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Buzzsaw Presents…
The Family Issue
Family is a word that is often said but not often considered. With seemingly half of America freaking out about the “destruction” of the nuclear family, with more families eating dinner separately or from the microwave, with our parents calling us at least five days a week, and with our aunts and uncles friending us on Facebook, family is a constant presence in all our lives. We can’t get away from it. But what does it mean, exactly—family?
News & Views
Restaurant Review
New Delhi Diamond’s
By Katherine Rausch
Just around the corner from the bustle and noise of the Commons, on a quiet, isolated area of West Green Street, sits a restaurant that blends in with the deserted area. The entrance doors are hidden on each end, making it difficult to know where they are and even which way to enter. The appearance of New Delhi Diamond’s is not very appealing, but the food is worth it
Buzz Sex
First Date Hook-up: Myth or Magic
By: Jennifer Levitt
I have suffered through my fair share of stories about hook-ups gone horribly wrong. Dating stories though? Now those are purely pre-historic. With more people choosing hook-ups over long-lasting relationships, does this mean they’re having more fun, or does it just add more pressure?
IC and the State of the Unions
Ithaca College criticized for labor issues
By Jacquie Simone
In the middle of the most labor union-dense state in the country, in a politically liberal city, Ithaca College might not be as pro-labor as one would think. Many faculty and community members believe the school’s administration actively discourages membership in unions.
Question & Answer with Father Roy Bourgeois
By Zachary Tomanelli
Father Roy Bourgeois came to Ithaca College Sept. 24 to speak about U.S. – Latin American relations. Bourgeois is the founder of the School of the Americas Watch, a group that monitors activity of the military training school, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation at Fort Benning, Ga., where many Latin American soldiers are trained in counterinsurgency methods. Bourgeois shared his experiences and thoughts on U.S. foreign policy.
Beyond the Screaming Tea-Parties
Why single-payer health care is the best option
By Zachary Tomanelli
This fall, the U.S. House of Representatives will debate a bill that could radically transform this country’s health care system. Its proponents say it will give every American access to health care, while its opponents consider it a massive government takeover of the health care system.
Troy Davis: The Next Tom Robinson
Murder case reveals continued racism
By Qina Liu
In the flurry of the Alabama courtroom, a thick blanket of humidity clung to the sticky wooden pews as occupants waited for the jury’s verdict.
Upfront
Black Babies, White World
Exploring transracial adoption in America
By Emily Stoner
Whenever Karen Wasserman gets a speeding ticket, a million things run through her mind. Pull over in a well-lit area, not on a dark side street where there might not be witnesses. Make sure your hands are where the cop can see them. Don’t make any sudden movements. As a white, Jewish woman from Long Island, Wasserman does not generally have to worry about police brutality. But as the adoptive mother of a black son, she has to be sure to set a good example.
Mediterranean Deli-ght
An Ithaca Family Cooks Up Some Love
By Julissa Treviño
Inside DeWitt Mall, next to the Bookery and across from Past Times, sits Dino’s Mediterranean Deli — a family-owned and -operated business recently opened in August 2008. Dino’s is like many other places in Ithaca in that it’s a small family business. But Dino’s isn’t working toward keeping a tradition or recipes in the family. Dino Tsipouroglou, the 54-year-old owner of the restaurant, didn’t plan it this way.
Meet the Obamas
Why write about Obama’s policies when you can help people stalk his family?
By Gena Mangiaratti
One of the first instructions Michelle Obama gave White House aids upon moving into the historical mansion was to let the girls make their own beds.
First Comes Love, then Comes Marriage, then Come 12 Kids
Examining religion’s influence on large family size and the “Quiverfull” lifestyle
By Adam Polaski
While checking out the booths at the South Dakota State Fair a few months ago, Bruce and Diane Crevier came across a caricature artist drawing cartoonish sketches of fair attendees. They approached her and expressed their interest in a drawing, asking if the artist had ever produced multiple-faced portraits.
Home is Where the Dorm is
Students rethink what it means to feel at home
By Megan Blarr
Where do you live?” Seems like a simple question, right? Well not if you’re a student going away to college. Suddenly, things seem a lot more complicated. As a freshman, I’ve had some adjusting to do since move-in day a month ago. As I was moving into my dorm room, I was forced to ask myself: What is “home”? Is it my house back in Buffalo, N.Y., or is it where my friends are?
Beyond Just Hugging It Out
Chipping Away at the Family Therapy Stigma
By Jocelyn Codner
Jesse Grossman, a 17-year-old Ithaca High School student, has been to personal therapy, family therapy and even spent a little over a week institutionalized in a mental hospital. And yet, he has no qualms with talking about his or his family’s experiences.
Calling in Sick
When problems at home affect performance in the workplace
By Samantha Brucker
After waking up to her 6:30 a.m. alarm, taking a shower and eating her breakfast, Megan left her house to go to school, half surprised to see her father’s car still in the driveway. She surmised that once again, he had called into the office to notify them he would not be able to make it to work. As she slowly backed out in her car, Megan’s music drowned out the list of plausible reasons for the “sick” day. Bankruptcy fee? Foreclosure notice? Divorce lawyer? The possibilities were endless.
A Tale of Two Siblings
The pros and cons of adopted kids searching for biological parents
By McKenzie Wall
Imagine that you are three years old playing in the living room. Your mother is standing in the next room, chatting casually with the man tuning the piano, and you hear something you don’t understand. She says something about her newly “adopted” second child, Lisa. But your name is Lisa, and as far as you know, you had lived here all your life. Could it be that your family isn’t real?
Family of the Cloth
How Local Buddhist Monks Form Familial Bonds through Communal Living
By Kacey Deamer
Four men dressed in orange robes, a handful of students and 12 Tibetan families. This is not a description of the “average American family.”
Between Wrock and A Hard Place
Community of Harry Potter-themed musicians acts as surrogate family and support structure
By McKenzie Wall
Lena Weinstein was nearing desperation. As her last resort, a final plea for sanctuary, she posted a video blog on YouTube, expecting one or two comments of support from her closest friends. Within seconds of her post, hundreds of comments appeared, offering support, advice and even phone numbers of people wanting to help. Lena was overwhelmed. Over the next week, she received hundreds of hats, scarves, letters, CDs, books, motivational cards – all from people she had never even met. Most of these mysterious good Samaritans didn’t know her, but they were all Wizard Rocker.
Ministry of Cool
FlashForward Premiere
By Amelia Blevins
After the entire world blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, chaos reigns as people waken to disaster and death. Patients die when their surgeons cannot complete surgery, swimmers drown in the ocean, pilots crash their planes, unconscious drivers cause mass pile-ups. In Los Angeles, FBI agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) wakes from his blackout, with memories of a time that has not happened, a time when he is investigating the very event that just occurred.
Born Into Fame
By Lauren Mateer
Some celebrities love to put their kids in the limelight, while others prefer to keep their kids away from the fame of showbiz. If celebrities didn’t over publicize their children, would we not have to deal with another generation of Hiltons and Ritchies? Or would it cause us to lose future acting dynasties. Is it fair to put kids in the spotlight just because their parents are famous?
I’mma Let You Finish…I Guess
By Blake Avory
First let us take a minute to review the debacle that was known as the VMA’s. From Lady Gaga’s crazy four costume changes to Kanye West’s drunken outburst, it was a sight to be seen.
Community Holds Promise of Many More Laughs to Come
By Anne Gould Northgraves
Joel McHale is a much funnier, taller, and generally less toolish version of Ryan Seacrest. But until recently, the multi-job-juggling– and the concurrent success– had belonged to the American Idol/E! News/Radio Host. However, with McHale’s high profile headlining NBC’s new comedy Community, about a misfit group of community college students, the comedian is poised to rival Seacrest’s domination.
Man with a Movie Camera Experience Speaks to All Decades
by Erin Irby
Upon entering Cornell’s Willard Straight Hall, there’s an undeniable sense of unconscious time travel. The bright red seats, wooden stage, and the neoclassical wall paintings create an atmosphere that blends the historic dimensions of theatre and cinema. Even the bathrooms, with their antique door handles and porcelain sinks, are a throwback to a time lost to foam soap and automatic flushers.
Lesbihonest
Trophy wives out-trophy their wives
By Daniel Haack
On Aug. 16, 2008, three months after the California Supreme Court overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, two smiling brides in Zac Posen outfits were being wed in an intimate ceremony in Beverly Hills.
The Jetsons: Family of the Past
Space savvy fam teaches us how to live 1950s style
By Sarah McCarthy
The year is 2062. The sidewalks move and fold-up flying cars travel through the sky. The standard workday lasts three hours, three days a week, and the hottest vacation spot this year is on Venus. Sylvester Stalone has completed his latest project, Rocky 912.
The Cinemapolis Experience
Does the new location retain all the feel of the old?
By Anne Gould Northgraves
After two years of feeling at home in the tiny previous Cinemapolis locales at the Commons alley and Fall Creek, when Cinemapolis moved into its new home on East Green Street, it naturally made me nostalgic. Will the new building compare to the old in terms of my movie-going experience?
Q & A: Trouble the Water
By Amy Obarski
Independent documentary filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal visited Ithaca College to screen their film, Trouble the Water, on Sept. 15, 2009. The documentary was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance in 2008. The film addresses the racial and economic issues surrounding the Hurricane Katrina, and incorporates home video footage by two New Orleans residents Kimberly and Scott.
Happy Sweet Baby Shower
Pregnant teens remind us of the American dream
By Cody Norton
MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, a reality program which premiered in June 2009, is only one of many cultural mindfucks that has fueled a societal obsession with adolescent motherhood. Featuring high school age girls during the terms of their pregnancies, the television show documents the trials and tribulations the expectant mothers must endure as a result of the hardships associated with teenage parenthood.
The Simpsons Saved My Family
How TV brings families together
By Erin Irby
The Simpsons weekday syndication was a nightly habit more engrained in my day-to-day life than brushing my teeth. Plopping myself on our large, dark-red leather couch contained a tremendous amount of importance not only to me, but to the sanctity of my familial well-being.
RAW FROM THE SAW: Moon
Moon, Liberty Films UK, 2009
By Bryant Francis
This summer saw plenty of big-budget sci-fi extravaganzas. Lots of giant robots, explosions, more giant robots (it was a pretty big theme). So in all the noise and grinding of metallic limbs, it’s fairly easy to let a small, quiet film like Moon slip under the radar.
RAW FROM THE SAW: 9
9, Focus Features, 2009
By Amelia Blevins
Set in an unnamed dystopia, 9 is made up of all the usual suspects found in post-apocalypse thrillers, except for one unique addition: animate rag dolls known as “stitchpunks.” The film opens with the awakening of 9 (Elijah Wood), the last in a series of nine stitchpunks created by a genius scientist whose invention of an artificially intelligent brain led to the destruction of the nation after extended warfare against intelligent machines.
RAW FROM THE SAW: Ellipse
Imogen Heap, Ellipse, Anti Records, 2009
By Dana McCall
Imogen Heap’s new album evokes such a variety of emotions in her listeners that pushing the pause button seems impossible. This multitalented musician from London has certainly created a place for herself around the world. From her name to her look to her music, this 31-year-old songstress is the prime example of an individual.
RAW FROM THE SAW: In It To Win It
The Tundra Toes, In It To Win It, 2009
By Bryan Cipolla
The Tundra Toes have been a staple, better yet, a jagged piece of rusting metal lodged within the local Ithaca music scene for the past year. Upon their recent extraction from the town, due to the inevitable graduation of several of their members, a unique scar was left unlike any other. This was a mark that the Tundra Toes were happy to remedy with their debut album, In It To Win It, released independently this past summer.
RAW FROM THE SAW: Paper Heart
Paper Heart, Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2009
By Celia David
Written by and starring Charlyne Yi, a young Hollywood actress and stand-up comic, Paper Heart is a documentary/mocumentary about that all too elusive word: Love. Yi, who plays a caricature of herself in the film, doesn’t believe in love and is making a documentary about the subject in order to better grasp its concept.
Prose & Cons
The Sacred Room
By Amelia Blevins
“No, you lift from the bottom and I’ll pull it up.”
“Wait, what if we lay it down on its side and then I push it up?”
“Make sure nothing falls out. I want these books the same way dad had them.”
Sawdust
Son embarrassed by father playing “fifty cents”
By Colin DeMatteis
Fifteen-year-old James Filtmore walked two miles to the county courthouse Wednesday morning to file for emancipation from his parents.
Child Raised by TV Reunited with Biological Parents
By Noah Burd
A boy who in 1995 went missing in a Best Buy was found Monday and returned to his parents.
Death Panels are Taking over America!
Op Ed by Wally Wiggins
Actually by Bryant Francis
I’m proud to be an American. Every day, I wake up and hum the lyrics to that fantastic Bruce Springsteen song, turn on Fox News and chow down on a hearty bowl of Wheaties, loving this great country and its amazing leaders. But now I hate my government, because it’s being taken over by Communists and Nazis, and their weapon of choice—Death Panels.
Teen Mother Pens Parenting Book for Pregnant
By Celia David
Jessica Cooper, Lincoln High School dropout and mother of one has just released a new parenting book for expecting teens.
Local Father’s Dreams Die
By Sarah Kasulke
Cortland resident Edward Wormsly woke up Wednesday morning to find his childhood dreams on his front porch, dead, next to a copy of his daily newspaper. Wormsly’s dreams were forty-eight years old when they passed on after a brave battle with doubt and familial obligations.
Buzzsaw Asks Why…
Ithaca College did not properly prepare for a large incoming class
By Bryant Francis
As the fall 2009 semester began, Ithaca College found itself host to the largest incoming class of freshmen in the history of the school. All well and good, since last year’s class fell a bit short of the expected goals, but this year’s massive acceptance rate has reflected strange, if not poor judgment on the part of the admissions office in taking in so many new students.
Think Before You Send
New Website Translates Students’ Emails to Parents
By Colleen Cunha
This past Tuesday, a freshman here at Ithaca College, who prefers to remain anonymous, uncovered an alarming website while browsing the Internet. The student was searching for instructions on how to send a letter in the mail, but came upon a page that seemed to have instructions on how to send an email, intended for parents who are technologically incompetent.
Everyone Misses Aunt Jen’s Ex-Husband’s Grilling Skills at Local Collins’ Family Cookouts
By Liz Kloczkowsk
The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and children’s playful laughter could be heard over the breeze. Freshly cut grass wafted over the air. This was the weather that launched a thousand grills.
The Collins family was world famous for their annual family cookout at the end of every summer. According to Bill Collins, every family member had a designated food item that they bestowed upon the family that day.
Local Mom Discovers 14 year-old son’s Vast Porn Collection
By Amy Obarski
Carol Blanche, mother of 14 year-old Justin, was shocked upon the discovery of her son’s extensive collection of Playboy, Penthouse and Skanky Stan’s porn paraphernalia. “I’ve really never seen this much of it, I mean, there were piles of it that just kept coming out of his closet when I went to his room to pick up his dirty laundry.” Carol called her husband, Dan, to preview the plethora of porn. Dan wanted to congratulate his son and stated, “He’s finally becoming a man.”
Local Teen Horrified at the Sight of Mother Entering Victoria’s Secret
By Jackie Keating
“It was one of those things where you felt like you were watching from the outside, like it wasn’t really happening to you.” These are the words of Stevie Marshall upon discussing his traumatizing experience at the Ithaca Mall last week. Stevie was unfortunate enough to be confronted by every teen’s worst nightmare: his mother in Victoria’s Secret. “I think he’s going to be okay,” said Stevie’s friend Ben Lee, who was also present during the difficult events of the day. “Times like these are tough, but Stevie’s a strong guy and he’ll get through this. But damn, I wish I could’ve seen Mrs. Marshall in some of that lingerie. What a milf.”