Vol. 40, No. 37 TUESday, NOVEMBER 13, 2012 nyunews.com

waShiNgTON SqUaRE NEwSNYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

Study: incentivizing students with cash

HOMEWORK continued on PG. 3

Chocolate show pulls through despite Sandy

Soundgarden roars back with new LP

CHOCOLATE continued on PG. 4 SOUNDGARDEN continued on PG. 5

Frontman Nate Ruess delivers fun. night for pop fans at Irving PlazaNot even a hurricane could prevent fun. from performing to a packed crowd. The band led its fans in singalongs to hits like “We Are Young” and “Some Nights,” as well as deeper cuts like “One Foot.”

STORY ON PAGE 5

Alex PASTON FOr WSN

Religious services begin at GCASL

CATHOLIC continued on PG. 3

By EMILY BELL

Starting this Wednesday, NYU’s Catholic Center will hold open religious services every other week for rest of the semester.

The Catholic Center is housed within NYU’s new Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life that opened earlier this year. The evening services will be hosted by the Episcopal campus minis-try, Canterbury Downtown, but will be open to all NYU students.

“It’s an open invitation to all who wish to gather a candlelit service of song, silence and prayers,” said the Rev. Mary Cath-erine Young. “It’s done in an An-glican tradition. It’s really beauti-ful, prayerful and meditative.”

The organizers said they are expecting about 15 to 20 stu-dents. The singing will be led by members of a student choir, and Young will lead the spoken portions. The student choir pres-ent at the services will be comprised

BY TANAY HUDSON

After a two-year study, Stein-hardt professors and their col-leagues from Manpower Dem-onstration Research Corporation found that monetary incen-tives changed how low-income teenagers in New York City spent their time.

In 2007, New York City’s Center for Economic Oppor-tunity and the Mayor’s Office designed a conditional cash transfer program called the Op-portunity New York City Family Rewards in an effort to reduce poverty among low-income fami-lies. Conditional cash transfer programs provided low-income families with monetary incen-tives and encouraged them to invest in their health, education and economic potential. The pi-lot program lasted from 2007 to 2010.

The MDRC found that the Family Rewards program changed how

By MARGARET WEINBERG

This past weekend, some of the chocolate world’s best and brightest gathered at the Met-ropolitan Pavilion to celebrate the New York Chocolate Show’s 15th year. There was something for everyone at this expo-style event; one could walk down the aisles of chocolate manufactur-ers, sampling anything from Pac-ari Chocolate’s chocolate covered golden berries to Buzz’s Fudge’s Red Wine spiked fudge.

Experts of the field showed au-dience members the tricks of the trade at culinary demonstrations scattered throughout the weekend.

One attendee of the show, Carol Lindia, age 66, said the

demonstrations were her favor-ite part of the show.

“I’ve made candy before, but I never knew all the little intrica-cies before this,” Lindia said.

Attendees viewed in awe at choc-olate spectacles galore. On one side of the room, Paul Joachim, of artedibles.com, worked on life-sized chocolate models. In another corner, spectators ogled a dress adorned in delicate choco-late leaves and vines, designed by Michelle Tampakis of the Institute of Culinary Education.

The show also featured book signings sponsored by Barnes & Noble, which included names such as food historian Francine

By JOSHUA JOHNSON

Since their breakup in 1997, the rock titans of Soundgarden have, for the most part, stayed out of the public eye. Lead singer Chris Cornell launched a solo ca-reer, and the rest of the members quietly went their separate ways, making the band an artifact of the legendary Seattle grunge era.

It wasn’t until 2010 that re-union talks became serious, and now, two years later, the world has a new Soundgarden album, “King Animal. Soundgarden fans’ biggest fear was that the album would sound like a half-baked, inconsequential cash-grab. Luckily, those fears can be discarded. “King Animal” is a spirited, ful-ly realized record that is much better than anyone could have reasonably expected.

“King Animal” begins with “Been Away Too Long,” which is a perfect opening track. Not only does it re-introduce the listener to the sorely missed guitar of Kim Thayil, but the chorus, in which Cornell sings triumphantly “I’ve been away for too long,” should definitely elicit a “hell yeah” or two. While his voice certainly is not what it used to be, Cornell’s signature growl is on full display. Tracks like the force-ful “Crooked Steps” and the eerie closer “Rowing” demonstrate why he belongs on the Mount Rush-more of rock singers.

While it is a pleasant surprise that Cornell’s voice is at even 75 percent capacity after all these years, the real MVP of “King Animal” is Thayil. The art of the guitar riff is going the way of the dodo, but Thayil wields his instrument like a finely

honed weapon — with elegant viciousness. Take album high-light “Bones of Birds,” which sounds like a long-lost “Supe-runknown” track. Thayil uses all the tools in his arsenal, com-bining elements of “Black Hole

viA WikiPediA.Org

ON ThE SidE COmPiled BY The WSN STAFF

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gOT aN EVENT? EMaiL US aT agENda@NyUNEwS.COM OR TwEET US @NyUNEwS. gOT SOMEThiNg TO ShaRE? EMaiL US aT TiPS@NyUNEwS.COM.

Editor-in-Chief AMANDA RANDONE

Managing EditorJAEWON KANG

Web Managing Editor

AMY ZHANG

Deputy Managing Editor

EMILY YANG

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HANqING CHEN DANIEL HINTON

Creative DirectorMERYLL PREPOSI

SENiOR STaffuniversity GENTRY BROWNcity/state TONY CHAUarts STEFAN MELNYKfeatures NICOLA PRINGmultimedia JAMES KELLEHERcopy JORDAN MELENDREZ senior editors HANNAH BORENSTEIN, CARRIE COUROGEN, JULIE DEVITO, BRIDGETTE DORAN, JONATHON DORNBUSH, CHARLES MAHONEY, COLE RILEY

dEPUTy STaffuniversity TATIANA BAEZ, VERONICA CARCHEDIcity/state KAYANA JEAN-PHILIPPE,NICOLE BROWNbooks/theater CLIO MCCONNELLfilm JEREMY GROSSMANentertainment SAMANTHA RULLOmusic JOSHUA JOHNSONfeatures KATYA BARANNIK beauty & style HILARY PRESLEYdining LAVYA YALAMANCHI special issues ESHA RAYsports MARY JANE DUMANKAYA, SARA LEVY, SEBASTIEN VAN HEYNINGENmultimedia GLORIA LEE, JONATHAN TANforeign correspondent RICHARD ZHANGsocial media agent NICOLE GARTSIDE

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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 Jaewon Kang at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.

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waShiNgTON SqUaRE NEwS

STAFFRECOMMENdaTiONS

1. John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” is well

worth its dense 600 pages. In a retelling

of the Cain and Abel story, the book fol-lows two American

families through sev-eral generations to

propose an important question: is a man’s

nature dictated by his ancestors?

— Leora Rosenberg

2. Located in the heart of Man-hattan, Laut is a trendy Malaysian restaurant a few blocks from Union Square. Offering dishes such as Mee Goreng and Chow Guay Teow, the restaurant is as authentic as an ethnic restau-rant can be in New York. With delicious foods and reasonable prices, Laut is the go-to place for your Southeast Asian cravings.

— Bob Teoh

3. Having recently wrapped up season two, “Alphas” con-tinues to be one of the most consistently entertaining genre shows on TV. Striking a good balance between epi-sodic and thematic storytell-ing, the show’s creative spin on superpowers and crime procedurals makes it easy to convince your friends it is more than an “X-Men” clone. Be prepared for heart-pound-ing moments toward the end of the season. — Catherine Tan

4. At only 18 episodes, “Freaks and Geeks” is an easy watch and can be found on Netflix Instant. The show, which takes place at a high school in the 1980s, is based on a simple concept and is relatable and fun. It features several stars before they became famous, like James Franco, Linda Cardellini, Lizzy Caplan, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel. The show was produced by Judd Apatow, and it is interesting to see his work before he became the Hollywood giant known for films like “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” — Gus Constantellis

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grAPhiC BY kYlie TSeNg FOr WSN

TOday

Noon to 1:30 p.m. Kimball Hall, third floor | 246 Greene St.

Humanities & social sciences speaker series

Rutgers University professor Steven Diner will be speaking about urban universities in

20th century America.

1 to 2 p.m. 1 Washington Square Northresponding to

disasters and self-care: understanding Vicarious trauma

Members of the Silver School of Social Work will gather to discuss the impact of Hurricane Sandy and

how the school can be of help during this difficult time. They will also discuss self-care and vicarious trauma.

4 p.m. The New York City Rescue Mission | 90 Lafayette Street

meal serVice at tHe rescue mission of new York citY

Volunteers are needed to help the Rescue Mission of New York City in their kitchen, dining room and mail

room as they provide food, shelter and clothing to those in need after the hurricane. RSVP at the Hurricane

Sandy page on NYU’s website.

1 2 3

A man basks in the sun while sitting on a bench in Washington Square Park.

PHOTO BY RACHEL KAPLAN

SNaPShOT ON ThE wiRE

mitt romney style, on the faceOf the many Mitt Romney supporters disappointed by the Republican candi-

date’s loss in the presidential election, professional wrestler Eric Hartsburg has a unique reason to be upset. In an unusual publicity stunt, Hartsburg auctioned off his face on eBay and eventually accepted a $5,000 bid to get a tattoo of the Romney-Ryan campaign logo. The red and blue tattoo is located on his right

temple and is five-by-two inches. Hartsburg said by getting this tattoo, he was hoping to make politics more entertaining, and because he

hopes to become more involved in the entertainment business. — THE HUFFINGTON POST

UNiVERSiTy Of MaRyLaNd

expanded gender-neutral housing plans in works following rHa vote— THE dIamONdback

BROwN UNiVERSiTy

early applications rise for class of 2017— THE brOwN daIly HErald

teenagers spent their time, reduced teenagers’ problem behaviors, increased parents’ spending on school-related and leisure expenses and increased the number of parents who saved for the children’s future education. For the subgroup of academically proficient teenag-ers, it increased the number of those who engaged primarily in academic activities and re-duced the number that mostly engaged in social activities.

“The Mayors Office and the City of New York wanted to see if this could be an innovative approach to reducing poverty in New York City,” said Pamela Morris, Steinhardt professor of Applied Psychology.

Morris, who was also a lead investigator in the study and senior fellow at the MDRC, co-authored the report on the find-ings with two graduate students and J. Lawrence Aber, a distin-guished professor of Applied Psychology and Public Policy.

This program was implement-ed in six of New York City’s most impoverished communities and targeted fourth, seventh and ninth graders. Monetary incen-tives ranged from $25 to $600.

The MDRC also conducted a core evaluation to investigate the Family Rewards Program’s effect on the participating family’s eco-nomic well-being, family health care, children’s education and parent’s employment.

Morris said even though there are other incentives that can be used, monetary incentives were more effective.

“The way that I see it is that

low-income families face a lot of constraints on participating in things that are easy for me to participate in,” Morris said. “For example, if I want to bring my child to the doctor, I am sal-aried. I won’t lose my paycheck for the day.”

“For low-income families do-ing the exact same thing, they may lose a day of pay or they may risk their position at their work,” she added. “I think what we are trying to do with these rewards is level the play-ing field a little.”

Steinhardt sophomore Shel-by Bambino said she found the report to be interesting and surprising.

“I think that it’s extremely interesting that they are doing that,” Bambino said. “By simply giving a monetary reward that it not only affects them, but it is also affecting the way that the parents react to it.”

But CAS sophomore Rocil Cuevas disagreed.

“I think it’s a good thought because it does help families in need, but I think it gives kids the wrong values, that you should only do what you don’t want to do for money,” Cue-vas said. “They should do their homework because it will ben-efit them in the future.”

Morris said she hopes this temporary program has en-lightened these families about what their future could hold.

“The idea being that if you can encourage parents to in-vest in kids’ human capital, you hopefully can help to re-solve some of the challenges with the long-term intergenera-tional consequences of poverty,” Morris said.

Tanay Hudson is a contributing writer. Email her at university@nyunews.com.

NYuNeWS.COm | TueSdAY, NOvemBer 13, 2012 | WAShiNgTON SquAre NeWS 3

A new study tests if money can foster good behavior for families.viA mrdC.Org

Report breaks down causes of rising university tuitionBy ANDERS MELIN

On Sept. 17, 1967, The New York Times reported that NYU’s annual tuition topped $2,000 for the first time in school history.

The antiquated Times’ report at-tests that American households’ battle with mounting costs of post-secondary education was as ferocious half a century ago as it is today.

A trend of continuous increases, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, have made tuition costs de-viate significantly from the general rate of inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index.

The estimated price for the 2012-2013 academic year as an NYU un-dergraduate, including tuition and fees but excluding room and board, is $43,204, according to NYU’s Financial Facts pamphlet. If the cost would have followed the CPI since 1967, a year in the classroom would cost $11,525 — close to a 275 percent difference of net inflation.

The seemingly stunning increase is by no means unusual. According to a 2011 report published by the

non-profit College Board, NYU’s costs have risen largely at par with the national average for four-year private non-profit institutions over the past three decades, and the un-derlying reasons are many.

Like most other service firms, schools cannot rely on increased productivity year after year — the time required to teach a student algebra has not changed signifi-cantly over time — so higher edu-cation outpacing CPI for 52 of the past 64 years is no surprise, accord-ing to Robert Archibald and David Feldman of the American Council on Education.

Their report “Anatomy of College Tuition,” published in April 2012, also points out that universities are more or less required to keep up with technological advancements, a cost that has accelerated signifi-cantly in recent decades.

Another reason for boosted list prices is the extensive use of schol-arships and grants that often are tailored to attract students with cer-tain qualities or backgrounds.

In the book “Best 377 Colleges, 2013 Edition,” the Princeton Re-

view presented results from surveys conducted with 122,000 students across the nation showing that NYU students are very discontent with the school’s financial aid availabil-ity, placing NYU in the bottom five percent in the category.

The statistical significance of the survey can be debated since only an average 324 students per institution were interviewed, but a closer look at the schools’ actual numbers gathers some support for the claim.

Sixty-five percent of all incom-ing NYU freshman receive on av-erage of $18,754 directly from the university in form of scholarships and grants that do not have to be paid back. Averaged out across the entire incoming student body, they correspond to $12,190 per person — a 21 percent discount from the estimated 2012-2013 cost of attendance.

At Columbia University, roughly half of the incoming freshmen are awarded, on average, $40,441 in scholarships and grants, result-ing in the average student being awarded $20,000, or a 32 percent

discount on the $62,000 sticker price for one year of undergradu-ate attendance.

Much of the difference can be at-tributd to each school’s respective endowment, financing roughly four percent of NYU’s annual ex-penses compared with 10 to 13 percent at Columbia.

“Fundraising for financial aid is the single most important prior-ity of NYU’s development efforts,” NYU director of public affairs Philip Lentz said in an email. “Financial aid has increased by 55.3 percent from 2009 to 2013, more than dou-ble the increase in gross tuition and fees during the same period.”

Despite these efforts, the average NYU undergraduate student racks up $36,351 in debt by the day of graduation, compared with the $26,600 national average recorded in 2011. Even in the light of increas-ing student debt, experts almost unanimously advise young Amer-icans to pursue a college degree rather than relying on a high school diploma.

“For most students ... access to high-quality postsecondary edu-

cation remains the single most important investment they can make,” Archibald and Feldman write in their report, supported by research from Georgetown’s Center of Education.

The research indicates that people with a bachelor’s degree out-earn their peers possessing only a high school diploma by roughly $1,000,000 over the span of their careers, corresponding to an 84 percent premium, up from 75 percent in 1999.

Ken Goldstein, senior researcher at the New York Conference Board, stated that companies now more than ever struggle with finding educated people to employ and strongly advised young students to put down the beer and pick up the book.

“If you try to get out in the workforce in 2012 with only a high school diploma, you’re play-ing economic Russian roulette,” Goldstein said. Anders Melin is a contributing writer. Email him at university@nyunews.com.

Spiritual life center to host religious services for all faiths

CATHOLIC continued from PG. 1

of four leaders in addition to other volunteers.

In addition to providing an oppor-tunity for an ecumenical gathering, Young hopes the event will offer a chance for students to unwind on campus during a strenuous fall semester after Hurricane Sandy was stressful for many.

“It’s something ,” Young said. “It’s an option for people to come in sit, listen, rest, be quiet and pray.”

LSP freshman Julia Vittore said she would attend the services if she could find time.

“I think that’s a great idea and makes sense for a school as in-teresting and diverse as NYU,” Vittore said. “Something as open-ended as a simple prayer service sounds perfect for this school and perfect for this city.”

LSP sophomore Melina Cary said

she is skeptical of the open-minded nature of the gathering even though she admits it is a nice sentiment to want to include students of all faiths.

“I am interested in how much of it can be nondenominational since it’s being held by an Episco-pal group, and they are a certain denomination,” Cary said.

The services will be held every other Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. There will be only three services between now and the end of the fall semester, but Young said they would like to continue the gather-ings in the spring semester. The services may become a weekly event, Young added.

Additional reporting by Andrew Karpan. Emily Bellis a staff writer. Email them at university@nyunews.com.

Catholic Center hopes to gather students of all faiths at its services.

BrYAN NelSON FOr WSN

NYU professors work to create economicincentives for low-income families in New York

HOMEWORK continued from PG. 1

4 WAShiNgTON SquAre NeWS | TueSdAY, NOvemBer 13, 2012 | NYuNeWS.COm

diNiNg ediTed BY LAvYA YALAMANCHI diNiNg@NYuNeWS.COm

Festival showcases unique ways to serve up chocolate

CHOCOLATE continued from PG. 1

Segan and candy expert Beth Kim-merle. There was also a Kid’s Zone for eager children to decorate miniature cupcakes.

Another interesting aspect of this year’s show was a focus on healthy choices. Several booths featured raw cocoa products where company reps discussed the health benefits of chocolate with customers. One such com-pany was Gnosis Raw Chocolate, which makes each chocolate bar with unroasted beans and labels them with a specific purpose such as endurance or heart. Many booths had vegan selections, too.

But this year’s chocolate festival wasn’t all smooth sailing, as Hur-ricane Sandy hindered the show’s production and a fair portion of vendors were not able to attend. Many still pulled through, and some were helping with relief ef-forts. California-based Jer’s Choc-olates, for example, designed a special Sandy package for raising funds and is donating a portion of its proceeds and products to hur-ricane relief organizations.

Despite the storm, the show went on and the turnout was impressive. Tickets were pricey as they ranged from $35 to $40, but an air of excitement perme-ated the crowd, suggesting it was worth the splurge. The people running the booths, many of them returning members, were gener-ally excited to be part of this show and part of the chocolate world as well.

One such person was Chris Aigner, the vice president of queens-based Aigner Chocolate, a family company that has been in business for 82 years.

“It’s just nice to be a in a busi-ness where I am selling a product people just love,” Aigner said. “It brings you joy.”

Amanda Meier of Rogue Confec-tions agreed.

“It’s just a fun atmosphere,” she said. “It’s fun to meet people who love candy as much as we do.”

Margaret Weinberg is a contributing writer. Email her at dining@nyunews.com.

Zac Young from the Food Network made a bacon-inspired creation.jONAThAN TAN /WSN

Edible packaging, trashless treatsBy JENNIFER LU

Remember the time you were running late to class, and you just finished a yogurt but had no place to throw out the cup? Or maybe when you finished drinking a bottle of juice and could not find a recycling bin? If the yogurt or juice container were a WikiCell, you could have simply eaten the packaging as well.

WikiCell is a form of edible packaging consisting of a nu-tritional skin that is much like that of an apple or a grape. Just as a grape’s skin can be eaten with its insides, the skin of the WikiCell does not have to be removed from its contents.

“WikiCell is a groundbreak-ing creation that not only pro-tects the contents but adds nutritional value to what it is packaging,” said Robert Con-nelly, the chief executive offi-cer of WikiCell Designs.

Indeed, the packaging adds flavor to the food while still being nutritious, as the skin is made up of seeds or other natu-ral and healthy products. These particles mesh together to form a gel that contains only a tiny proportion of chitosan, a bio-chemical polymer. The gel stays together because the food par-ticles are charged with ions of calcium and magnesium.

“This is a concept that has been years in the making,” Con-nelly said. “It was not until this year that we got technology to a point where we could actually produce it.”

Connelly worked as a part of a team that contributed to the development of the product. The inventor of the WikiCell idea is Dr. David Edwards, a Har-vard professor. His other work

includes innovative ways of treating diseases and different, efficient and environmentally friendly ways of eating.

WikiCell products certainly achieve those goals, as the pack-aging is made of natural prod-ucts rather than plastic. In this way, the food is portable, and WikiCell is taking part in the conservation movement.

“I like that WikiCell foods are good for both the environment and my body,” said Steinhardt freshman Amanda Gisella Wi-jaya, who is taking Nutrition and Food courses. “Less trash and less worry about the fresh-man 15.”

The major difference between WikiCells and other products with edible packaging is that WikiCells have a longer shelf life. These characteristics, in ad-

dition to the fact that no plastic or cardboard is used, make Wi-kiCells so appealing.

“The response we’ve had is amazing,” Connelly added. “Food manufacturers and companies are coming to us because it is a way for them to differentiate themselves in the industry.”

WikiCell has already won the prestigious Special Jury Award for Innovation at the Salon In-ternational de l’Alimentation Paris, the leading global food industry conference. WikiCell hopes to have its products in both supermarkets like Whole Foods and shops like Starbucks by 2013.

Jennifer Lu is a contributing writer. Email her at dining@nyunews.com.

WikiCells enable consumers to enjoy the food and its container. viA FACeBOOk.COm

TOP5 Places to celebrate five nights of lights

The end of the year means a collection of several special holidays. For Hin-dus, Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is one of the most impor-tant holidays. This five-day celebration starts this year on Tuesday. You can participate in welcoming good fortune and blessed wealth by visiting these restaurants near campus that are serving special Diwali sweets or offering celebratory discounts.

SALAAM BOMBAY 319 Greenwich St., between Duane

Street and Reade StreetThis popular buffet in TriBe-

Ca is celebrating Diwali with a $13.95 buffet meal, which in-cludes about 10 different Diwali desserts and sweets for their spe-cial Sweet Dinner. Some of these treats include laddu, a flour and sugar ball popular in Southeast Asia, jalebi, a pretzel-shaped and deep fried flour, ghee and saffron sweet and barfi, a confectionary made from condensed milk and sugar and flavored with different fruits. This once-in-a-year buffet dinner will only last for the first three days of Diwali.

DEvI 8 E. 18th St., between Broadway

and Fifth AvenueIf you want to go a little more

fancy for your Indian food during Diwali, Devi provides a dressy en-vironment right in Union Square. This year, Devi is offering a discount of 50 percent off all lunch entrees. For meat-lovers, the Tandoor grilled lamb chops ($34), served with South-ern Indian potatoes and pear chut-ney, is a popular choice, and with the 50 percent off, it is a quality Indi-an meal for just $17. A delicious op-tion for vegetarians is the Jackfruit “Kathal” Biryanni ($20 pre-discount), which is served with potatoes, cauli-flower, onions and tomatoes.

GRAFFITI 224 E. 10th St., between First and

Second avenues A fusion of American and Indian

cuisine, Graffiti is a special spot for all adventurers in the East Vil-lage, especially Iron Chef watchers because chef Jehangir Mehta was the 2009 runner-up. Delicious picks include the Green Mango Paneer ($7), Braised Pork buns with apri-cot chutney ($15) and the famous Warm Truffle Almond Strawberries with Black Pepper ice cream ($7). To celebrate, Graffiti is offering a tasting menu that is spontaneously prepared by the chef. These menus vary from five to seven different courses and range from $50 to $70.

INDIAN TAJ 181 Bleecker St., between MacDougal

and Sullivan streetsLocated close to Washington

Square Park, this Indian restau-rant offers a lunch buffet that comes with 16 different types of healthy and vegetarian food cooked Tandoor-style. Popular dishes include Chicken Tikka Masala ($13.95) cooked in a clay oven with simmered tomato sauce, and Lamb Saag ($14.95), cooked with spinach, ginger, spicy herbs and gravy. NYU stu-dents get 10 percent off lunch and 20 percent off dinner when they show their ID card.

HAMPTON CHUTNEY CO. 68 Prince St., between Lafayette

and Crosby streets Hampton Chutney Co. is a

treasured restaurant that of-fers the best dosas around. Do-sas are a light and crispy crepe made from rice. Enjoy the Clas-sic Masala Dosa, filled with spiced Indian potatoes ($7.95) or the Curry Chutney Chicken ($11.45) paired with spinach and balsamic roasted onions. Wash the meal down with their spicy milk Chai tea ($2.75) or the freshly squeezed lemonade with orange blossom ($3.95).

By MICHELLE LIM

Michelle Lim is a staff writer. Email her at dining@nyunews.com.

By TALI KUHEL

Beneath the vibrant strip of sushi bars and tea shops there rests an underground venue that is ideal for one-person performances. Known as the Under St. Marks theater, the quaint space held talented storytellers and eager audience members for the first Go-tham City Storytelling Festival.

The festival lasted five days and included performances, workshops and panel discus-sions about the craft of storytelling and its value in the world of writing. On the the-ater’s makeshift stage, the festival brought together talented voices from “The Moth” podcast, “This American Life,” “Ask Me Sto-ries” and “TOLD.” While some stories fell flat, the festival as a whole succeeded in presenting storytelling as a meaningful and fun platform.

On Saturday night, a group of well-known storytellers took seats onstage to answer questions about the storytelling craft. Seth Lind, host of “The Told Show,” led the discussion with David Crab, Cammie Climaco, Melanie Hamlett and Jim O’Grady — all of whom are promi-nent voices in the world of storytelling.

The panel jokingly asserted that the best storytellers deliver their tales as if they were gracing listeners with a casual anecdote at a party. The challenge of giv-ing a relaxed presentation derives from the necessity of introducing the entire context to the audience without needing to hand out plot information and a char-acter list beforehand. There are various strategies for bringing nostalgia to life in front of an audience, depending on the

teller’s style and voice. This makes for a spectrum of storytelling genres.

Storyteller Melanie Hamlett spoke about how she found herself dressed as a baby on the lap of a 40-year-old body builder she met through a Craigslist ad that was seeking a woman who played board games. This was enough to earn her a spot on “The Moth’s” Hall of Fame. Hamlett described her chosen art form as an expression in present tense. Watch-ing Hamlett tell her tales was as engross-ing and nerve-wracking as answering a strange Craigslist ad would be.

Hamlett explained that her career in sto-rytelling has led her to live a story-worthy life. The panel nodded in agreement as Hamlett explained how the world is filled with two types of storytellers: those who de-

scribe moments they have lived and those who seek incredible moments for the pur-pose of telling. For Hamlett, her own jour-neys — much to her mother’s dismay — are paths to making the incredible stories she writes.

However, Hamlett and the panel clarified that to make a perfect story, the teller must realize his or her own shortcomings and bi-ases. As Jim O’Grady explained, since we are not one-dimensional heroes, our villains are not one-dimensionally evil.

The Gotham Storytelling Festival took place Nov. 7 through 12. For more informa-tion about the festival or Horse Trade The-ater Group, see horsetrade.info.

Tali Kuhel is a staff writer. Email her at theater@nyunews.com.

NYuNeWS.COm | TueSdAY, NOvemBer 13, 2012 | WAShiNgTON SquAre NeWS 5

Photo caption tktktktk tktktktktkt tktktkPhOTOgrAPher FOr WSN

The vibrant art of passing on stories discussed at Gotham gathering. viA FACeBOOk.COm

aRTSediTed BY STEFAN MELNYKArTS@NYuNeWS.COm

Pop group fun. thrills crowd

First Soundgarden album in years finds group in peak form

SOUNDGARDEN continued from PG. 1

Sun” and “Head Down” into something to-tally new and completely awesome.

The album tends to stumble when Thayil takes a back seat, but luckily this only hap-pens on a few tracks where the absence of his monstrous riffs proves distracting. “Halfway There,” an acoustic-based track about the dif-ficulties of achieving a good life in this world, is too light and delicate to have an impact, even with its weighty subject matter. In ad-dition, Thayil’s absence also draws unwanted attention to Cornell’s less-than-stellar lyrics. For example, on the track “Halfway There,” Cor-nell proudly sings “Sometimes when you shoot an arrow/ It can fly across the sky so proud.”

Although Cornell is not at his lyrical best with “King Animal,” his voice, combined with Thayil’s guitar, renders the lyrics irrelevant. “Rowing” has Cornell spitting nonsensical lines like “Rowing is bleeding, bleeding is breathing/ Breathing is feeling, running and freezing,” but he sells the line with his flawless wail, backed up by what sounds like a musical interpreta-tion of a Viking with a bonesaw.

“King Animal” can credibly stand among Soundgarden’s strong catalog of albums. While it isn’t a stone-cold classic like “Su-perunknown,” “King Animal” is a genuinely gratifying listen and a worthy entry in the — hopefully — ongoing Soundgarden saga.

Joshua Johnson is music editor. Email him at music@nyunews.com.

Storytellers gather in Gotham to show off craft

By ALEx PASTRON

“Well, this is pretty awesome, right?” frontman Nate Ruess asked a sold-out audience at Irving Plaza last Wednesday night. After their show had been post-poned by more than a week thanks to Hurricane Sandy, the New York City-based band fun. was finally able to perform.

Although the show coincided with the oncoming nor’easter, the venue was packed — even for Miniature Tigers the opening band based out of Brooklyn. Min-iature Tigers were light and upbeat, with synthesized vocals similar to the band of Montreal but with lyrics more like Foster the People.

Fun. band member Andrew Dost played the keyboard for one of the opening songs. Miniature Tigers’ lead singer Char-lie Brand provided the highlight of their set when he climbed off the stage to sing directly to a fan, the microphone in one of his hands and her hand in the other.

Opening with “Carry On,” fun. wasted no time jumping right into their set, and the band never hit a lull. Going imme-diately into “One Foot,” Ruess jumped about the stage fist pumping and motion-ing for the audience to sing along.

While the band is best known for hits “We Are Young” and “Some Nights,” the crowd sang along with every song, jump-ing up and down with Ruess and rever-berating his contagious energy. Ruess could not seem to hold still, while guitar-ist Jack Antonoff maintained a constant smile throughout the whole show. All

three band members were clearly still enjoying the high of their recent rocket to success.

Fun. recently launched their Campus Consciousness Tour in conjunction with their human rights project The Ally Coali-tion, which aims to raise awareness and support for the LGBTq community. The show was littered with miniature public service announcements mixed in with their lyrics — the most comical example came when Ruess sang “I don’t smoke cigarettes. I just don’t,” rather than the re-corded line: “Not quite enough cigarettes to calm me down.”

Among the other great original songs played, including “All The Pretty Girls” and “Why Am I The One,” the band not only did an amazingly creative and rous-ing cover of The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” but, much to the audience’s delight, also played the intro to “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts, also known as the “Friends” theme song.

When “We Are Young” began about two-thirds of the way through the eve-ning, the whole crowd was singing its heart out, and the energy in the room became intensely palpable. The energy continued until the band brought the evening to an epic conclusion with, of course, “Some Nights.” The audience un-doubtedly felt that braving the storm was well worth it.

Alex Pastron is a contributing writer. Email her at arts@nyunews.com.

More drama than laughs in dark ‘Comedy’

By JAIME MISHKIN

Living in New York, one is probably famil-iar with somebody like Swanson, the aging hipster played by Tim Heidecker in the new film, “The Comedy.” He can be seen walking the streets of Williamsburg, frequenting bars while holding a Pabst Blue Ribbon, dressed in a polo shirt and cut-off shorts.

“The Comedy” is devoid of any traditional plot line, but that is precisely Swanson’s problem — he is, quite simply, lost. Writer and director Rick Alverson, who has previ-ously directed other character studies like “The Builder” and “New Jerusalem,” asks questions about life and purpose in his films. “The Comedy” continues to ask such ques-tions while depicting the life of a man who belongs to an archetype familiar to most New Yorkers.

At times the film can drag or feel direction-less, but it does so deliberately. Just as the audience realizes no specific or momentous event is going to drive “The Comedy” forward, Swanson, too, is waiting just as eagerly for something to happen.

Alverson’s screenplay contains few lines of explicit emotion. Swanson’s conversation with his closest friends, who pass their time drinking and participating in recreational ac-tivities, is often hilarious but stilted, mocking and buried under heaps of sarcasm. Swanson simply cannot speak genuinely even among those he loves most, hiding behind different personas and facades.

But during the moments of silence that Alverson strategically incorporates between sections of dialogue — the awkward pauses and the shots of Swanson staring off into the distance — the audience can divine some meaning. It’s the emptiness in Swanson’s gaze and his desire for direction, feeling and human connection that leads the viewer to genuinely care for him, and, despite mo-ments of frustration and annoyance, actually begin to sympathize with the character.

While Swanson struggles to make genuine connections with the people around him, Heidecker certainly succeeds in connecting with the audience. Best known for his co-medic work with co-star Eric Wareheim on “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!,” he transitions brilliantly into his first dra-matic role, catching audiences off-guard with a meaningful performance and a surprising ability to give depth to a seemingly superfi-cial character.

“The Comedy” certainly delivers its fair share of jokes, but not as many as one might expect from a film that bears the name “Comedy.” The film is a drama disguised as comedy; there is a superficial layer of funny dialogue, but beneath that layer lies a quest for emotional connection and honest human feeling. The true comedy is not so much the spectacle of Swanson’s life as it is the comedy of human existence.

Jaime Mishkin is a staff writer. Email her at film@nyunews.com.

6 WAShiNgTON SquAre NeWS | TueSdAY, NOvemBer 13, 2012 | NYuNeWS.COm

ThE NEw yORk TiMES CROSSwORd & daiLy SUdOkU

ACROSS 1 Shooter through

whitewater rapids

5 Cold war inits. 9 Neatnik’s

opposite13 Visitor for the

holidays, maybe15 Soothing plant16 ___ Krishna17 New Zealand

native18 Minor collision

reminder19 Wall Street

Journal ___20 On the front23 Habitual drunk25 Ship unit or

shipping unit26 Plow driver’s

handful27 On the back32 Buenos ___33 Greedy person’s

demand

34 ___ of Sharon35 Overexcited37 Immediately, on

a memo41 Converge42 Common

blockage locale43 On both sides47 Symbol on a

“This way” sign49 “I kiss’d thee

___ I kill’d thee”: Othello

50 Kind of scan51 20-, 27- and

43-Across locale, in slang

56 Boneheaded57 Gang woman58 Macaroni, e.g.61 And others:

Abbr.62 The thought that

counts?63 Compassion

64 Turn down65 Metalworker’s

tool66 Horse-pulled

cart

DOWN 1 Air balls miss it 2 Santa ___ 3 People in

1-Acrosses, e.g. 4 Alpine lake 5 Rhythmic 6 Something of

interest to Miss Marple

7 “And” or “or”: Abbr.

8 Antifur org. 9 Drinks with

straws10 CBS series for

17 seasons11 The Hunter12 Jack’s purchase

in a children’s story

14 C, D and EEE21 Le ___ Soleil22 Mötley ___23 White dwarf,

e.g.24 The

Allegheny and Monongahela join to form it

28 Like Willie Winkie

29 Evacuate30 Furrow maker31 Hockey

defender Bobby35 Egg layer

36 For the present

37 Feel unwell

38 Establishment that might sell 9-Down and 53-Downs

39 Glow

40 [Hey, buddy!]

41 Whimper

42 Miss Marple, e.g.

43 Winner of 194844 Not stable45 Iguana feature46 Sphere47 Supplementary48 A FedEx driver

may have one

52 Arab ruler53 Drink with a

straw54 Naughty Goose

and Moose Drool

55 Readied to play59 Cy Young’s was

2.63, in brief60 Pig’s home

Puzzle by John Guzzetta

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Energy independence: good for economy,

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COMMUNITY

Relief efforts connect volunteers, victims

Informed opinions foster stronger discourseARGUMENTATION

NYuNeWS.COm | TueSdAY, NOvemBer 13, 2012 | WAShiNgTON SquAre NeWS 7

EDITORIAL BOARD: Chris diNardo (Chair), jessica littman (Co-Chair), Christopher drake, Sasha leshner, Peter murphy,

raquel Woodruff and richard Zhang.

BY MUNEEB SYED

This past weekend, I had the privi-lege of volunteering with a couple of friends in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. This area was designated Zone A, and the reasons were obvious after Hurri-cane Sandy. Water levels were as high as five feet, flooding just about every basement in the neighborhood. Many families lived in these basements and now find themselves homeless. The streets were filled with their damaged belongings and valuables. Many just sat outside their homes trying to figure out what to do next. Clearly the water and food that we had to offer was not going to be enough. But when we of-fered it to them, there was such a sense of gratitude and appreciation.

One woman was tirelessly cleaning her basement when we arrived at her place. After we told her who we were and the few items we could offer her, she read off a list of other families in the area who needed the goods much more than she did. But she conclud-ed by admitting, “In a few days, I may be in need of food and water.” The innocence was incredible. She

passed up an opportunity to store food because she was conscious of others who were in more dire need at that very moment. Clearly she had no in-centive to impress us. After all, we were complete strangers to her. Her concern even in such trying circumstances was inspiring.

The images on television were al-most surreal. It was impossible to com-prehend everything going on a couple of minutes from where I was. And yet these scenes could not truly reflect the damage done — waiting in a gas line for three hours, adding an hour to an already hour-and-a-half-long commute and getting stranded on the bus for hours all would have seemed like my worst nightmare.

However, today, as I experience this inconvenience with millions of other New Yorkers, I do it with a sense of relief. The opportunity to do service in Brighton Beach instilled in me a sense of appreciation. Being able to interact with individuals, see them eye-to-eye, talk to them face-to-face and hear their stories directly from them allowed it all to resonate. I started to get a sense of what it means for a diabetic patient

to lose his medication. I started to get a sense of what it means to have a flooded basement. I started to get a sense of what it means to lose your house. You cannot simply change the channel on any of these problems.

There was plenty of warning for Hurricane Sandy, but it could not prevent billions of dollars in dam-ages and the deaths of so many in-nocent people. We cannot reverse the series of events that has plagued our city but we can rise together to alleviate its disastrous effects. This might require us to give up our weeknights or weekends, but it is a sacrifice that is worthwhile. We need to put in the work necessary to meet the bare necessities for those who were affected. It is really uplift-ing to see all the volunteer projects in place on a daily basis, and there will continue to be new efforts orga-nized by different clubs on campus. It is incredibly valuable to help in whatever capacity you can.

Muneeb Syed is a contributing columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.

According to a new report by the International En-ergy Association, the United States will become the world’s top pro-ducer of oil within the next five years and will become a net oil exporter by 2030. This will have far-reaching

effects for the environment and the role of the United States in the international community.

If the report is correct, the U.S. economy should be in a better place as a result of more oil and natural gas exports. In 2011, oil imports accounted for about 2.7 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. If the United States be-comes a net exporter, economic growth will ac-celerate. Moreover, the report estimates electric-ity costs will be halved if energy development continues on its current path, putting more mon-ey in consumers’ pockets and lowering overhead expenses for businesses.

While this news is good for our economy, we must bear in mind where these new sources of energy are coming from. The United States relies heavily on controversial methods such as hydrau-lic fracturing and horizontal drilling to extract natural gas. These techniques have been proven to have devastating effects on the environment and public health.

Once the United States is oil-efficient, our motiva-tion to turn to other, more sustainable sources of energy will diminish. The nation will grow increas-ingly self-reliant, not merely as a result of growing oil production but also based on expectations that we will improve energy efficiency. This dedication to continued development of fuel-efficient vehi-cles and environmentally friendly policies runs a risk of being forgotten, though, when oil produc-tion is booming and our reliance upon its output grows as well.

We can expect positive effects in the short-term as we become less dependent on foreign coun-tries for oil. However, the long-term consequences of any expansion of oil drilling and use may not be worth the potentially disastrous ramifications for the environment.

By WILLIAM KARTSONIS

As with every presidential race, there has been a lot of ranting going on. An unsolicited opinion lies around every corner, from Facebook to Twitter to the nice fellow who serves meatloaf at Downstein. But for all the words, noth-ing of substance is ever truly said.

The problem is two-headed. On one end, many people are uninformed in regards to the issues. A nasty trait of our society is that people are afraid of the three words “I don’t know.” Consequently, people listen to the news, friends and even Hollywood actors in an attempt to pass others’ thoughts as their own.

A more menacing problem is the dumbing down of complex social problems. Most issues are incred-ibly complicated with many pros and cons and possible solutions. Unfortu-nately, the general public oversimpli-fies issues to accommodate one right answer and one wrong answer. Para-doxically, everyone fervently claims that theirs and only theirs is the right solution.

Just yesterday, I saw that my 13-year-old cousin was publicly renouncing President Obama’s economic policy on Facebook. He’s only 13. He made no comment about the stimulus plan, no mention of the bailout; Obama’s plan

was just plain ol’ bad. Time and time again, I have heard op-

posing arguments wherein one candi-date is an outright idiot with a terrible policy, and the other is the savior of the American people with a policy that will solve everyone’s problems and create an everlasting utopian society.

Even supremely educated individu-als don’t possess enough knowledge to be certain of a policy’s outcome. Issues are complex, and we should treat them as such.

Is the Dream Act creating oppor-tunity for those young individuals who have earned the right to call themselves Americans, or is it giv-ing immigrants further incentive to illegally reside in our country? Does suspension of constitutional rights for foreign terrorist suspects spur too much anti-American sentiment, or are enhanced interrogation tech-niques vital to our national security? I don’t know the answers to these questions, and neither do you.

Anyone can fling around excerpts from something they read on AOL, but even with a couple meaty facts, we still can’t comprehend all the gears in motion. Most sides have a convincing argument in theory, but there are too many fluctuating fac-tors for a snotty college student who took Intro to Economics to have a

legitimate opinion on the matter.When people inevitably reach a

stalemate during a discussion, the mud-slinging begins. With regards to the recent election, I feel the need to clear up two things. First, neither candidate is stupid. Harvard Law de-grees aren’t easy to come by. Second, neither candidate is evil. Both can-didates want to better this country with their respective moral philoso-phies and economic dogmas. I love the passion my fellow Americans are displaying for their country via Face-book statuses. I just don’t love the uninformed, unapologetic, know-it-all manner in which many decide to say their opinions.

I do not mean to dissuade people from sharing opinions — contradict-ing perspectives are this country’s lifeblood. I simply ask you to make sure that your opinion is informed, avoid a black-and-white outlook and always remember that your opinion is just that: an opinion. Reserve the right to be wrong every now and then; you’ll be a better person for it.

As Socrates so elegantly put it, “In knowing that you know nothing, that makes you the smartest of all.”

William Kartsonis is a contributing columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.

8 NYuNeWS.COm | TueSdAY, NOvemBer 13, 2012 | WAShiNgTON SquAre NeWS

SPORTS ediTed BY THE WSN STAFF SPOrTS@NYuNeWS.COm

NFL should restructure overtime rules to avoid draws

By EvAN KENDALL

On Sunday, a National Football League game ended in a tie for the first time since 2008. A 24-24 draw between the St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49ers was exciting until the end of regulation time, but a couple of missed field goals in over-time led to an anti-climatic, time-expiring tie between the two squads.

Heading into the fourth quarter, St. Louis was leading San Francisco 17-7 in what looked like a potential upset victory for the 3-5 Rams taking on their first place division rivals, the 6-2 49ers. But then the 49ers started overpowering the Rams’ defense, scoring twice in less than a min-ute to take the lead at 21-17. The Rams answered with only 1:09 remaining, scor-ing on a short pass to wide receiver Aus-tin Pettis across the middle. San Francisco kicker David Akers nailed a field goal with three seconds on the clock, and the game headed into overtime with a 24-24 tie.

In 15 minutes of overtime, there was noth-ing but squandered opportunities and all-around bad football. Penalties that canceled big plays, mediocre play-calling for short yardage that cost kickers a few more yards and a knack for not being able to put points on the board led to the game ending without either team adding to the scoreboard.

In most professional sports, there is always a winner and there is always a loser. In others, this is not always the case: There can be two teams that played equally good or bad, and they finish the game tied. In the National Basketball As-sociation, ties cannot happen; both teams will continue to play until one team has outscored the other by the end of a pe-riod. Likewise, Major League Baseball will continue games with extra innings, only postponing a game if need be. This is, of course, excluding the 2002 MLB All-Star Game, which resulted in a tie because there were no pitchers left on the roster to keep the game going.

Even in college football, ties don’t hap-pen. NCAAF rules have made it impos-sible to tie since the 1995-1996 season. Why is the NFL an exception to this rule? Yes, there have been only 18 games that ended in a tie since 1974, five of which came after 1989, but why not eliminate them entirely?

There are plenty of ways to finish ties. One possible solution would be a one-on-one matchup between a team’s best wide receiver and the opposing team’s best cornerback for a play starting at the opponent’s 35-yard line. The second team would get a shot to score if the first team is successful, much in the same way

shootouts work in soccer. This approach would at least bring an added sense of excitement and would really give a major advantage to a team with a big-play wide receiver, such as the Detroit Lions and Calvin Johnson or the Arizona Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald.

With the amount of money that fans spend going to games and rooting for their favorite teams, they deserve a clear-cut decision.

Evan Kendall is a staff writer. Email him at sports@nyunews.com.

The Week 10 matchup between San Francisco and St. Louis ended in a 24-24 tie.COurTeSY OF jOhN mArTiNeZ PAvilgA viA FliCkr.COm

Every year, WSN profiles students who have made a meaningful impact

on the NYU community.

We are now accepting nominations for the 2012 Influential Issue.

Check nyunews.com for more information.

2012 INfLuENTIAL IssuE