NEWSDAY INTERNSHIP

Since June 11, I have been a "Support Staff" intern for Long Island's Newsday. Rather than going out on assignment and filing stories as a "staff writer" intern, I have been relegated to answering phones and making photocopies in the Melville newsroom.

This, however, has not stopped me from contributing to the paper in any capacity possible.

Nightly, I "proof" the pages before they go to press. I have caught some major mistakes that were overlooked by the copy editors, including a review that was laid out as a news story, a very major mistake.

I have also contributed to the main political blog, Spincycle, and offered my services to the editors every chance I get. Track my posts to the blog here.

I enterprised a story that occurred in my own hamlet of Centereach, which was on the front-page for Monday, July 23. The story was about a woman arrested for allegedly running over and dragging her fiance to his death; he was trying to prevent her from driving home while intoxicated after leaving a block party.

Will update this post as the summer continues, if any new developments at this internship come to pass. Hopefully, I will return for the fall, however this time, it will be for academic credit, and I would definitely be writing.

UPDATE: 8/4: I went into Newsday expecting another day of phones and photocopies Monday 7/30, and it turned out I was there on the wrong day, so I volunteered to chase a story. It was a fatal accident involving an 88-year-old man leaving his church. I filed and it was on the Long Island spread of the next day's paper.

UPDATE: 8/19: It's over and I got one more story in, though just for the web. Alligators were removed from a home in Centerport. Back to school in a few weeks, time for editing the Chronicle and maybe another internship.

OP-ED; GLOBAL WARMING

Global Warming Should Not be a Political Football

For the last seven years, the President has avoided the global warming debate by denying its existence, then recognizing it but saying humans had nothing to do with it, and now he claims that he wants to solve it. He was better off avoiding it.

He shunned the 1997 Kyoto Accords, and said that if the Chinese don’t have to comply, the United States shouldn’t have to either. In doing this, he drew the ire of the entire international community, let alone legions of climate scientists, environmentalists, and other activists who want the planet to survive the human assault on it.

But now he wants to do something “parallel” to Kyoto. And Bush has angered everyone that had wanted, even pleaded, him to act in the process.

The president is looking to convene meetings with the 10 or 15 highest polluting countries over the next 18 months in order to choose a plan of action for the future. Now that would sound reasonable, but that is what German Chancellor Angela Merkel is already doing when she hosts the Group of 8 summit next week. Why does the president need to repeat someone else’s work? Especially when the other party’s work is so much better—it doesn’t make any sense.

As I said earlier, Bush has angered many in this announcement. Merkel’s minister of the environment, Sigmar Gabriel, called the plan a “Trojan horse.”

German newspapers have said that Bush’s plan torpedoes Merkel’s agenda, which was comprehensive, calling for a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2050 and a 20 percent increase in efficiency by 2020. The White House rejected such ambition, saying it crossed multiple “red lines.”

Leading climate scientists have said that even these cuts are modest, but that they will offset some of the most catastrophic effects of global warming.

By playing politics with global warming, the administration has flouted international will, scientific analysis and the pleas of the American public. Enough playing around with the Europeans already. It is time to finally see failure on its face and accept the European initiative.

Al Gore may be the American celebrity behind the movement…but he is not the real face of the problem. The tsunami or hurricane that takes out the D.C. area, submerges Long Island and Manhattan, and all but decimates the US east coast is more like it.

The “inconvenient truth” is right here: your time is up, Mr. President. Holding meetings to decide what to do until you leave office is not going to be any more effective than your stalling and grandstanding has been for the last seven years. Stop leaving current problems for your successors and take action now.

Now that you conveniently recognize the problem, maybe you should join the solution. Hard caps on emissions won’t come from the free market: deregulation brought us the wonderful legacy of Enron. They won’t necessarily come from technology, either. Don’t place bets on something you don’t know whether it will pan out.

ALBUM REVIEW; QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE- ERA VULGARIS

Queens of the Stone Age- Era Vulgaris
4/5
Interscope Records

“My generation’s for sale,” snarls Josh Homme in the fifth record of his project (for lack of a better term) Queens of the Stone Age. “It beats a steady job.” Well, that’s for sure.

Homme treads new ground on this record: we dig even deeper into the nether regions of his mind, where the acid mixes with the pot, mushrooms with the c-c-c-cocaine!!! The psychadelia is everywhere.

He has called it dark and electronic, and apparently “sort of like a construction worker.” We are experiencing a new kind of cool—unabashed ultra-masculinity, but sleazy and dirty enough to bring the girls in too.

The cool manifests itself in the texture and feel of the record. Not only does it want you to be listening to it while in a 1970’s-era muscle car, you have to be chasing someone at 100mph in the Dodge Avenger from “Death Proof,” which itself is homage to “Vanishing Point,” the ultimate car-chase movie.

Robotic guitar riffs are at the skeleton of the record. “Turning On The Screw” gets caught in its own riff, which loops, crescendos, and seems to be skipping for almost two minutes, but that’s your mind being dragged through the mud. “3’s and 7’s” is an inverted Nirvana blast.

Like any Queens album, there are all sorts of special guests, but you’d never know it, since you can’t hear them. Julian Casablancas of The Strokes plays a Casio synth guitar and sings backing vocals on “Sick, Sick, Sick,” but it is impossible to hear him over Homme’s jagged guitar racket.

Interestingly, the title track featuring Trent Reznor was cut from the album, but you can find it anywhere on the Internet, because Homme sent it to everyone on his mailing list with a message encouraging members to “upload it and spray it like time released graffitti (sic) on the websites of places it does not belong."

Where former bassist Nick Oliveri’s presence was sorely lacking on the previous release Lullabies to Paralyze, it is not nearly as apparent here. Yes, the crazed melodic foil to Josh’s cool is gone, but in its place is something truly depraved, just as Oliveri would have wanted.

NEWS; NEW DEAN OF STUDENTS

President Stuart Rabinowitz announced in a statement May 31 that the University has hired a new dean of students, Peter Libman. He will report to Sandra Johnson, Vice President for Student Affairs.

Libman will be responsible for oversight of the new office of community standards, which has not yet taken shape, but is expected to take over judicial affairs for the University. “We want to broaden the scope of the office, to incorporate tolerance, and a sense of community,” Libman said.

He will also be responsible for the office of residential programs, orientation and new student programs, multicultural and international student programs, commuting student affairs, student leadership and activities, recreation and intramural sports, the wellness center and the interfaith center.

Libman most recently was a participant in the New York City Board of Education Leadership Academy, according to the statement. Prior to his work at the Leadership Academy, he held the senior student affairs position at the School of American Ballet and other positions at Columbia University, Barnard College and Clemson University.

He holds a master of education degree from Clemson University and an S.A.S (advanced certificate program) in educational administration from Baruch College.

Libman sees himself as an advocate for students. “That’s what I’m all about,” he said. “I want to be a friendly face around Hofstra.”

Libman is replacing Gina Crantz, who took a position as Vice President of Student Affairs and dean of students at Albright College. “We are very privileged to have him join the Hofstra community,” Johnson said.

NEWS; 'BIGGER BETTER BOTTLE BILL' (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

After spearheading the movement for depositing bottles of carbonated beverages 25 years ago, Suffolk County was the location chosen to push for a “Bigger Better Bottle Bill.”

The proposed legislation would enable the public to return bottles of noncarbonated beverages, such as water, tea and sports drinks, for the same five-cent refund given for carbonated bottle deposits. The five cents, which manufacturers currently keep when a bottle is not recycled in a deposit machine, would instead be put into an environmental conservation fund. Opponents say the bill is ineffective, detrimental to business and costly.

Alexander “Pete” Grannis, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, in his first official visit to Long Island, joined Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley and other environmental advocates to announce the latest push at Brookhaven Town Hall in a press conference last Wednesday morning, May 23.

Grannis was one of the original sponsors of the Bottle Bill. June 15^th marks the 25^th anniversary of the state’s returnable container deposit law.

“It’s a real tribute to the people and the legislators of Suffolk County, they are more forward-looking than the State but we are quick to follow,” Grannis said. “Even a great law needs a tune-up.”

The bill is currently stuck in the State Legislature, but Grannis wants it to pass before lawmakers go home June 21 for summer vacation. Gov. Eliot Spitzer has endorsed the bill and indicated he would sign it into law upon passage.

“Now it’s time to strengthen and modernize the bottle bill by including new categories of containers—like fruit juices, bottled water and sports drinks—that barely existed in 1982 when it was passed,” Spitzer said in a statement provided by the D.E.C.

Opponents say the bill will increase costs to consumers without any benefits. “The proposal makes the mandate larger but removes its funding,” said Jonathan Pierce, spokesman for New Yorkers for Real Recycling Reform, a group which represents beverage distributors and store owners. The drinks will cost up to 15 cents more than they do now, he said.

By taking the five-cent deposit out of the hands of the distributors and placing it into an environmental protection fund, the state is betting that people will not recycle the bottles, he added. “That is bad public policy.”

According to Grannis, noncarbonated drinks now make up more than 25 percent of the market share of bottled beverages, while they only constituted a “minute” portion of drink sales in 1982. These bottles make up more than 60 percent of the beverage containers cleaned up around the Hudson River, according to a study of the area, he added.

Grannis estimated that there would be up to 3 billion noncarbonated beverage bottles returned each year with the passage of the bill, and unreturned deposits would net the state over $100 million annually, which he said could be used for land acquisition and preservation, estuary maintenance and other environmentally friendly initiatives.

Foley endorsed the bill at the press conference. “There is strong, local bipartisan support for this legislation,” he said. “This is going to be important for our waste management department, because with the passage of this legislation, we [the town] will save, at minimum, $100,000 a year in cost avoidance.”

Many organizations, including some national groups, support the expanded bottle deposit legislation. Over twenty editorial boards, including Newsday, have all endorsed the bill as well.

*A different version focused on the Hofstra community appeared in the Summer issue of The Chronicle.

NEWS; PUBLIC OPPOSES PROPOSED CELL TOWER (PORT TIMES RECORD)

Nearly 60 residents filled the Comsewogue public library room where the Port Jefferson Station-Terryville Civic Association held its monthly meeting to protest the proposed location of a 90-foot cell tower by T-Mobile.

The cell tower would be located at the corner of Old Town Road and Norwood Avenue, on the property of North Shore Jewish Center. In the immediate vicinity of the location of the proposed tower are two schools, Ward Melville High School and Norwood Elementary School.

Andrew Overton, a representative from T-Mobile, came to the meeting to present the site proposal, which the company was not entirely satisfied with either. “This is the worst possible location for us,” he said, repeatedly. “The only redeeming quality about this location is that it is not a residential use. I can’t imagine a worse site from a zoning perspective and a community perspective.”

It would be used to cover a signal area 1 mile in diameter.

Flaurie Green and other residents wrote a petition letter to the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Center calling for them to oppose the installation of the tower. “A 90-foot cell tower is completely inconsistent with the residential nature of the adjacent Norwood Avenue and immediate surrounding community,” it said.

By the end of the meeting, Green said she had already collected over 400 signatures. She has also sent the letter to the CEO of T-Mobile, Robert Dotson, State Assemblyman Steve Engelbright (D-Setauket), Suffolk County Deputy Presiding Officer Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D-Port Jefferson Station) and Town Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld (D-East Setauket).

The company has not taken any definitive action yet on the matter, Overton added. In order to build the tower, the company must acquire a variance to existing zoning laws, which requires a hearing in front of the Brookhaven Town Zoning Board.

Overton described a lengthy process that involves searching for a location to place the cell antenna. Whenever possible, Overton said, the company looks to collocate with other wireless companies on existing towers or structures. If there is no existing structure, the company looks to locate on industrially or commercially zoned property.

When the company cannot find property on commercially zoned property, it looks for rooftops or poles in residentially zoned areas to place the antenna. In this case, they could not find any existing structure, and are proposing to build a new one.

T-Mobile has not gone to the hearing for this location yet, Overton said. “We need to find a place that is leasable, zoneable and buildable.”

They have driven through the area to look for suitable locations, however. Once they found this location, T-Mobile administered a “crane test.”

A crane test involves the company hanging an antenna on a crane, affixing it at the location desired and testing the strength of the signal, to see if building the tower at that location will successfully cover the signal area.

One resident had pictures of her four sons playing in her backyard, with the crane test visible in the background. “Why aren’t you hiring a team of engineers to find a better way to put this?” she asked. “Find other places.”

Every time a question was asked, residents would add a comment at once, creating a chaotic situation. Civic Association President Lou Antoniello had to shush the crowd multiple times for the discussion to take place. “We need the same passion at a town board meeting—if it ever gets that far.”

Residents were concerned about their health and the health of their children. “I have a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year old son,” one resident said. “I do not want them near these things.”

Other residents just simply do not want to look at it. “I don’t want this eyesore in my backyard,” one said. “Everyone of us that is here tonight, we shouldn’t let it get to our government officials. We walk, we picket, we have signs, they will know and understand we don’t want this in our backyards.”

T-Mobile has to provide a certain measure of cellular service everywhere in the United States, according to federal law. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires that one be able to call emergency 911 services from any phone service provider anywhere in the US.

The Act also says that residents’ health cannot be a determining factor in the location of a proposed cell tower.

The meeting also allowed for an attorney to present the development of a branch building for All-Pro Siding Company. The ancillary office will be on Industrial Road near a Cablevision building. Also, Dr. Lee Koppelman presented a case to conduct a “hamlet study” on Port Jefferson Station-Terryville to give it direction for any future development.

NEWS; IMPROVEMENTS OF CR97 NICOLLS ROAD (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

A study of County Road 97, or Nicolls Road, by the Suffolk County Department of Public Works for long-term improvements to the north-south corridor is almost complete, but the Department is looking to make short-term changes in the near future.

The County held an “informational open house” last Wednesday for residents to see the proposed changes and allow for questions to be answered by public works officials on hand.

The short-term improvements are concentrated areas north of the Long Island Expressway, by County Road 16, or Portion Road, the traffic signaled intersection at Horseblock Place, the main entrance of Suffolk County Community College and the South Coleman road intersection.

At Portion Road, the exit ramp from southbound Nicolls to eastbound Portion would be removed. A new left-turn lane would be installed from westbound Portion to southbound Nicolls. Leeds Boulevard would receive a left turn and right turn lanes onto Portion. Leeds would also get a new traffic signal.

The intersection at Horseblock Place would lose its center median and its traffic signal. There would no longer be any left turns whatsoever at the intersection, only right turns. New right-turn lanes and a new acceleration-deceleration lane northbound on Nicolls would be added.

At the entrance to the College, there would be dual left-turn lanes into and out of campus, as well as a new acceleration lane for northbound Nicolls.

South Coleman Road would see major changes as well. A new left-turn lane into the College would be built, as well as the addition of dual right-turn lanes onto campus. Dual left-turn lanes onto southbound Nicolls would be added. Dual left-turn lanes would also be added to southbound Nicolls to turn onto South Coleman.

The short-term improvements, as proposed, would cost $2.2 million and would be completed by 2009. The county would not have to acquire any new property and they would completely fund it, with no federal or state aid.

These proposals came the same day New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) called for a Federal Highway Administration safety audit of Nassau and Suffolk County roadways.

Residents living near the proposed road changes were skeptical of how much good they will do. “[The] improvements will make things worse,” said Hector Guzman, who lives at 657 College Road, in Farmingville; his mailbox has been knocked over multiple times by careening cars. “They [the students] will keep traveling on College Road, making even more traffic. The road on Horseblock gets very slippery when it is wet and the drain gets clogged.”

Doris Scanlon lives at 653 College Road, Farmingville, and vehicles hit her house three times, until she had a guardrail put up in front of it five years ago. “This won’t do anything,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going to help me [at all.]”

Other residents were weighing the positives and the negatives. “With the light being eliminated from Horseblock Place, there may be less noise,” Mr. and Mrs. Lysen, from 3 Joseph Court in Farmingville, said. They did not want to give their first names. “But it will [also] create more traffic on Horseblock Road.”

Residents did not like the idea of increased traffic on local roads rather than on Nicolls Road. “I don’t like that they’re going to get rid of the ramp onto Portion Road,” said Anthony Ferrara, who lives on 39 Leeds Boulevard in Farmingville. “They’ll be dumped onto Leeds. There is a blind spot where they want to have [drivers] go. That road is busy as it is.”

Officials at the Department of Public Works disagreed with residents’ complaints. “I think it will help them,” said James Peterman, Assistant to the Chief Engineer. “Right now there are a lot of people in traffic with a short fuse. The purpose of this is to alleviate congestion.”

“When we increase capacity and lower congestion, there will be less accidents, less sideswipes and less rear-end collisions,” William Hillman, the Chief Engineer, added.

ALBUM REVIEW; ARCTIC MONKEYS- FAVORITE WORST NIGHTMARE

Arctic Monkeys- Favorite Worst Nightmare
4/5
Domino Records

UK indie/post-punk darlings, the Arctic Monkeys open their new record with the statement, “Top marks for not tryin’,” and they immediately cast aside doubts about a bloated sophomore slump. The band who told their fans upon the release of the highest-selling debut in UK history, “Don’t believe the hype,” are at it again: relax the high expectations and enjoy the ride.

The band begins its sophomore release with galloping drums and a driving guitar riff; they never look back. “Brianstorm,” the lead single, has none of the expected elements of an effective pop single. There is no chorus, the soft/loud element is turned inside-out and the lyrics are awkwardly phrased. But that is the Arctic Monkeys’ charm, and it works—just like last time.

This record is much louder, faster and angrier than its predecessor. Gone is the happy-go-lucky toe tapping of “Dancin’ Shoes,” its replacement is the angry wit of “Teddy Picker,” when vocalist Alex Turner asks, “Who wants to be ‘man of the people,’ when there’s people like you?”

Instead of sounding derivative, the band sounds like they have finally come into their own. Some of the riffs on Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not sounded half-baked, not so on here.

The sound is original but still steeped in influence, it is amazing how the band commands so many influences into one band. One can hear anything from the Beatles to the Jam, Oasis to the Libertines, the Clash to the Strokes.

Vocal delivery did not much change from record to record, but it is refined here. Turner moves so quickly, he sounds as if he is rapping over the rock behind him. The disc did not come with lyrics in the liner notes—you are going to have to either figure it out yourself or search the Internet for someone else’s interpretation.

The obligatory slow track splitting the album promises a mandatory track skip once again. “Only Ones You Know” lacks the energy of any other track on the record, and there is no payoff for such a slow song, such as a big ending.

The best tracks start slow and small, but end huge and fast. “Do Me a Favour” features an Americana guitar riff, and speaks about a broken relationship “to heavy to hold.”

“If You Were There, Beware,” begins with a suspenseful two-note guitar riff. The bass kicks in, and you think we’ve got a “Death Proof” style high-speed chase on our hands. But not yet. The midtempo rhythm keeps the listener begging for more, then suddenly they kick into high gear and the amps up to 11.

The chase begins, and just as abruptly, ends. Distorted guitar and vocals are all that is left, or so you think. The villain-muscle car comes back with a snarky riff, and the chase is back, full swing.

The UK press is still fawning over the band’s very existence; NME calls them one of the five best bands ever. Not yet, but if each record shows this much progress, then maybe sometime in the very near future we can make that statement.

NEWS; SUBSTANCE HARMLESS

Staff in Bernon Hall, the Admissions building, reported a “suspicious substance” found in an envelope mailed to the office last Thursday, May 3. The substance turned out to be harmless, though an investigation was still carried out.

The investigation included both the Village of Hempstead and the Nassau County police forces, who responded with Hazardous Material Teams.

The University sent out a mass e-mail to all University employees, students and faculty concerning the foreign substance and the subsequent investigation. “Police have assured us that there is no danger posed to any other building or space on campus,” the e-mail said. “The incident has been contained within Bernon Hall.”

Public Safety responded to the substance report, according to a University student who works as an ambassador for Admissions, who would only speak on the condition of anonymity. The officers sealed off the building, not allowing anyone inside to leave.

An employee opened the envelope containing the substance, the student said. “No one knew what it was.”

Public safety then evacuated the building. Nassau County police arrived 10 to 15 minutes later, the student said. The county hazmat team dressed and prepared a portable laboratory in the parking lot outside Bernon Hall.

Within 20 minutes, the hazmat team identified the substance as not posing any danger. “As soon as [the hazmat team] knew what it was, they let us go,” the student said.

The hazmat team did not test the substance inside the building, but rather at the portable lab. The student was informed that the substance was in fact mashed up antacids.

Other reports from students that work in the building said the substance was curry powder.

Additional reporting from Julia Matias.

OP-ED; DEBATES SHOULD BE OPEN AND CHAOTIC

Debating the Debates

The 2008 election season has heated up earlier than any presidential election cycle in recent memory. But you already knew that.

What you may not have known is that the debate season is starting early as well. This past Thursday, the eight Democratic candidates debated at South Carolina State University, a historically black college in Orangeburg South Carolina. Tonight, the ten (ten!) Republican candidates are debating in California, at the Reagan Presidential Library.

The debate Thursday was fast-paced, with no time for meandering beyond the question asked. “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams moderated the 90-minute debate.

Answers were limited to one minute, with 30-seconds for a rebuttal, if necessary. Some questions were asked that required no answer other than the raise of a hand.

Now, I wholeheartedly believe in the art of political discourse, the importance of more voices at the table and all of that, but there are major problems with these debates, aired on MSNBC.

First, each candidate requires equal time, as well they should. Each voice has equal merit, so each deserves equal time. However, when there are between 8 and 10 candidates all clamoring for equal time within a 90-minute timespan, things can get either chaotic or muffled. One candidate, former Sen. Mike Gravel (Ala.), complained on MSNBC after the debate that he felt he did not have enough time as compared to the other candidates.

Second, the answer window is so small that all the audience gets to hear is a rehashing of talking points. There is no time for the nuance or detail required for a discussion about how to reform health care, for example. This gives a much greater advantage to candidates long on vision but short on details, such as Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

Third, the candidates were not allowed to ask each other questions, so there was no real exchange of ideas at all. Isn’t that the point of a debate? Not anymore. Now a debate is a forum and free stage for a candidate to say whatever he/she feels without a challenge.

All of this being said, I still believe these debates are a great thing for the country, for the candidates and for the American people.

But improvements must be made in order to please all involved. All candidates officially declared as candidates still must participate, regardless of the level of support seen in public opinion polls. For the Democrats, Kucinich and Gravel deserve seats as much as Obama and Clinton. For the Republicans, Brownback and Huckabee need the same opportunity as McCain and Giuliani.

All candidates must have at least two minutes to answer a question, but that time can be cut to mere seconds at the moderator’s discretion. Moderators have lost all power in coordinating and conducting debates; it is time to give them back that power. Moderators must ensure that candidates stick to answering the question, but not allowing for a rehashing of prewritten talking points.

The candidates must take questions from the audience, but at the moderator’s discretion. This method works quite well in the presidential debates and reactive questions on topical issues from constituents can really put a candidate’s knowledge of an issue to the test. Pre-submitted questions read by a “representative” of the public comes off as cold and calculated; let the people talk, they are the ones voting, after all.

Candidates must be allowed to challenge and question their respective opponents. If candidates could challenge each other, new and interesting ideas can develop, the American people can see how a candidate reacts under fire, and whether the candidates actually have ideas on how to improve a nation in peril, rather than perfecting 10-second sound bites for the campaign trail.

All candidates from each party should debate weekly on an issue. If the Democrats debated Tuesdays and the Republicans Thursdays, maybe there could be “Issues of the Week” debates. One week could be Iraq, the next health care, the next Social Security, etc. Instead of giving each issue its ten minutes, this extended investigation might lead to more nuanced and specific answers from candidates. The American people might, for once, get to know what these candidates want to do with their votes.

The obvious criticism to this would be that chaos would ensue onstage, but I think that could be a good thing. The more we see our candidates under fire, the better. The more questions the candidates they get asked, the better.

Remember the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the total entropy (chaos) of any system increases over time. Maybe this law should start to apply to our political process as well, because something new can come from the chaos.

NEWS; DEBATE COMMISSION IMPRESSED WITH UNIVERSITY

Officials from the Committee on Presidential Debates were impressed with their campus visit when they met University and local public officials for the first time Thursday, April 23, as part of a preliminary inspection process to vet applicants for hosting a presidential debate in 2008.

University President Stuart Rabinowitz, Board of Trustees Chairman John D. Miller, Director of Public Safety Ed Bracht and other senior administrators all met with committee executive producer Marty Slutsky, two other debate producers, Tammy Johnston and Rory Davies. Secret Service agents and Nassau County Police Insp. Robert Turk also attended.

Many local elected officials attended the meeting, including Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, State Sens. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City).

The commission opened the beginning of the meeting to the press, which allowed President Rabinowitz to thank the commission for coming and for introducing executive producer Slutsky.

Slutsky gave a brief statement: “This is a truly impressive gathering of people. I truly feel and I will convey to the commission my impression that we have the backing of the entire area and all of the officials, which is very important.”

The production teams do not make the decision over who gets to host the debates. They report their findings to the commission, who makes the final decision on which four sites host the debates, three of which are presidential, and the fourth between the vice presidential candidates.

Reporters were not permitted to ask questions during the public part of the meeting. After a break, Rabinowitz and the public officials took questions from the press outside the meeting, which continued behind closed doors.

“This is all about the education of young people,” Rabinowitz said. “They will be involved not just at the actual debate.”

There will be a lot of internships, work, externships and things to do, where students can learn about the political process and the press, he added.

The closed-door meeting moved outside as well, and it included a tour of campus facilities such as the Physical Fitness Center and David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, which is the proposed site of the actual debate.

There is bipartisan support for the debate to be held at the University, Sen. Skelos said. “I’m hopeful that the selection committee will see that this is a totally appropriate location, especially with the history of Long Island and the birth of the suburbs,” he added.

"We are in the New York media market, so that would be great for coverage overall,” Suozzi said. “Levittown is the first suburban community in the United States and, as a result, suburban politics are getting to be more and more important in presidential politics.”

“It is a long and detailed process,” said Melissa Connolly, Director of University Relations. “They were looking at everything, even in closets. I believe it went well.”

The University is one of nineteen sites that applied to host the debates, and is the only one in New York State to do so. Other applicants include places such as the Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission in Portland, Ore., and the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark.

NEWS; PROPERTY TAX FREEZE PROPOSED

MINEOLA, Mar. 29—Nassau County Republican lawmakers have proposed a freeze on property tax assessment increases for the next five years because the 2003 reassessments, and subsequent annual assessments, have caused “sticker shock” for Nassau County residents, according to the legislators.

The proposed legislation calls for County Assessor Harvey Levinson to continue assessing properties, but any increases he finds would not take effect until 2013. Any depreciation in property value, whether by assessment or by sale, would take immediate effect.

The Democratic majority objected to the proposed legislation and they planned to prevent a vote on the proposal by using parliamentary maneuvers.

Nassau was ordered to reassess properties for three years beginning in 2003 due to a court case, settled in 2000, which found that the county’s method for assessing real property was discriminatory. The plaintiff had argued that property in poorer and minority communities were over-assessed.

"Annually reassessing the value of Nassau residents’ homes during a real estate boom is not an accurate reflection of proper proportionate property taxing as envisioned by New York State law,” said Legis. John Ciotti (R-Elmont) in a statement.

Prior to the case, properties were assessed for tax purposes at the 1938 land value, according to minority press secretary Christina Brennan. This led to the over-assessment of some communities in the 1990s, because there was no real definitive community of minorities or the poor on Long Island in 1938, she said.

"Our families are being torn apart because no one can afford to remain here or start a life here due to the exorbitant costs of living on Long Island—and a big part of that is runaway property taxes,” said Legis. Denise Ford (R-Long Beach) in a statement released to the press.

Democrats dispute the motives for the legislation. “It is the most politically motivated, irresponsible, public relations feel-good idea that I have ever heard of in government,” Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) said.

Because the three-year period of the settlement is over, the Republicans wanted to prevent the re-assessments from continuing. This proposal, according to the Republican press office, is the “first of many measures to decode the Nassau County taxing procedure and bring predictability back to our residents’ households.”

Property taxes in Nassau County are calculated by taking the fair market value (as assessed), and multiplying it by an assessment rate, which is currently 1 per cent. Next, that assessed value is taxed at the rates the assorted taxes require.

However, state law requires that an assessed value cannot increase by more than 6 per cent annually, so to circumvent that, Minority Leader Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa) alleged, County Assessor Harvey Levinson has been “manipulating the fractional assessment rates.”

The Democrats are not putting the bill onto the legislative calendar, which is tantamount to killing the bill before it even arrives.

University faculty and staff were divided on the issue. “No, I don’t think a freeze is the thing to do,” said, Executive Secretary of the political science Mary Starke, who is from Bellmore. “History taught us a lesson when County Executive [Tom] Gulotta appeased voters by never addressing taxes under a code from the 1930s.”

“Property taxes are exorbitantly high, second to New Jersey for highest in the country,” said Dr. Leslie D. Feldman, associate professor of political science, who is from Great Neck. “This platform is a good way for Republicans to get back power.”

One professor questioned its happening. “In theory it is a good idea, but is it realistic?” asked Dr. Rosanna Perotti, Associate Professor of political science. “I don’t know.

NEWS; DIPLOMAT SAYS TALK TO IRAN

The United States must normalize relations with Iran instead of preparing for a possible invasion, said Mansour Farhang, who spoke Wednesday concluding the “International Scene” lecture series presented by the University’s Center for Civic Engagement. He also said that the American-supported Shah had been a major supporter of Iranian nuclear capability prior to his overthrow in 1979.

Mansour Farhang is an Iranian-born author and diplomat. He served as the first ambassador to the United Nations after the Iranian revolution but left in 1981 as a dissident. He currently teaches Middle Eastern politics and international relations at Bennington College, in Vermont.

His lecture focused on relations between the United States and Iran, especially if Iran were to gain the capacity to build a nuclear weapon, which he said that experts believe is to be about 5-7 years away.

Farhang sought to dispel the notion in the United States that the current Iranian administration is nothing but a group of religious fanatics. “I consider the Iranian political leaders, those that are managing the country today, to be rational actors in the Machiavellian sense,” he said. “They are people who calculate and think about their interests, as opposed to being whimsical or fanatical.”

Farhang said the development of weapons is to be more of a deterrent to forces surrounding the country, rather than to use them against Americans or their allies.

Iran had been pursuing the nuclear option since the early 1970’s, according to Farhang. The Shah at the time, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, wanted to ensure Iranian security if the good relations between Iran and the US were to deteriorate.

Revolutionary Iran dissolved the nuclear program soon after its ascendance to power because they did not trust anything done by the Shah and because the new Prime Minister did not trust the science behind it, Farhang said.

However, after the Iran-Iraq war, they saw the necessity in redeveloping the weapons capacity. Rather than the Western aid that they sought last time, Iran received investment and supplies from the East, including Russia, China and Pakistan, Farhang said.

Iran wants functional independence, according to Farhang. Rather than being tied down and surrounded by the American hegemon, Iran wants to be able to assert itself as a major player in the region.\

Four things must happen for relations to normalize between the two countries, according to Farhang.

This includes security guarantees from the United States, saying that the surrounding Americans will not invade the nation. The Americans have a military presence in nearly every country bordering Iran, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey, and the Iranians feel threatened, he said.

Iran wants the sanctions lifted. According to Farhang, the revolution failed in its attempt to provide income equality and freedom for its people. The sanctions have strangled the economy while strengthening the regime, much like Saddam’s Iraq, he said.

If the Iranian economy were to be able to flourish with western investment, this could be beneficial for both countries, Farhang added.

Because of its history in the region, Iran wants respect. The American attempts to isolate the country for the last 28 years have failed, so respect is in order, according to Farhang.

Most importantly to Farhang, any negotiations cannot have any preconditions. Iran has said they listen to the United States, but they will not act because conditions are unfair.

Farhang believes that the American foreign policy elites want to have a détente with Iran, though some still ache for confrontation.

“The nuclear issue has come to symbolize the nature of this estrangement between the two countries,” he said. “But the estrangement is not limited to the nuclear issue.”

The confrontation between the US and Iran has aided the “most reactionary elements of the body politic,” Farhang said. “They use xenophobia, they use the confrontation to suppress dissent and justify their repression of political opponents.”

Both countries have a stake in many issues, according to Farhang. A peaceful Persian Gulf is in Iran’s interest, he said. “Normalization of US-Iranian relations would be a fantastic gift that the Bush administration, or maybe the successor, could give the Iranian democracy.”

OP-ED; IMUS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FIRED

The Madness Must Stop

Let me begin by stating that this is not a defense of Don Imus. What he said was both reprehensible and indefensible, but this must be clear: he should not have been fired.

Don Imus got his stripes as a “shock jock” in the 1970s and 1980s, and statements like this were his calling card. His reinvention as a bastion of the establishment brought Imus a newfound credibility from a source he had previously disregarded.

With this newfound credibility came responsibility. Imus interviewed many members of the press, as well as politicians. The interviews were highly substantive and nuanced: some even compared their experiences on Imus to “Q & A” on C-SPAN.

With that being said, a profile on Imus aired on “60 Minutes” in July 1998; Mike Wallace interviewed him. In the piece, Wallace accused his program of being racist, to which Imus responded, “Give me one example of one racist incident.”

Wallace replied: “You told Tom Anderson, the producer, in your car, coming home, that Bernard McGuirk is there to do n----- jokes.” Imus protested and said that he had never used the word himself, but Anderson, who was at the interview, said that Imus had in fact used the word. Imus backed down.

When Bob Herbert of the New York Times indicated to MSNBC that he was going to refer to the piece, “they began acting very weird.” The same day the column ran, April 12, Imus was removed from MSNBC’s broadcast schedule.

As I mentioned earlier, Imus had a long record of misogyny, racism and anti-semitism.

What matters now, however, is what comes next. Since the “establishment” had such a close relationship with the Imus program recently, they have been extremely quiet on the issue.

Frank Rich, also of the New York Times, appears to be the first to attack the future head on. In his column published April 15, he admitted to his own hypocrisy on the issue: he has been a regular guest since the 1990s.

Rich called the slurs “burlesque” but admitted that the slurs didn’t bother him previously; Rich is Jewish, but he saw Imus as an equal opportunity offender. With Imus’ firing, Rich argued that edgy comics, once again, are going to be marginalized. Let us remember the example of Bill Maher, he said.

Rich’s fundamental argument is one held by many journalists, including this columnist: no speech should be censored and more speech leads to better speech.

Immediately following Imus’ firing, discussions are being held over the influence of hip-hop music on today’s youth. Mainstream hip-hop is chock full of examples of misogyny and racism: the word n----- is tossed about regularly, women are either bitches or ho’s and the lyrics portray an image of increasing drug abuse and crime.

Not all of the artists are black, either. For every 50 cent, there is a Bubba Sparxxx with a song like “Miss New Booty.” For every D.M.X., there is an Eminem.

Most important is the audience consuming this dose of hateful music. According to Russell Simmons, President of Def Jam Records, 4 out of 5 hip-hop records are bought by white suburban teens.The white kids are listening to “street” music, because they think it makes them “harder.” They are looking for that edge that their suburban, upper middle-class lifestyle is not providing for them. What they don’t realize is how detrimental it is to their interpersonal development.

The question now becomes: who gets the right to say these words? Why do “artists” get the right to say it but “shock jocks” and the “establishment” cannot? When are the words wrong?]

All of these questions are now being answered in the wake of Imus’ fall, or at the very least, the attempt is there. My resolute belief in free speech calls for a theoretical defense of Imus. He has every right to say what he did, regardless of whether someone agrees with him.

As does Rush Limbaugh when he claimed Michael J. Fox exaggerated his Parkinson’s disease to win votes for a referendum in Missouri. That does not make his speech acceptable; rather it just makes it accessible, even if it isn’t true.

The free market will decide if people will tune into hateful communication, regardless of the medium. If there is a demand for it, a supply will be provided.

But if the country has truly moved on from the problem of racism and sexism, then the public will not tune into it, and it will fall by the wayside. Until this happens, we can assume that the divide has not been closed.

PROFILE; MIKE ANDERSON-MOVERS AND SHAKERS (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

Careers in technology are the new job frontier, and Mike Anderson knows it. He has worked in the industry for over 20 years and has both designed and taught courses in technology for several colleges and universities.

His work for the Middle Country Central School District School Board as a Trustee and his membership in the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce, all while running his own business, show his hard work ethic: something he developed growing up in Lindenhurst and in the military.

Mike Anderson grew up in Lindenhurst and graduated from Copiague High School in 1978. After graduating, he volunteered in the Army, serving with the 101^st Airborne Division until 1981. Upon returning to Lindenhurst, he took courses at technical school and became a certified systems engineer with Microsoft.

Anderson became Chief Information Officer for Nextech Information Systems, which involved teaching over 40 trainers at a time at over 8 locations throughout Long Island. This led Anderson to design curricula for and teach courses for Nextech at colleges and universities all over the island, including SUNY Stony Brook, Hofstra University, St. John’s, Briarcliffe College and others.

Nextech closed down in 2001; Anderson proceeded to form his own business, American Professional Services. “It has given me time to give back to the community,” he said. Anderson was a founding member of the Centereach Chamber of Commerce, which, in turn, became the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce to accommodate nearby Selden and Lake Grove. He was elected president of the Chamber last month.

Anderson has served as Trustee for the School Board since 2004. He was asked to run for the position by the School Board President after serving as a businessperson-advisor for a Budget Advisory Committee for the School District.

His committee assignments include Chairman of the Technology Committee, co-Chair of the Committee for Better Choices and co-Chair of the Budget Planning Committee.

As Chairman of the Technology Committee, Anderson is in charge of acquiring the best technology for the students of the District. “Enrico Crocetti, the Director of Technology, is doing a great job, he’s doing a lot of work with little resources,” he said. “There is very little to improve that is technology-related.”

New York State has cut financial aid to the school district, Anderson said. As such, funding for technology has lessened for the last few years. “We are working with the Legislative Committee to increase state aid to the district so all valued programs can continue in the district,” Anderson said.

Anderson was crucial in securing a $50,000 grant for the schools as co-chair for the Choices Committee. ‘The purpose behind the program is to give the students the knowledge and the opportunity to make better choices,” he said. “It’s not just to make ‘rec’ nights.”

“He got a lot done on the Choices Committee,” said Ron Grinnell, the School Board’s Vice President. Anderson has overseen the nights of recreation, counseling and social work, and the availability of literature to combat violence and drug abuse.

The Budget Planning Committee involves working with the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Roberta Gerold, and Vice Superintendent, Herb Chessler. “He is a very focused board member who always has the student’s best interest in mind,” Gerold said.

The committee is looking at the programs run by the district with the district officers and working with the community to determine the value of each program. The committee is changing the way we look at the budget, from a single-year plan to a multi-year plan,” he said. “[It is] going to take some time to make that transition.”

Anderson’s background in technology has brought success to Centereach’s businesses and education. Though he does not actually write the budget, his insight is monumental in how the town allocates money, be it to attract new members to the Chamber of Commerce or to make the schools better in order to bring more people to live in Centereach.

Since being elected to the School Board, Anderson has joined an institution that values his membership. “Everybody on the board does a good job and he fits right in,” Ron Grinnell said.

The Centereach Civics Association agrees. “He is very knowledgeable and a very good organizer,” said Carol Cavalieri, its 1^st Vice President. “He [Anderson] definitely is a mover and shaker.”

OP-ED; GONZALES MUST GO

Gonzales Must Go

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales must resign.

His intransigence has led to some of the worst policies of the administration, resulting in damaged credibility both abroad and here at home. Since impeachment seems not to be an option for the “Commander in Chief” (much to the dismay of Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and most Democrats), the buck must stop at the desk of the Justice Department, which is supposed to be seen as independent of the Executive Branch’s political meddling.

Gonzales has been a sore spot in the administration from the beginning. The author of the infamous “torture memo,” he deserves a lot of the blame for the abuses of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. He advocated the use of waterboarding, stress positions and other means to “break down,” alleged terrorists for intelligence to stop future attacks. The memo also called the Geneva Conventions “quaint and obsolete.” This resulted in both false intelligence and disdain for America throughout the world.

He was an early advocate of the USA Patriot Act, a law that flew through Congress just days after the September 11 attacks. This law has been abused again and again by the FBI, NSA and other government agencies in order to break drug networks, stop bank robbers and other crimes. This was not its intended use.

In fact, according to a report released March 9, 2007, the Justice Department said in an internal audit that it found that the FBI had acted illegally to secretly obtain personal information about US citizens.

Gonzales was appointed by President Bush to replace John Ashcroft as Attorney General on November 10, 2004. He was seen then as a moderate alternative to the radical Ashcroft: Gonzales did not vocally oppose abortion or affirmative action. It was also seen as a move to give Gonzales the credibility necessary to get him a fast track to a seat on the Supreme Court.

With the revelations of the abuse of the Patriot Act and his role in the firing of US Federal attorneys for political reasons, something for which his former chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson had to resign, Gonzales no longer has the credibility he once had.

Gonzales has denied any involvement in the attorney firings, and the administration has publicly come to his defense, despite reports surfacing that they are looking for a replacement.

A story in the Sunday, March 25, 2007 New York Times said that despite Gonzales’ statements to the contrary, he was informed of the firings taking place at least twice, according to emails and other documents released to Congress, which is investigating the scandal.

“They have also fed suspicions by some Democrats that the ousters, from the start, may have been orchestrated by the White House, and most particularly, by Karl Rove, the White House political adviser,” the article said.

Gonzales said in a television interview that he delegated “a task” to his assistant, and never checked on its completion. He said he never saw documents, which was refuted by the emails, which say that he headed a meeting in his office over the firings.

The Justice Department is supposed to be in charge of investigating criminal acts by members of the Executive Branch, or crimes against it. As such, it is expected to keep a certain level of independence from the executive branch’s political work.

Democrats have been pushing to subpoena administration officials, including Gonzales and Rove, to testify publicly about the firings. The White House has strongly resisted this, instead offering private interviews not to be under oath. However, Democrats are not the only ones that want to hear from the officials, so this is not a partisan hack job by Democrats.

This week, on the Sunday morning talk shows, Republican Party leaders in Congress started to join the Democrats in the drumbeat calling for Gonzales to step down. “He [Gonzales] was going to have to have an explanation as to why he said he wasn’t involved in discussions,” said Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) on Meet the Press. “Now you have these e-mails which appear to contradict that.”

Specter was not the only one speaking on the issue Sunday morning. Sen. Hagel (R- Neb.) said he has credibility problems. “I think he’s going to have some difficulties,” he added.

This scandal surrounding the handling of US attorneys showed how blurry the line has been since the beginning of the Bush presidency. The only way for the Justice Department to ever have any level of credibility again is for Gonzales to step down, and a moderate, nonpartisan appointee to replace him.

NEWS; MANAGING EDITOR OF NY TIMES VISITS UNIVERSITY

Newspapers will continue to be printed as long as there is a profit in it, according to John Geddes, Managing Editor of the New York Times, who spoke at the University Monday night.

Geddes’ talk on “The Future of the News Industry” focused on how the New York Times is adapting to a new media environment that includes the Internet, blogs, enewspapers, citizen journalists and the decline of newspaper circulation and advertising revenues.

“I don’t really care about newspapers, per se,” he said. “I care deeply about the journalism they finance and deliver.”

Geddes believes that the insiders and reporters need to stop the talk of “the end of days.” “You wouldn’t know it from the last year, but the newspaper is still a pretty lucrative profession,” he said.

What makes this period in journalism unique, Geddes said, is the lack of a viable business model to cope with the new technology. However, the Times, Geddes said, “is defined by our journalism.”

The “problem” of news as a business is not new, according to Geddes. “I don’t think trying to pull us out of the commercial world makes any sense,” he said. “Quality comes at a price that may seem unsustainable, but we have to live in the same world everyone else does.”

We need to be able to report what it is like to be in the crowd, and to be able to say where it is going, he added.

During the lecture, Geddes showed the audience a copy of the New York Times on a tablet PC. The newspaper looks exactly like the print version and it is fully navigable with the click of a button, “It’s the closest thing to reading papers in print,” Geddes said.

There is nothing special about the news industry as a business, according to Geddes. “It’s a product of its environment,” he said. “It exists in constant tension with the commercial interests that support it.”

Geddes did not believe political scandal contributes to the current maelstrom surrounding the news industry. The trial of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Geddes said, will have no impact on Washington coverage, because there have “long been cycles of pressure” between the press and the government. He said this scandal is no different from the others.

Sponsored by the Zarb School of Business, the School of Communication and the University’s Career center, Geddes has become a part of an increasingly close relationship between the University and the New York Times. Chief legal correspondent Adam Liptak spoke at the University last year.

Following the talk by Geddes, a student panel consisting of business and journalism majors asked him a series of questions on the New York Times’ role in the future of news. When asked about the adaptability of the veterans of the news industry, Geddes said that there has been surprisingly little resistance from them.

Students were supportive of Geddes’ talk. “He defended the Times well,” said John Commerford, a senior broadcast journalism and political science double major. “This is exactly what I expected from him.”

NEWS; SPECIAL ELECTION AT LEGISLATURE

Democrats retained their majority in the Nassau County Legislature Tuesday by winning a special election in the 11^th Legislative District in a landslide. The election drew an extremely light turnout, with less than 3,500 votes counted after all election districts reported their results Tuesday night.

Wayne Wink, a North Hempstead town councilman, received over four times as many votes as his opposition, Lou Chisari, a Republican lawyer from New Hyde Park. The total count was 2,872 votes for Wink and 599 votes for Chisari.

The seat was vacated after a special election on Feb. 6, when Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington) was elected to the New York State Senate’s 7^th District in a hard-fought election against Maureen O’Connell (R-East Williston), a registered nurse.

Johnson inherited the seat in 2000 when his mother, Barbara, died.

The election allows the Democrats to continue to control the legislative calendar, leadership and committee assignments.

It also continues the one-party control of the Nassau County Executive and Legislative Branches of government.

Wayne Wink is an alum of the University holding a bachelor of arts in political science, according to the biography on his Town Council website. He is an adjunct professor of political science at the University and a practicing attorney.

Republicans did not pursue the election as forcefully as it did the Senate election six weeks ago, citing a Democratic voting history in the district.

The entire legislature is up for reelection in November, so Wink, in order to keep his seat, must win again six months after earning it.

The district includes the Town of North Hempstead and the hamlets of Roslyn, Port Washington, Garden City Park and Sands Point.

NEWS; IRAQ PLENARY SESSION (DAY OF DIALOGUE)

At the end of a long and grueling “Day of Dialogue,” the main issue of the day played itself out in the Monroe Lecture Center for a plenary session on the War in Iraq. The session was broadcast live on WRHU, so those that were in the listening area or on computers were able to listen to the event.

Titled the “War in Iraq: Where do we go from here?” it was a public forum supposed to focus on the future, but most of the dialogue was spent hashing out problems from the past and today.

On the panel were Carolyn Eisenberg, University Professor of History, Mackenzie Eaglen, Fellow from the Heritage Foundation, Leslie Cagan, a member of United for Peace and Justice and Rob Timmins, a member of the Iraq-Afghanistan Veterans of America. In addition, three veterans joined the panel for the question-and-answer session.

The panelists each delivered a short opening statement and then took questions from the moderators, before the audience received the opportunity to ask questions. Students, faculty and local members of the community all had the chance to ask the panel questions on policy, veterans affairs and other issues.

An attempt was made to take a question from a caller, but technical difficulties prevented it from happening.

Professor Eisenberg opened the discussion, which was moderated by two University Students, both veteran staffers of WRHU. “We all recognize the war is an immense human tragedy,” she said. “It is just a story filled with sorrow for everyone.”

Eaglen defended President Bush’s troop surge policy, though she did qualify her defense. “It was really a band-aid,” she said. “It is a way to buy time for the Iraqi government.”

When pressed on why the White House supports a government it no longer believes in, based on an internal administration memo leaked to the press, she said: “Maliki was elected; that’s who we have to deal with.”

Sharp disagreement and ideological clashes continued throughout the session. War critic Leslie Cagan thought that deception was involved in the sale of the war. “Nobody wanted us to go to war,” she said. “It never should have happened.”

“The problem must be solved as quickly as possible,” she added.

Veterans advocate Rob Timmins said that the soldiers were not conducting missions they were trained to do. “We were not trained to police the population,” he said.

A veteran on the panel agreed with this statement. “We don’t create peace, we create war,” he said.

He also said that both the people and the politicians were exploiting the troops. “We [troops] are used like a political chew toy,” he said.

All three Iraq war veterans echoed his sentiment. “Some of the things people talk about make me sick,” said one vet, who came home from his tour in Iraq to find himself homeless and begging the Veterans Administration for benefits he had earned. “Vets have to fight for the bare minimum of benefits at home.”

Fellow veteran Rob Timmins was not shocked about the vet’s problems. “This is a travesty,” he said. “Unfortunately, the outcry is not loud enough.”

The panelists did not come do a consensus on how to address Iraq’s future. Rather, they continued to assert their own talking points about the past to fit a view of the future. “Military power in and of itself cannot solve all the problems that needs to be solved,” Professor Eisenberg said.

Timmins stuck to requesting help for soldiers: “We need a new GI bill,” he said.

NEWS; WASHINGTON TRIP FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

WASHINGTON—Mr. Smith took the University to Washington for an extended weekend of politics, tours and briefings. University students and faculty from the Political Science Department met with public officials, alumni and others as part of an annual field trip to Washington, D.C.

The trip takes place over four days and involves meeting with multiple officials involved in government and public policy, as well as interest groups. On Monday night, students met with University alumni and current interns in a conference to explain the University’s “Semester in Washington” program.

“We can say that not a few, in fact many, students were inspired to make a career in Washington based on this trip,” said Dr. Rosanna Perotti, the director of the trip.

According to Dr. Perotti, the annual Washington trip began in the early 1960s, when Howard Ball, a former University Professor and Supreme Court scholar, organized an interview for University students with Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black.

Professor Emeritus Herbert Rosenbaum continued organizing the trip every year, and in doing so, inspired students such as alum Phil Schiliro, who has worked as a staffer for Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) for the last twenty-five years.

Professor Rosenbaum continues to attend the trip every year, despite his retirement from the University in 1992.

Over time, the number of appointments grew. This year, there were seven meetings, including appointments with a Congressman from Illinois, an anti-global warming group and staffers at the Office of Management and Budget. Students also met with University alum William Bodde, a career diplomat and former Ambassador to Micronesia.

“We get the access from interns and alumni of the University,” Dr. Perotti said. “Sometimes we call out of the blue.”

The “Semester in Washington” internship is an unpaid program run by the State University of New York at Brockport. It offers students the opportunity to work four days per week in a Washington office while taking a class once a week and writing a research paper related to their experience. The interns come from schools all over New York State, and the University is a partner in the program.

Students can intern at any of the three branches of government, at an interest group, research institute or non-government organization. University students and alumni that have participated include a Law professor, lobbyists and staffers on Capitol Hill.

One current student is spending this semester interning for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in her Senate office. Another is interning for Congressman Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.), who met with the students.

Students overwhelmingly enjoyed the experience of being in Washington. “This trip allowed us to experience government,” sophomore Christina Martin said.

Amanda Scheffer, a sophomore, agreed. “This trip has put the idea of working in politics in my heart again,” she said. “The professors have inspired me.”

Politics were not the only benefit to the trip, according to Chris Pergola, a junior. “Not only do you get to witness and experience things tourists would not normally see in Washington, you get to meet students and make friends at the University you might not otherwise have done,” he said.

ALBUM REVIEW; ARCADE FIRE- NEON BIBLE (NOT PRINTED IN CHRONICLE)

Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
Merge Records
3.5/5

Montreal’s Arcade Fire has taken on a new enemy: everyone else. The debut, Funeral, tackled topics such as loss, introspection and the death of a loved one. This time around, on Neon Bible, the lyrics are just as bitter, but the blame is placed squarely on society.

Brashly sung lyrics such as, "Don't wanna live in America no more" define the sentiments of this album. Win Butler blasts all the trappings of a luxurious life in this Western world of ours. He takes shots at consumerism, commercialism, religion, government, reality television and MTV.

By looking outward, the music also takes on a different role. Arcade Fire has now learned to channel their music into a tool of malevolence and bitterness.

The songs now build and release, driven mostly by guitar and drums, whereas Funeral would climax over epic soundscapes of piano and strings. This is not to say that the strings and keyboards are gone, but they are now used more economically, for a completely different approach.

On the track "(Antichrist Television Blues)" the band channels Bruce Springsteen better than the Killers ever could, this could be the sonic "Born to Run,” but a lyrical counterpart to “Let Down” from Radiohead.

“No Cars Go,” a reprise from the eponymous debut EP, would be an ideal album closer, flourishes and all, but the band wanted to have its cake and eat it too, with “My Body is a Cage.”

“Cars” shows a glimmer of hope even after all the bitterness, but the band chose to revel in its own depression over the world surrounding it.

“What have you done to me?” Win Butler asks, almost pleading to the listener. The real question is, why are they telling us something that’s been said so often already? This, of course, is left unanswered.