watches, pen-dants and chains.

RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN

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The speakers at the rally emphasized this point. Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org, and U.S. Sen. Sheldon White-house were among rally participants.

Last year, President Barack Obama delayed his decision on the project. After taking new precautions, Trans-Canada has re-proposed the plan. Ac-cording to the TransCanada website, pipelines are the safest way to trans-port crude oil.

Julianne Warren, an NYU environ-mental studies professor and member of NYU Divest, an organization that fo-cuses on encouraging the university to avoid investing in fossil fuels, disagreed.

“There’s nothing we can do to change the physics. If we burn that 240 gigatons of carbon that are in the tar sands, said Dr. James Hansen, the climatologist at NASA, it’s game over for the climate,” she said.

The pipeline would carry 830,000 bar-rels of oil per day. According to Trans-Canada and advocates of the pipeline, it would triple American production of tar sands oil, decrease our dependence on foreign oil and create jobs.

American investor and environ-mentalist Tom Steyer, who spoke at the rally, argued that the pipeline is not a sound investment.

“The time for business as usual

has passed. We can’t afford it,” he said. “Today is different because now, for the first time, we have to look comprehensively at all the costs.”

Reflecting on the march, Gallatin soph-omore and NYU Divest member Alyssa Evans expressed some doubt.

“The rally will draw attention, which puts public pressure on poli-ticians. But does it actually make them re-evaluate what they’re do-ing? I don’t know,” Evans said.

Yet others remained positive, such as Hannah Milnes, a freshman at Colum-bia University and a member of the Barnard-Columbia Divest team.

“It was incredibly moving, affirming and exciting to join voices with all of these movements and demand that the presi-dent listen to his people,” Milnes said.

The main issue at the rally was the world’s long-term plan for the environ-ment. Environmental activists understand the importance of acting now. TransCan-ada, too, is determined.

At the rally, Van Jones, the former special adviser of green jobs to President Obama, shifted the spotlight accordingly.

“The decision is in your hands, Mr. President,” he said.

Costanza Maio is a contributing writer. Email her at cstate@nyunews.com.

Activists gather in Washington Square Park to protest oil pipeline

RALLY continued from PG. 1

Keystone pipeline expansion has sparked anger in Washington, D.C.COURTESY OF ALICE SHOLTO-DOUGLAS

Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposes Styrofoam ban

By JASON BOXER

A recent push for a ban on Styrofoam containers could have significant envi-ronmental and economic implications for New York City.

This citywide sanction would be an ef-fort to reduce the city’s recycling and waste removal costs.

The government hopes that the ban will reduce the size and expense of landfills. The ban also fits into a plan that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office announced last year to double New York City’s house-hold recycling rate by 2017.

“The recycling rate is quite low here com-pared to other cities,” said Michael Keane, a professor of urban planning at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. “Actually, I think it’s hovering [around the] mid-20s. Compared to cities like Chicago and Seattle, we’re really falling behind.”

The Styrofoam ban demonstrates a new ecological focus for the Bloomberg admin-istration, which is a break from previous tendencies, even though Bloomberg put a temporary hold on glass, plastic and metal recycling in 2002. Now, however, he ap-pears to be changing his priorities.

“This effort by Bloomberg shows him shift-ing away from end of the pipe waste manage-ment solutions to a more source-based one,” Keane said. “Solutions like this aim to reduce the amount of garbage being processed. I think that the administration is wise in its ap-proach here, given how not comprehensive the current recycling program is.”

Another side to take into consideration is the effect the ban will have on New York City food vendors. The consequences of this legislation have seemed to create an almost unanimous reaction among smaller-scale food service providers: raising costs.

“High supply, high cost,” said Jerry Ley, the owner of Cambodian Cuisine, a food truck that regularly operates near NYU campus. “We are the small guy. When the price [of supply] goes up, we have no choice because no matter what I need to feed my children.”

Replacing Styrofoam containers with plastic or aluminum containers means another regu-lation for Ricky Oh, owner of Han’s Deli on Broadway between Bleecker and Bond streets.

“It will definitely be more expensive.

They give out a lot of tickets. They check every little thing, every little sign, even this,” Oh said. “It seems like if they want to give you a ticket they will.”

Bloomberg reaffirmed the Styrofoam ban in his final State of the City address last week, after it was originally proposed by the New York City Department of Sani-tation. He said that Styrofoam, aside from the environmental problems, also has negative economic consequences for New York residents.

“[Styrofoam] is terrible for taxpayers,” Bloomberg said in the address. “Styrofoam increases the cost of recycling by as much as $20 per ton because it has to be removed.”

Conflict between ecological and eco-nomic interests appears to be the decisive factors for this ban. Whether the city’s priorities lie with finances or the environ-ment remains to be seen.

Jason Boxer is a contributing writer. Email him at cstate@nyunews.com.

Mayor Bloomberg might issue a citywide ban on Styrofoam trays, boxes and cups.

RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN

Talk of immigration reform brings hope to NYU students By NICOLE BROWN

Part of the bipartisan plan for im-migration reform that President Barack Obama addressed in his State of the Union address could greatly impact college students.

If passed, foreign-born graduates who have received degrees in sci-ence, technology, engineering or mathematics could more easily re-main in the country to work.

Additionally, students who were brought to the country il-legally as children, also known as Dreamers, could find a sim-pler pathway to citizenship.

According to the director of the NYU Office of Global Services, David Austell, there are about 8,600 inter-national students enrolled in NYU.

The Wasserman Center for Ca-reer Development provides a program called Optional Practi-cal Training, which gives interna-

tional students a way to stay in the United States for 12 months of authorized work after graduating. Over 1,000 students are in OPT. But that does not guarantee that these students will remain in the country after those 12 months.

Some international students have mixed feelings about staying in the United States after graduation.

Kay Hwa Tan, a CAS junior from Malaysia, expressed the difficulty of staying in the United States. Tan is majoring in economics and comparative literature, which are not included in the STEM majors that the proposal benefits.

If these reforms are passed, Tan says more international students will change their major.

“Internationals basically come here to have a good education,” she said. “But at the end of the day, I feel that most of us want to stay here much more than just having the opportu-

nity to study what we like,” she said. But Austell said the reforms

will eventually include more than students in the STEM fields. He cited the successful business, lib-eral arts and humanities students who could benefit the country.

Statistics for the exact quantity of international students who stay in the United States after gradua-tion are not available, but through personal observation, Austell be-lieves more students are choosing to return home to pursue their career paths as economies abroad continue to improve.

The other part of the proposal, which deals with undocumented immigrants, may not impact many NYU students. But members of the NYU Dream Team, a group of around 15 undergraduates, graduate students and professors, are pleased that citizenship is being addressed.

NYU is immigration blind, mean-

ing students are not required to put on their application whether they are an undocumented student.

“There is no way to know un-less the student self-declares,” Austell said.

The NYU Dream Team currently advocates for the establishment of an undocumented student scholarship because undocumented students are not eligible for financial aid.

While these immigration reforms are highly anticipated by undocu-mented students, the NYU Dream Team is not completely satisfied.

“Ultimately, waiting 12 years to po-tentially become a legal citizen is un-realistic,” said NYU Dream Team pres-ident Marco V. Galaviz, who spoke on behalf of the group.

Additional reporting by Su Sie Park. Nicole Brown is investigative editor. Email them at investigative@nyunews.com.

Elinor Speirs is one of many students advocating for reform.

CHUCK KUAN FOR WSN

By EVAN KENDALL

For any and all New Jersey Nets fans, success has been a bit of a dream in recent years. The Nets haven’t had a winning record since the 2005-06 season, and their last playoff appear-ance was in the 2006-07 postseason. Over the span of over half a decade since then, they’ve been consistently awful, even finishing in dead last in 2009-10 with a 12-70 record.

But, things have been changing for the Nets, who now call Brooklyn’s Barclays Center home. They’re cur-rently sitting nine games above .500, fighting for a top four seed in the Eastern Conference that would grant them home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Thus far the Nets have been extremely suc-cessful in the Barclays Center, post-

ing an 18-10 record at home. So, are the Nets contenders or

pretenders? They’re well in the top half of the Eastern Conference. They have a solid starting lineup that boasts several former All-Star players, including star point guard Deron Williams, shooting guard Joe Johnson, scrappy forward Gerald Wallace and a current All-Star cen-ter, Brook Lopez. These players have worked well together this year, as they have two quality wins against the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pac-ers and the New York Knicks, as well as one win against the Los An-geles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

At this point, the Nets seem set for some playoff success, but gen-eral manager Billy King has been desperately trying to improve the team. The Nets have been linked in trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks’ Josh Smith, the Charlotte Bobcats’ Ben Gordon and possibly even Paul Millsap, the power for-ward for the Utah Jazz. Adding any one of these three players could potentially boost the Nets to true contender potential, as the names linked in the trade on Brook-lyn’s side are bench players Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks.

If the Nets can pull off a blockbuster trade before the deadline to bring in another major star to their team, they have a legitimate shot to contend in

4 WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM

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SPORTS

Brooklyn Nets must evolve to stay competitive

Channel military style for day, night in chic

camouflage pants

By CLARA YANG

Lately, camouflage pants are a huge hit on runways, and trend reports have predicted the military look for several seasons to come. While camo pants can make for a unique look, military style can either a hit or a complete flop. Here are some tricks and tips for a military-chic look that you don’t have to be a soldier to pull off.

LADIES MENDAY: Skinny camouflage pants can look effortlessly sexy, so keep it simple. Throw on a neutral-toned shirt or a blouse — collarless, if you want to fol-low the current minimalist trend. In the early spring it can be a bit cold, so don’t forget a denim jacket to keep you warm. Sandals like ankle straps and T-straps are simple and chic. Keep your hair and makeup natural to match the effortless look. Style your hair for a simple, cute daytime look.

NIGHT: A pop of color for the night out is a must — switch from denim to a bright col-ored blazer. A variety of choices can work, from yellow to pink to mint-turquoise. You can also change the top to a lacey blouse or a metallic tank top for a more elegant style. Take off the sandals and grab a pair of classic mid-heels or metallic-detailed ankle boots. Add boldness to your look with dark or glitter-based eye shadow, or add a bright color to your lips. Then untie your braids and let your wavy locks flow all night.

DAY: Camouflage pants naturally em-phasize masculinity. For an even more masculine look, add a metallic colored bomber jacket. Also army-inspired, a bomber jacket is another keeper for this upcoming season. Add some fun into your look and go wild with color. You can find a bomber jacket in a number of colors like gold, silver and black, but me-tallic blue will keep your style both edgy and suave. Keep the hair chic and cool with a Brit-rock indie comb over.

NIGHT: If it’s a special night, try a cam-ouflage suit. This style is trendy and clean, and it is easy to style it perfectly. Keep your shirt simple in design and color with an appropriate tie. Black is an easy choice for both shirt and tie, and metallic details will highlight your sense of fashion. Add volume to your hair with mousse or hairspray, and you are ready to go.

Clara Yang is a staff writer. Email her at bstyle@nyunews.com.

DAY

NIGHT

DAY

NIGHT

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the East. However, it is yet to be seen whom they will bring in or how he will fit with the new roster.

Excitemnet and anticipation sur-round the Nets’ newfound success but unless they make a big move,

they will be stuck in the “good, not great” category in the East, unable to get over the hump. Evan Kendall is a contributing writer. Email him at sports@nyunews.com.

NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS 5

ARTSEDITED BY JOSH JOHNSONARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Atlas Genius breaks new ground on debut

By ALEX PASTRON

Atlas Genius’ recent rise to the top of the alternative rock charts is as abrupt as the first track on its new album, “When It Was Now.” The album follows the band’s EP, “Through The Glass,” which was released last summer and featured the hit single “Trojans.”

Opening with “Electric,” it is imme-diately clear that keyboardist Darren Sell and brothers Keith (vocals/gui-tar), Steven (bass) and Michael Jeffrey (drums) aren’t messing around. As the title implies, “Electric” showcases the band’s ability to mix catchy electronic synth with sturdy percussion and gui-tar. While certainly a departure from “Trojans,” which is characterized by a stronger focus on vocals and guitar, the band’s original sound remains intact.

The eponymous track “When It Was Now” falls somewhere between “Trojans” and “Electric,” and it is one of those great moments where each member’s talents are showcased equally. The result is a tune that clearly defines the young Australians’ sound — solid, well-produced rock with a pop edge that would not be out of place at your favorite coffee shop or blasting from your iPod.

This is evident on tracks like “Back

Seat,” which features interesting lyrics such as “Cold backstreet / The flicker of a light that an eye couldn’t meet,” and some unusual yet interesting guitar picking. The song was released with the band’s EP last year, but it still stands out on the full album.

While “Trojans” continues to reign as the band’s best release, the whole of “When It Was Now” doesn’t lag far behind. Each track is carefully constructed from the lyrics to the keys. Fans of the alt-rock hit single, and of artists ranging from Jack’s Mannequin to Walk the Moon, will appreciate a fresh, new sound on the indie-rock airwaves.

Alex Pastron is a staff writer. Email her at music@nyunews.com.

Critics of violence in media distract from real dangersBy NIVEA SERRAO

At this year’s Golden Globes, the critically lauded show “Homeland” took home the award for “Best Television Series – Drama.” Despite its critical acclaim, the show has faced criticism for its depiction of violence — as have Oscar-nomi-nated films “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Django Unchained.”

Following the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo. and now Price Middle School in Atlanta, Ga., criticism seems war-ranted. But film and television aren’t the only media receiving the blame. With the discovery that Adam Lanza — the Sandy Hook shooter — played many violent video games, politicians pushing for gun control regu-lations want to regulate video games as well.

A week after the shooting at Newtown, Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association held a press conference during which he blamed “blood-soaked” films and video games for contributing to gun violence in America. Later in

January, Vice President Joe Biden met with entertainment industry representatives to engage in a dia-logue about the same issue.

Research shows that video games are extremely popular among young people. A 2008 Pew study found that almost all teens play video games, and at least half do so on a daily basis. Therefore, Adam Lanza’s video game habits should not come as a surprise.

“The question is whether there is a causal relationship between representations of violence in video games and acts of violence in the real world,” said Eric Zim-merman, a professor at NYU’s Game Center. “Despite the gov-ernment pouring untold millions of dollars into research in order to establish a link between these two phenomena, my reading of the research is that there is noth-ing that proves games affect the judgment of players and would cause someone to commit acts of violence.

Human beings have complex relationships to the art, entertain-ment and media they interact with that go far beyond some kind of ‘monkey see, monkey do’

notion of media effects.”Meanwhile, scientific studies

still fail to find any correlation between video game play and hu-man behavior.

But amid so many calls for regu-lation of guns and violence in video games, it is easy to forget the na-tional tragedy that brought the issue to the forefront in the first place — especially as the shooting is now becoming the cause celebre of national debate.

“I think with things like New-town, the media tries to sensa-tionalize it,” said CAS senior Alyse McGuigan. “Obviously these sto-ries need to be covered, and they shouldn’t take away from the trag-edy of it, but I think they need to change the way they cover it.”

Nivea Serrao is a contributing writer. Email her at entertainment@nyunews.com.

FROM WALKEN TO WALTZ: THE FORMULA FOR A LATE-NIGHT HOSTWhat makes a great SNL host? Find out at www.nyunews.com.

SPORTS

Brooklyn Nets must evolve to stay competitive

A Nets playoff bid could receive a boost from a few strategic trades.

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6 WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM

THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD & DAILY SUDOKU

ACROSS 1 Switch’s partner 5 Defeatist’s

words10 Velcro

component14 It extends from

the elbow15 Futile16 Approximately17 Expected

outcome18 Pillowcase

go-with19 Cavils20 1973 film for

which John Houseman was named Best Supporting Actor

23 Melancholy24 Soviet launch

of 198625 Like some

restaurants28 Shortest paths31 Surfer girl,

maybe

34 Grp. that suspended Honduras in 2009

35 Bird: Prefix36 Egg: Sp.37 Serling or

Steiger38 Eucharist plate40 Slip up41 Chat room

inits.42 Sunday best43 Igor, for one47 Column base48 Slugger Mel49 Squeal (on)52 Blindsided56 Hip-hopper’s

home58 Treat again, as

a sprain59 Up to the

challenge60 Guy61 Regions62 “Like that’ll

ever happen”

63 Film unit64 Things spun by

old salts65 Something

hidden in 20-, 28-, 43- and 52-Across … or landed with the help of 1-, 10-, 37- and 63-Across

DOWN 1 Baseball taps 2 “Welcome to

Honolulu!” 3 How losses

appear on a ledger

4 Pat (down) 5 Motivate 6 Stick together 7 Violinist

Leopold 8 Fraction of a

fraction of a min.

9 Ties10 Main part of

Japan11 Get situated12 German

direction13 Bout-ending

slugs21 ___ acid22 ___ Z26 “If ___ catch

you …!”27 TV spinoff of

200428 Stock payout:

Abbr.29 Loses ardor30 Smidgen31 Young dog32 Hearing-related

33 Weed-killer

37 Prince’s père

38 Ship of 1492

39 Tiny sugar-lover

41 Color akin to silver

42 Obesity

44 Women’s tennis champ Medina

45 Original Beatle Sutcliffe

46 Bird with a colorful bill

49 Temple head

50 Van Gogh home for a while

51 Choppers

53 Daughter of Cronus

54 Layer

55 Cosette, e.g., in “Les Misérables”

56 Burnable data holder: Abbr.

57 Regret

Puzzle by PETER A. COLLINS

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Obama administration must reveal motive for plans to fund brain mapping

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MILITARY

Iran presents contradictory nuclear stance

Open hydrofracking laws should passENERGY

NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS 7

EDITORIAL BOARD: Sameer Jaywant (Chair), Raquel Woodruff (Co-Chair),

EdwardRadzivilovskiy (Co-Chair), Nicky Sethi, Matt Luo, Nina Golshan, Ian Mark, Jess Littman, Marcelo Cicconet

By JESSICA LITTMAN

Last week, Iran surprised the world with its reaction to North Korea’s third nuclear test. The Islamic Republic declared that all nuclear weapons in the world should be destroyed, a shocking statement in the eyes of those in the West who be-lieve Iran is attempting to build up its own nuclear arsenal.

Whether Iran is trying to create nuclear weapons is unclear. Its government fervently claims that its nuclear programs are meant solely for providing energy, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has not found hard evi-dence to the contrary. But Iran’s public statements on the issue are so conflicting and confusing that it is impossible to determine the country’s true goal.

After the initial statement last week condemning nuclear weap-ons, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, declared that Iran could create nukes if it wanted. The Ayatollah claimed that Iran does not “want to build atomic weapons. But if we didn’t

believe so and intended to pos-sess nuclear weapons, no power could stop us.”

This statement was made in the midst of requests by Iran for West-ern countries, in particular the United States, to lift harsh sanc-tions they have put in place in a push to stop the Iranian nuclear program. While the statement is not quite a threat, it does not in-spire confidence in Iran’s commit-ment to nonproliferation.

There are other major signs that Iran’s comments immediately af-ter the nuclear test are not repre-sentative of their actual thoughts or actions on the issue. The most troubling fact is that the Iranian who likely conceived of Iran’s nu-clear program observed the test in North Korea firsthand.

Iran seems to desperately want the global community to believe that it is not creat-ing nuclear weapons. Wheth-er this is because that is the truth or because they are try-ing to cover up a weapons pro-gram remains to be seen, but sending mixed signals to the world on its intentions about

nuclear weapons does not help Iran’s cause.

Sweeping statements against proliferation — like the declara-tion that every country should destroy its nuclear weapons — are the outlier for Iran and only serve to draw attention to its nuclear program. They are not convincing the world that Iran is not trying to build nuclear weap-ons. The only way for Iran to do this is to open up more to IAEA inspectors — but instead, they sent the deputy IAEA chief home from talks last Thursday with no conclusion as to when they would grant IAEA requests for new inspectors.

The best overall solution to this situation is indeed Iran’s: all countries should destroy their nuclear weapons. But that isn’t going to happen and in the meantime, Iran needs to be more open about its program if it truly does not want any more nuclear proliferation.

Jessica Littman is a staff columnist. Email her at opinion@nyunews.com.

By RAQUEL WOODRUFF

The hydraulic fracturing deci-sion in New York has been de-layed yet again due to remain-ing uncertainty regarding the potential health risks of gas drilling. While the media has sensationalized the strong public anti-fracking response, an energy poll weighted using U.S. Census Bureau figures and conducted by the University of Texas at Aus-tin revealed that 62 percent of survey participants did not even know what hydrofracking was.

Hydraulic fracturing is an ad-vanced method of extracting nat-ural gas from layers of shale rock buried up to 10,000 feet below the surface. The rock formations are blasted with water, sand and chemicals so that fissures are cre-ated and gas is released.

So what does this mean? Well, it means the most efficient do-mestic development of natu-ral gas America has ever seen. It means a dramatic reduction in foreign fuel imports, which means more federal revenue. It

means a significant decrease in dependency on foreign oil, which means more jobs in the United States. It means a cleaner alter-native to coal and oil. It means cutting carbon dioxide emissions in the looming shadow of cli-mate change. It means access to enough resources to heat homes in the United States for 857 years.

Given the information available to us, the benefits of fracking far outweigh public health concerns. While there has been evidence of water contamination, Syracuse University hydrology professor Donald Siegel agrees that acci-dents are a minimal risk.

“In every basin, there might be one or two accidents out of tens of thousands of wells,” he said.

Even the New York Health De-partment believes that human exposure to chemicals due to hy-drofracking poses little or no dan-ger. While these affirmations are vague, look toward Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper — such a firm believer in its safety that he actu-ally drank fracking fluid.

Now, I’m not saying the health

risks gas drilling poses are not le-gitimate or do not need to be ad-dressed. In fact, I believe the best way to minimize environmental harm and make natural gas pro-duction safer is through more regulation. No more exemptions for gas and oil industries, as in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. No more loopholes and trade secrets. It’s time for comprehensive fed-eral legislation on energy policy starting with the cleanest fossil fuel accessible to us: natural gas.

Hydrofracking has opened the door to the most effective natu-ral gas development the world has ever realized. Stopping it is not the answer to a better envi-ronment. Sufficient regulation and safer procedures extended by the federal government on gas and oil companies are the next steps the United States should take in order to ensure economic growth and increased domestic energy production.

Raquel Woodruff is deputy opinion editor. Email her at rwoodruff@nyunews.com.

This week, the Obama administration revealed its plan to pur-sue a 10-year, $3 billion research effort aimed at mapping the human brain in its entirety. Titled the Brain Activity Map, the project is designed to facilitate an understanding of the approxi-mately 100 billion neurons interacting in our brains. Advocates of the study claim it will contribute to the elimination of neuro-logical disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and stimu-late employment in the sciences. Critics, however, question the worth and motives of this bold initiative — brain research is not cheap, and current theoretical and technological means such as nanotechnology tools might not be adequate for the endeavor.

Although the ’90s have been called the “decade of the brain,” and significant advances in the computational aspects of brain ar-chitecture were made in the last decade, we are still far from un-derstanding the inner workings of the cognitive organ. Therefore, such funding would greatly benefit scientific research at large, most notably artificial intelligence. In addition, Obama’s initiative is expected to boost the economy as the Human Genome Project did, with an $800 billion return on a $3.8 billion investment.

While the Brain Activity Map study is indeed similar to the HGP, there are notable differences. First, the HGP was organized with a basic, though flawed, hypothesis in mind — knowledge of the human genome would allow us to map human beings based on their distinct genetic codes. The Brain Activity Map study has a similar structure but lacks a concrete prediction — our knowl-edge of the brain is so limited that scientists cannot foresee the full implications of a realized brain map. Second, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a government organization responsible for the development of new and innovative military technologies — including drones — was not involved in the HGP, meaning the project had no military ends.

In contrast, a portion of the Brain Activity Map funds will be appropriated to DARPA, as briefly noted by The New York Times. Interestingly enough, the Times did not expound on the implica-tions of DARPA’s involvement. The inclusion of money for DARPA seems to suggest that this project may have strategic military ben-efits in waging new kinds of wars. This is where the project begins to sound more Orwellian. It remains to be seen if the administra-tion will divulge exactly what the strategic military advantage of this study would be. Whether the findings will be used for humani-tarian purposes is another question entirely.