Rutgers Observer, v75, issue 15

The ObserverVolume 75 | Issue 15 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF RUTGERS-NEWARK December 15, 2010

NeWs

oPINIoN

lIFe & leIsure

sPorTs

Police layoffs cause concern among students

Salary freezes and new hires, next step arbitration

WRNU’s Personnel Manager Julian Encarnacion and members hand out freebies at Thursday’s Takeover Party.

By Diego M. Ortizeditor-In-chief

A year ago the staff and faculty unions agreed to defer their entire raises from July ‘09 until July ‘10. The unions

made the agreement thinking that it was better for the university and de-ferred the payment until this year.

When July came along, the raises were not given and throughout this school year there has been a string of new hires, which some are angry about.

“They didn’t give us the money,” Lucye Millerand, president of the Union of Rutgers Administrators, Lo-cal 1766 of the American Federation of Teachers. “We are angry because we were asked to help and make sac-rifices in the financial crisis, and they broke our trust.”

According to the September mes-sage from McCormick, the withhold-ing of the salary increases did not violate the contracts the university has

with its unions, due to a provision in the contracts that allows them to with-hold salary increases in the event of inadequate state funding.

To make maters worse, in June the University said they would freeze all salaries, and then in September President Richard L. McCormick sent a message to the faculty saying they would pay some people raises, bonus-es and promotions but only to the non-union faculty members.

“This is surprising and disap-pointing, “ said Jennifer Austin, who recently received tenure and was pro-moted to Associate Professor, but did not receive the raise in salary that gen-erally accompanies the promotion.

Though her salary was frozen back in June, Austin remains optimis-tic. “I am confident it will happen at some point.”

Austin says that the University needs to prioritize.

See sAlArY, Page 2

therutgersobserver.com

DREAM Act passes the House, tabled in Senate

By Diego M. Ortizeditor-in-chief

After 10 years of advo-cacy and organizing, the DREAM Act passed the House of Representatives,

but was tabled by the House Now, young undocumented im-

migrants from across the country are waiting for the Senate to reopen de-bate later this week.

The DREAM Act or Develop-ment, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act is a bill that if approved by both houses of Congress would allow young immigrants who were brought here by their parents before the age of 16, graduated a US high school, and are under 29 years of age the opportunity to gain a temporary immigrant status.

According to the most recent version of the bill, eligible undocu-mented youngsters would have a ten-year period of non-immigrant status to complete either two years of col-

lege or serve two years in the mili-tary.

In that time the individual would also have to demonstrate “good mor-al character” before receiving Per-manent Legal Resident status.

According to the Congressio-nal Budget Office, enacting the bill would reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion by 2020 because of an in-crease in tax revenues.

The bill was originally intro-duced to the Senate in 2001by Illi-nois Sen. Richard Durbin, and was reintroduced in various forms in 2006, 2007 and 2009. Earlier this year the bill was debated as part of the National Defense Authorizationn Act for the Fiscal Year 2010.

Last week’s version of the bill was the first time that the DREAM Act was presented as a stand-alone bill.

The bill has been postponed on many occasions, but this year Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Ne-

vada promised to introduce it during the lame-duck session.

If the bill does not pass before the 111th Congress, it is likely that it won’t be revisited until 2012 when DREAM activists have stated that they will make it a presidential elec-tion issue.

In NJ, presidents of 11 of the state’s 19 community colleges have signed a letter in support of the fed-eral legislation that would offer un-documented students a pathway to U.S. citizenship.

Rutgers University President Richard McCormick sent a letter to New Jersey’s two senators in support of the Dream Act, saying in part he was motivated by hearing of “young people who have grown up in New Jersey, earned good grades in our high schools, and taken an active part in civic life; however, because of their undocumented status, they cannot take the next steps toward a rewarding future.’’

freePlease recycle after reading

By Joshua Hoyosstaff writer

Two weeks ago, the City of Newark laid off 167 member of the Newark Police squad after weeks of discussions

with the mayor’s office and the police union about the terms of a new con-tract. Concerns grow among students and local residents about the safety of the city.

The firing of the 167 police of-ficers makes this the largest firing of cops and reduction of the police force in 32 years. The 167 cops made up 30% of the police force and were all police officers hired since 2006. Ac-cording to Mayor Cory Booker, the lay offs were due to the necessity of clos-ing an $83 million budget shortfall.

Newark asked the Fraternal Or-der of Police (FOP), the union which represents members of the police, to accept a one-time salary deferral, an overtime cap and five unpaid leave days to be recouped as time off in ad-dition to $2.7 million in concessions from the officers facing layoff.

In a statement on the city website, Booker blamed FOP leadership for the police layoffs but left room for further negotiations.

“While it is too late to avoid these layoffs, the door is not closed to fur-ther negotiation, which we hope might result in the rehiring of some or all of these dedicated officers,” he said. “The City is prepared to continue the vital work of protecting its residents.”

Yet some students and local resi-dents do not believe that the firing of police members was the smartest move.

Senior Marisol Toro believes that this not a smart move citing the reputa-tion and the ever present danger in the city of Newark.

“I feel more unsafe than usual,” said Toro.

Diane Yancey, a 35-year resi-dent of the city, who lives near Rut-gers-Newark, also echoes this senti-ment of danger.

See lAYoFFs, Page 2

Need a sweet treat af-ter finals? Try these fun and simple cookie reci-pes.

p. 7

Is a possible grading quota jeopardizing your final grade?

p. 4

WRNU’s relaunch party re-establishes station’s presence

p. 2

Are R-N athletes safe? LaQuay Weekes reports

p. 12

Happy holidays from the observer!

News December 15, 2010

SALARYcontinued from Page 1

“I wish the University would prioritize a little better,” she said. “Those kinds of ex-penditures, like sports stadiums, rather than a raise we were promised are bad for moral.”

Since the beginning of the semester, there have been dozens of new hires. In the month of November alone there were 17 appointments throughout the three Rutgers campuses, including five new appointments at the Newark campus.

“We wouldn’t want them to stop hir-ing” Austin said, “but it’s not what I expect-ed they would do to those they presumably want to keep here.”

“It makes us feel like we are being taken for granted.”

The consequence of the salary freeze, she says, may lead quality professors to con-sider transferring to other universities.

“These are tough times,” said Chancel-lor Steven J. Diner of Rutgers. “I wish we didn’t have to do it, but the trade off is that this keeps hundreds from being laid off.”

LAYOFFScontinued from Page 1

“I don’t believe the streets of Newark are safe enough to layoff that many police officers,” she said.

She adds that despite the months of wran-gling between the city and FOP leaders the de-cision to lay off officers was done too quickly. Yancey believes that some of the older cops need to retire, adding that the cops who were fired were the ones that patrolled the streets of Newark.

Michael Lattimore, Chief of R-N Police, believes that laying off law enforcement officials is going to make things difficult for the city of Newark, but that there will be little to no effect on R-N.

“[Rutgers police] are pretty much self-sus-taining on keeping the campus safe. We depend more on UMDNJ, NJIT and Essex County [Col-lege].”

He also believes that there will be a rise in response times, something the Mayor has said will not happen in a redesigned 911 system. He also added that Newark Police would only be called in during “emergency-type situations.”

He says that students must be vigilant and should stay in the campus area.

Booker responded, on Newark-based pub-lic radio station WBGO’s Newark Today, to R-N students’ concerns about danger after the lay offs of police officers by saying that it is the perception of the city that needs to be fixed,

“I think the perception problem is one we have,” said Booker. “People don’t think we are a safer city than Orlando, than Little Rock, than Washington, then Philly but we have lower crime rates than those cities as a whole. But this doesn’t mean we have a crime problem in Newark, and we do.

“They way we are dealing with this 167 lay-offs of police officers is by number one, we are reorganizing our department and pushed the top levels down. We actually now have chiefs that are running precincts which pushes the next level down and the next, so we virtually have more of-ficers working in our precincts than before. And virtually the same amount of officers on our streets on patrol.”

Toro still expresses concern. “There will be less security, as a commuter, it

would worry me coming to, and leaving campus,” she said.

By Camilo BrunSports editor

The WRNU Relaunch Par-ty was a perfect way to send off students, while giving them a preview of

what’s coming in future semes-ters from the Rutgers-Newark radio station. Heavy Hitter’s DJ Camilo and DJ Wallah performed to almost 500 students.

“It was a great night. The music was good, the food was good, it went flawlessly,” said Luis Mercado, WRNU’s Pro-gramming Director. “The Re-launch was just a way for us to kinda give everybody a preview of what’s come.”

WRNU promoted the Re-launch through Facebook, Twit-ter, and flyers. Curiously, only 46 people confirmed on any of the major networking sites.

“It was weird to see the Facebook page and then see the actual turnout,” said Shaka Pi-ontkowskie, WRNU’s Music Di-rector. “It ended up being a wild night—the whole event was fan-tastic.”

Aside from the two guest DJs, WRNU also had surprise performances from Young Joc and Pure. The two performed their hit singles, ‘It’s Goin’ Down’ and ‘Body Talk’.

“Joc and Pure were on point,” Mercado said, “They came in did their thing and left, but they got

the crowd going.”“People don’t know how

hard we worked to get here,” said Heather Dumlao, WRNU’s Mar-keting Manager. “Our party was a great success! Despite all of the trying times, this moment made it all worthwhile.”

The station is currently go-ing renovations in preparation for the upcoming semester. WRNU has contracted Seton Hall Radio engineer Frank Scafidi in an at-tempt to have the station going by this spring. Having WSOU as a guide to a station couldn’t be a better call. The award win-ning station has been running for 62 years and broadcasts all over New Jersey.

“They’re (WSOU) solid, they know what they’re doing,” said Mercado, “It’s going to be good to have people know what they’re doing help us realize the vision we have for Rutgers-New-ark.”

WRNU not only plans to have 24-hour music, but news and talk shows as well. Once up the station will have a live-stream available via livestream.com/wrnu.

“We’re just running old programming from earlier in the semester,” explained Piont-kowskie, “But now that we con-tracted those engineers we’re hoping to have 24 hours worth of programs. Plus the website—it’ll be a good way for people to

know their personalities.”The ultimate goal, according

to Mercado, is to have (at least) a campus-wide station with quality programming.

“We’re all over the school,” said Mercado, “You can see fly-

ers and posting for us—we’re try-ing to do big things, and we will. What we did with the Relaunch was to get us out there and show people we’re serious about radio. We’re not going anywhere.”

WRNU’s Programming Director Luis Mercado, General Manager Cindy Birch, and Music Director Shaka Piontkowskie celebrate the success of WRNU’s relaunch party.

Zulekha Pitts, host of WRNU’s “The Love Hour”, sells raffle tickets for a chance to win an iPad and iPod.

Heavy Hitter’s DJ Wallah and DJ Camilo performing for the crowd of students.

WRNU brings beat back with relaunch party

december 15, 2010 News PAGE 3

Opinions December 15, 2010

The Voice of Rutgers-NewarkRutgers, The State University of

New Jersey Paul Robeson Campus Center350 Dr. Martin Luther King, Blvd. Newark, New Jersey 07102-1898Main office: (973) 353-5023

Editor-in-ChiefDiego M. Ortiz

managing editorThomas Hahn

LAYOUT DESIGN EditorMonica De Leon

news editorAllison Baldwin

sports editorCamilo Brun

opinion editorHalema Wali

life & Leisure editorCaroline McLaughlin

multiMedia EditorChristian Torres-Rossi

business managerOmar Khan

staff writersLaquay Weekes Calvin OkwuegoMauricio Moreno

Ramona AlcantaraHassan Muhammad

Frances PerezTricia SerrantonioBreanne McCarthyBimpe FageyimboRodolfo Cardenas

Farbod RajaiJoshua Hoyos

CONTrIbUTOrS

advisorGeorge Garneau

Letters to the editor and Opinions:

[email protected]

News desk: observernews@

gmail.com

To advertise with The Observer please contact

Omar Khan at

[email protected]

The views expressed in the Opinion section, with ex-ception of the main Edito-rial, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Observer.

THE OBSERVER

The Voice of Rutgers-NewarkRutgers, The State University of

New Jersey Paul Robeson Campus Center350 Dr. Martin Luther King, Blvd. Newark, New Jersey 07102-1898

Editor-in-ChiefDiego M. Ortiz

managing editorThomas Hahn

LAYOUT DESIGN EditorMonica De Leon

news editorAllison Baldwin

sports editorCamilo Brun

opinions editorHalema Wali

life & Leisure editorCaroline McLaughlin

multiMedia EditorChristian Torres-Rossi

business managerOmar Khan

staff writersLaquay Weekes

Patricia SerrantonioBimpe Fageyimbo

Farbod RajaeiJoshua Hoyos

James RountreeElizabeth Rodriguez

Yaroslav ImshenetskyEnzo DomingoNaina KamathShashwat Dave

Euney KimKelvin PauZarna Patel

Gabriela BarkhoAlvin Anarah

Desiree HadleyCalvin I. Okwuego

Matthew Rozsa

ContributorsSteven Albano

advisorGeorge Garneau

Letters to the editor and Opinions:

[email protected]

News desk: observernews@

gmail.com

To advertise with The Observer please contact

Omar Khan at

[email protected]

THE OBSERVER

The goal of The Observer editori-al pages is to present the diversity of views of all the R-N communi-ty, especially the students whose student fees support this newspa-per, on timely and relevant top-ics. Letters (50-100 words) and essays (600-800 words) are ac-cepted for publication at the dis-cretion of the editor and/or his/her designees. Unsolicited manu-scripts are not returned. Editors reserve the right to edit for space

and clarity.

By Halema WaliOpinions editor

Finals are looming over us. All of us have panicked when that essay was due in half an hour, when the exam was one hour

away, when homework was due in fifteen minutes. And now, at last, we are all almost done. One more semester checked off on our journey through higher education.

Then, when finals are over—ev-eryone checks frantically to see if grades are up. Heck, I’ve checked every hour for a class grade that I was unsure of how I did. Then finally, after that 97th refresh click, a grade shows up. And it was lower than you expect-ed. How you wonder?

Especially when you worked re-ally hard all semester, you attended ev-ery class, participated, and asked your professor questions during his or her office hours. You put in the effort to do well, and you’ve learned the material, yet you’ve been let down by the final grade for a course that doesn’t properly reflect your work.

I know this has certainly hap-pened to me before, and I’m sure many can relate. The truth is, grading has be-come an overly touchy subject for the past decade. Students doing too well and earning too many A’s in a class is

suddenly alarming, while too many B’s and C’s are just fine.

Why are students who earned that A and the professor that gave it to them becoming magnified? It shows the unappreciative work of the student, as well as undermining the professor’s capability of teaching a class and gar-nering learning. Suddenly, it becomes unpleasant when too many students are doing well in a class. Why does it upset so many people and put them on attack?

Could it be because of a faulty grading system? Grading inflation, perhaps. No university campus wants to admit that any such thing occurs at their establishment. But the truth is, it probably is. A quota, perhaps, could be in place by each respective department, forcing professors to give a certain number of A’s, B’s, C’s and so on.

So to reach this quota, maybe, the professor inflates grading so that they meet the quota. So the person who didn’t deserve the A gets one, while the person who earned the B, is lowered to a C.

This is hypothetical, of course. Higher learning at institutions has

become an obsessive manifestation of grades. It isn’t about “higher learn-ing” but rather a way to assort students for subsequent employers or gradu-ate schools. The question is no longer

“How well are they learning?” but “Who’s beating whom?”

Studies have shown, especially in The Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Educa-tional Research Journal, that grades and test scores do not predict how successful one becomes in their career. They are only grades and do not reflect anything beyond that.

Perhaps, another reason grading quotas are (hypothetically) put into place is the lack of enthusiasm by some professors. Many professors teaching at higher institutions see themselves primarily as researchers and see their teaching job as an annoyance.

Thus, they are neither trained in teaching a class, nor are they very good at it. So, instead of ensuring that their students learn the material and earn the grade—some of these professors in-stead rely on the grading quota so that they don’t have to think (or work) too hard outside their researching realm.

So, in the end what are we as stu-dents to do when our grades are seem-ingly no longer in our hands, but rather of the department or university policy on grading?

What do we do when the amount we input doesn’t have the same output? Your guess is as good as mines. May-be, pick up a few four-leaf clovers?

Is your final grade what you really deserved?

Dear President Obama: Joe McCarthy Lives

By Matthew RozsaStaff writer

Have you ever wondered what you would say to President Obama if given the opportu-nity?

I know what I would tell him. Sur-prisingly, I’d even be able to express my thoughts in just under six hundred words.

President Obama,Since the beginning of your presi-

dency, you have placed the success of your policies second to your determi-nation to make sure that conservatives would not be able to call you a socialist.

Even though we needed $2 tril-lion in the stimulus package to trigger a meaningful economic recovery, you only contributed $500 billion to actual stimulus spending, as well as wasting $287 billion on tax cuts. As a result, un-employment remains staggeringly high.

Even though we needed a public option in the health care reform bill to guarantee that all Americans would have access to affordable quality medi-cal coverage, you prematurely jetti-soned it in the name of compromise. As a result, millions will be left needlessly uninsured.

Even though one of the easiest and fairest ways to reduce our catastrophi-cally high budget deficit is to raise taxes on the wealthy, you refuse to consider moving the tax rate on top portion earn-ings back to what it was under Clinton

(39.6%), or indeed to what it was under Nixon (70%) or Eisenhower (91%).

To make matters worse, you re-cently agreed to permanently extend George W. Bush’s tax cuts for the rich.

As a result of these capitulations, the policies that are right for America have not been implemented. What’s more, because conservatives wish to destroy moderate liberals as well as the ones who are more definitively left-wing, the false charge of “socialist” is still being made against you, despite your numerous attempts to prevent that by “reaching across the aisle.”

There is a reason for all of this: Joe McCarthy is alive and well.

He lives in the words of right-wing pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter.

He lives in the rhetoric of Republi-can demagogues like Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, and Rand Paul.

He lives in the angry fatuity of the Tea Party movement, the Christian Co-alition, and countless other New Right groups.

His voice endeavors to win de-bates by affixing labels instead of ap-plying logic, by smothering dialogue instead of cultivating ideas, and by in-flaming anger instead of inspiring hope. His vocabulary centers around words like “Communist” and “Socialist” not because he understands their actual def-initions, but because he knows the fear they provoke will allow him to defeat

any cause he chooses to oppose. His goal is the same one that he

had in the 1950s – to stifle economic and social progress not by out-arguing those who deal in fact and truth, but by silencing them under a barrage of ven-om and lies.

It is time for you to realize that when you appease the latter-day Mc-Carthys by altering your policies to suit them, you aren’t improving your pro-grams by “incorporating a broad range of views.” All you are doing is watering down your agenda and thus weakening its effectiveness, to the detriment not only of the liberal movement you rep-resent, but of the American people you have sworn to serve.

It is time for you to realize that when you enable the latter-day McCar-thys by refusing to openly and boldly fight them, you are not strengthening America by taking a “bipartisan ap-proach” and refusing to “stoop to their level.”

All you are doing is allowing the voices of the bullies to be the loudest ones in the American forum, thereby contributing to the triumph of stentorian stupidity over the needs of humanity.

In short, President Obama, it is time for you to realize that any leader who is unwilling to be hated does not deserve to be respected.

Matthew Rozsa is a graduate stu-dent and can be reached at [email protected].

DECEMBER 15, 2010 Opinions PAGE 5

video at therutgersobserver.com

Scarlet Radarcompiled by Enzo Domingo

Judith NunezPolitical Science, Junior

“I feel safe on campus during the day time, but at night, I feel unsafe if it’s after eight or nine o’clock.

Being a woman, I don’t want to be out at certain times of the day, especially in the city.”

How safe do you feel on campus?

By Naina Kamathstaff writer

Here in America, there is no shortage of holidays to celebrate. With the variety of

cultures that make up our melting pot, each brings to the table its own traditions, customs and celebrations.

Yet both the media and commercial industries have taken these happy occasions and transformed them into yet another way to make money. Selling chocolates, gifts and greeting cards throughout the year has become the main aim of the holiday seasons.

Let’s start with Christmas as an example, since it is after all right around the corner. What used to be a religious holiday on which the birth of Jesus is celebrated, has become a fanfare for retail stores.

Every time the holiday season rolls around, we are bombarded with spending opportunities, always encouraged to buy plenty of gifts for our loved ones. I can tell you though; it’s not our loved ones that stores are concerned

about. Santa Clause and his elves may be working super hard to churn out the presents for all the nice little children, but it’s Toys ‘R’ Us and Target who are making all the moolah!

The next holiday on the hit list is Valentine’s Day. One of the most overrated holidays out there, celebrating your love has been

coined a ‘Hallmark holiday’, solely the reason that Hallmark has found a goldmine in this celebration.

On the day when roses cost five times more than normal and chocolate consumption rises through the roof, we are providing a fortune to the corporate b_ _ _ _ _ _ _ s (fill in the term) that aren’t even clever enough to think of the catchy phrases on cards. Not to mention, why should there be a single special day to honor your loved one; you should be appreciative of them every day!

This hype for the holidays is

a craze in our nation. The minute that one holiday is over, we instantly start setting up for the next one. Thanksgiving dinner has barely settled in our stomachs when we whip out the wreaths and Christmas trees, Easter eggs are still being hunted for when we are contemplating the Fourth of July fireworks.

Don’t get me wrong, I love having days off from school and an excuse to stuff my face with food. I just think that we have taken our love for celebration a little too far and that all sorts

of companies have played off of this and made quite a truckload of money.

So the next time you consider buying an expensive chocolate heart for your honey, plan a nice date instead. As opposed to purchasing your parents’ presents from a department store, make them a collage of family pictures.

During the holidays, we should always keep in mind that it’s the thought that counts. With that said, enjoy the weeks of freedom ahead!

Commercializing Christmas is bad

Sade ClarkBiology, Senior

“I don’t really feel safe because anything can happen at anytime. Also, it’s not like security is always out

there 24/7.”

Aashish PandyaPolitical Science, Senior

“There are a lot of cops on campus at night, but two blocks away from campus, there are no Newark cops

or Rutgers cops, or even NJIT cops.”

Ronak PatelPsychology, Senior

“When I’m on campus, within the buildings, I feel pretty safe. I’m usually here until like twelve-thirty, one, or even two o’clock in the morning and when

I’m walking to my car, as long as I’m not on Martin Luther King Boulevard, I feel safe regardless.”

Elie MoussaEconomics, Senior

“On campus I feel very safe. I park off-campus, so the walk to campus could be sketchy, but I feel

there’s a strong police presence so it doesn’t bother me too much.”

By Zarna PatelStaff writer

Despite the religious un-dertone of Christmas, it has been celebrated as a completely commer-

cialized holiday for a really long time, and that’s the way it should be. Presents galore, commercial-izing Christmas has given people of different ethnicities and religions to take a chance in bonding with each other through shopping!

The present-exchang-ing aspect of Christmas has been showing up as a tradi-tion in schools and offices for some time and it brings people together. The com-mercialism in Christmas also allows people that aren’t Christian to come together with all other eth-nicities.

The work place and school is always a diverse place, so the idea of a secret Santa can be in-troduced to these communities. Being someone’s secret Santa al-lows people to think about their coworker or peer in a more inti-mate light because they will be trying to think up a good present for them.

Also, secret Santa isn’t an idea that the entire community has to participate in, so no one should feel forced into buying anyone presents.

Ignoring the chances of ava-

rice completely sucking out your soul, getting and giving presents is a bonding experience. People spend time thinking about each other’s personalities and what they like. It’s exciting to see the joy on someone’s face when you give them an awesome gift. Ex-changing presents is a bonding experience whether the giver or receiver realize it.

The other thing about com-mercializing Christmas is giving everyone the opportunity to find work. Major shopping holidays always give people jobs. Whether it’s someone who has been having a rough time finding employment or students looking for a chance to make a few extra bucks, they’re given a chance to find work.

As a student, I can appreciate a temporary job around the holi-day season because it provides a little spending money. Plus, sea-sonal employment is better than no employment.

Besides, shopping is awe-

some. There’s something thera-peutic about spending the entire day casually walking around the mall looking at stuff you might buy.

And if the hustle and bustle of a crowded mall is too much to handle, there’s always online shopping. What’s better then tak-ing a couple minutes of break away from work to just click

through an online catalogue?

In fact, more holidays should be commerc ia l i zed . Yeah there are other reasons as to why the holiday started in the first place, but there’s just so much joy in selflessly buy-ing presents for oth-er people.

Different peo-ple, of all nations, can enjoy other fun rituals from different holi-days. Holi is a color war part of a Hindu tradition, but in the Rutgers New Brunswick campus, people of different ethnicities come to-gether to throw brightly colored powders around.

Kind of like that Kesha video, Take It Off, except no one takes their clothes off. Another fun holiday to commercialize would be Arbor Day, which is a day to celebrate trees.

Honestly, I would love to re-ceive bottles of maple syrup or a large wooden trinket.

Commercializing Xmas is great

“What used to be a religious holiday...has become a fan-

fare for retail stores.”

“Commercializing Christ-mas has given people of dif-ferent ethnicities and re-ligions to take a chance in bonding with each other

through shopping!”

Advertisement December 15, 2010

December 15, 2010 Life & Leisure PAGE 7

Inside this section:Chic Stranger................................page 7 Reviews.....................................page 8 Creative Space and Comic.................page 9 Sudoku and Crossword....................page9

Life &LeisureChic Stranger:

Holiday dressing, an excuse to sparkleBy Patricia Serrantonio

STAFF WRITER

We always wonder what to wear during these great holidays. People often want to be trendy, yet I find holiday style to be timeless and fun while prim and classy every single year. Whether

you’re attending or hosting, there are always great ways to look festive whilst being comfortable.

To the host - Hosting is always fun. However, it’s always important to set and inform guests of the type of aura you are going to create.

First, if it is the typical family get together on an actual holiday, you have definitely been helping mom cook and are chatting with Grandma. Therefore, I reckon that no on wants to wear stilettos around their own house, especially when running after baby cousins and such. This is a great time to pull out a cashmere sweater and your best dark jeans or leggings.

The key to festive comfort, and a good present for mom, are festive slippers, the perfect way for you to stay quick, and be fabulous. A great pair of fun, cheap slippers are the Isotoner Satin Ballerina Slippers at Lord & Taylor. Also, fun, glittery brooches of snowmen and wreaths are the perfect addition to the typical red or gold turtleneck or wool coat; great ones found at overstock.com.

If you are hosting a massive holiday ball or a soiree, do a dress. From ruffles to slight sequins, holiday dresses are always elegant along with tights and excessive dark accents. For a long dress or gown, try emerald green or deep magenta and for short dresses, creams with deep black accents like the statement necklaces on shopstyle.com are a favorite. And yes, you can first start with heels, but as your acquaintances fall away and it molds into a best friend hang-out, go back to those glittery slippers.

For attendees - If you’re attending, again check the type of party you are attending. Depending of the degree of fanciness, dark jeans or fabric pencil skirts are always a win with gold and pearls around your neck. Just add a peak of lace to increase sexiness or some sheer additions underneath a structured blazer for professional beauty. If it’s just the family,

cuteness and comfort will come in handy the same way as hosting (just as long as your pants supply enough room for the meal!).

Midnight Out - New Years Eve, a totally different type of dressing, should mainly consist of black, black, black, and did I say black? Black plus sequins is the general key to a successful New Years Eve out whether you are in Times Square or out to dinner. And if you’re not going dancing or out at all, change your plans, go dancing or out!

2011 is going to be a dominant year for new fashion ideas, but still, New Years regalia will never fade nor drastically change. From high waisted pants and embellished off the shoulder tops to little mini-dresses, anything dark with the shine will do (try velvet too), especially when accompanied with a wild fur coat and a jeweled hair piece. Also, don’t neglect your shoes: suede platforms, knee-high leopard boots, sequined booties, dark peep-toes like the cranberry Bowed Vamp Peep-toe stilettos from Charlotte Russe, and closed-toe platform booties like the Matiko eHalle bootie.

For the males, New Years should be shopped for at Topman. Their excessive leather jacket variety, rock and roll t-shirts, and draped blazers are not only stylish, but masculine and handsome. Black is perfect too because gray ties or bow ties (which also come in velvet) and vests accentuate dark suits, and deep jean and cardigan ensembles. Hats and cufflinks are also exceptions choices for more fun formality. Combine everything with desert boots, oxfords, or leather toe-cap shoes and you are good to go.

All combinations are extremely fun because on this special night, the bigger, the better. It is the chance to be as eclectic as possible. So gals, bring on the eyelashes, bangles, feathers, colored lips, glitter, and deep eyeliner, because it’s the night to stay out late; for this continual fun only happens once a year.

No matter what you wear, the holidays are fashionable with everything from decorations to festive foods. So put on your cheer and feel the spirit, it has been a great semester and us students need some time to forget this final stress and spoil ourselves.

I hope you have enjoyed our fashion excursions this past semester, and be sure to check out next semester: Chic Stranger from Rome!

Happy Holidays!

Recipe:Angelica’s Best Holiday Cookies

Now that winter break is approaching, and many holidays are being celebrated—the desserts are always the main attraction (at least it is for my family). These simple recipes are sure to be a hit on any table. And, if you don’t have time during the holidays, they’ll definitely taste just as good all year round!

Super Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies:2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup softened butter 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 to 4 tablespoons buttermilk

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth. You can use a wooden spoon, or electric mixer! Beat in the egg and vanilla. Slowly blend in dry ingredients to the large bowl. Add 2 tablesoons of the buttermilk. You want the dough to be moist, not wet. If you think it’s too wet, add another tablespoon of flour. With a brush or fingers, moisten the top of each cookie with the remaining buttermilk and slightly flatten the top of each cookie. Sprinkle with raw sugar or colored sprinkles. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to cool on a rack.

Must Have Merry Macaroons:Whisk together 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 beaten egg whites, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2-teaspoon salt. Stir in 2 2/3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls, then mild them into little pyramids with your fingers and bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy !

Best No-Bake Buckeyes:If you’re working with young children and want to stay away from the oven, these Buck Eyes are a crowd pleaser. Make sure to wash your hands though, because using your hands to mix makes a huge difference in this delicious recipe. Hey! Kids like to get a little messy, anyways. 2 cups of softened butter2 cups of peanut butter2 pounds of confectioner’s sugar1 cup of graham cracker crumbs1 ½ cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix together—yes, with your hands-- the butter, graham crackers, peanut butter, and confectioners sugar. Measure out heaping teaspoons of the mixture, then roll into balls. Refrigerate for 8 hours. Then, proceed to the double boiler.

To add a little pizzazz to the macaroons, buckeyes, & anything else:Make a double boiler: take about 1- 2 inch’s of water in a pot , let it come to a boil, and then put a glass bowl with a larger diameter than the pot over it. Turn off heat to low! Make sure the glass bowl is not touching the water. In that glass bowl, add semi sweet chocolate chips—stir until melted. You can also use peanut butter chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc. Dip the tops of the macaroons, buckeyes, half of the sugar cookies, and anything else you could think of into the chocolate.Dip fresh strawberries, marshmallows, graham crackers, bananas, etc into the chocolate to make a nice after dinner dessert for the ho-ho-holidays! *it helps to put the buckeyes and smaller items on a toothpick or skewer - Elizabeth Rodriguez

By Zarna PatelSTAFF WRITER

The Simpsons:

Starting off with a surprisingly boring Christmas opening, especially since it was following the controversial Banksy and hilariously violent Treehouse of Horror openings, The Simpson led of to an average episode. The episode consists of four stories with Marge’s, Bart’s, and Lisa’s frustration over three elements of Christmas a base for each story

and the fourth piece is a muppet parody. The first story parody’s The Polar Express with a disgruntled Bart as the child going to the North Pole with a shot gun in order shake Santa down for the right present. The second story was about Lisa, who is resenting Christmas trees, going through a dream-sequence taking place during World War II. The third story is about frustrated Marge calling on Martha Stewart to make her home more festive for the holidays. The fourth piece guess stars Kathy Perry, satirizing the sesame street incident and yes, her skin-tight mini red dress, featuring the faces of the Simpsons family was deliciously scandalous! As for the entire episode….. definitely not their best work. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the episode, but besides Perry’s final puppet-related joke, there aren’t any jokes or scenes that really stick to the audience. Which is a disappointment since one of the more lovable features of The Simpsons are the moments that draw out relatable emotions from joy to sorrow. Community:

Community has had an amazing season starting off with a zombie epidemic as their Halloween special. The Christmas special featured in a classic stop motion technique and it’s very identifiable to the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer animations that appear on TV around Christmas time. The story starts off the principle claiming that the

school does not acknowledge the holiday season. Abed, played by Danny Pudi, insists wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and becoming very disappointed in everyone’s lack of interest in Christmas, claiming that this Christmas was going to be special because when he woke up he noticed everything was in stop motion. The audience sees everything through Abed’s eyes but the all the other characters drop numerous hints as to how Abed’s magical stop motion journey is only through his mind. The episode also discusses Christmas as a universal holiday that can be celebrated in multiple ways by everyone despite the religious affiliations, hence the main character of the story, Abed, being Muslim. What’s most impressive about this episode is the fact that it relates to today’s society perfectly. The diversity between characters represents their attitudes towards Christmas, which in turn can relate to different members of the audience. This second season of Community has been very well written and I hope it continues to be just as entertaining. Family Guy:

Airing on the night of December 12, Family Guy’s hour-long Christmas special was simply hilarious. It was one of the most memorable episodes of the season so far. Lately Family Guy has been focusing a lot of attention on the relationship between Stewie and Brian, and a lot of the episodes have not gone well. One of the reasons

why this episode went really well is probably because it could have satirized the problems of commercialism, but it also could have sent out a message to stop being greedy. While journeying to the North Pole to kill Santa Claus, Stewie and Brian find out that Santa Claus and his workshop are suffering from overworking due to everyone’s greed. Stewie and Brian proceed to try and save Christmas but fail miserably. So the next morning everyone is in complete tears when there are no presents under the tree, but a Stewie and Brian are able to announce on national news that Santa is dying, and the only way to save him is to only ask for one thing on Christmas, so next year, Sata’s workshop is running beautifully. Needless to say, the entire episode was filled with off-colored jokes and uncalled for violence, but I couldn’t help but laugh pretty hard.The ambiguity of the episode is a pretty interesting concept. On one hand, Santa isn’t real so he could never be suffering that harshly from everyone’s greed, on the other hand, commercialism can be a very bad thing. Trampling people to get the latest version of Nintendo DS for a child who just can’t stand his older version might not be a good idea. One thing’s for sure, that was the best Family Guy episode in a long time.

Editor’s Note: The Very Glee Christmas was absolutely awesome, and Brittany as Cindy Lou Who and Sue as the Grinch was brilliant.

Next year’s classics (or not):Memorable special episodes

from holidays, 2010

Life & Leisure December 15, 2010

REVIEWS

Want to see your writing in the next issue of the Observer? Email poems

and short stories to observerlife @gmail.com

By Kelvin PauSTAFF WRITER

Life in the medieval ages wasn’t a fantasy story. You had tons of sanitary problems because people

didn’t have showers and clean water most of the time. You were considered lucky if smallpox only poked pencil sized holes in your face instead of huge gaping craters into your skull. And Vikings were invading all the time, which really put a damper on outdoor parties.

In The Secret of Kells the first two really aren’t touched on, but the last one is a big problem. Brendan, a young monk in the monastery of Kells, knows this. It’s all his uncle, Abbot Cellach talks about and seems interested in. Brendan is interested in more things than building a wall around his home though, he wants to do radical things, like read books and learn. So when Brother Aidan, a legendary illuminator, or illustrator, comes to Kells carrying the famous Book of Iona and seeking help to finish it, Brendan gets very excited and things around the monastery get very interesting.

The plot is pretty simple. Brendan needs to find ways to assist Aidan without pissing off his uncle by being caught going outside the still unfinished walls. Along the way he meets Aisling, a forest faery, and starts learning about aspects of life he would have never found out if he had stayed in his cloistered walled environment. But trouble awaits, the

Vikings are spreading across the land, burning and pillaging, and Brendan’s uncle will not allow his home to be one of the casualties, no matter what restraints he has to put on his nephew and his monks. The characters aren’t genre breaking, but they are well designed. We feel Brendan’s excitement and impatience with the life behind walls, wince at his uncle’s misguided over-protectiveness, and are amazed at Aisling’s abilities as a being of the forest.

Two aspects of the movie set The Secret of Kells above the usual animation fare: the artwork and the theme. The title above doesn’t really do the movie justice, because the entire film is amazingly drawn. Gorgeous forests, great lighting and art design in the book itself, this movie is a treat to the eyes. Celtic knots are everywhere, you’ll know what they are when you see them, and they make even the most mundane objects beautiful. The only comparison I have for this is Samurai Jack, only upscaled and turned up to eleven. Speaking of the artistic aspects of the movie, the

music is brilliant too. It perfectly captures the magical air of the movie.

The theme is also quite mature. In a world where danger seems to be everywhere and threatens people all the time, where is the line we draw between being as safe as humanly possible and being as human as is safely possible? Where do we stop our learning, live in fear, and

provide no hope for tomorrow in hopes of remaining untouched by violence? Where do we bring “light into the darkness”? These questions are more far reaching and complex than most western animation usually touches on. And they’re also relevant to current day matters.

The Secret of Kells was an unexpected treat. I went in expecting the standard bubbly stuff from a

cartoon movie: be true to yourself, trust your friends, etc. Those themes are in here, but there’s more that comes with it. Themes like safety vs happiness, and hope for a better future. If you’re looking for a highly creative and beautifully designed animation, wrapped up in one hundred minutes, look no further than The Secret of Kells.

‘Secret of Kells’ Surprising heard in cartoon

Observer Creative Space:

My wife has so much love to give, she stays at my neighbors house when his wife is gone.

And I count the seconds till she returns.And when she does I feign sleep, so as to not put weight on her

conscience.When morning comes, I kiss her as if it’s the first time I’ve seen her

It was a Thursday in March,It was raining.

I was in the front of the room attempting to be passionate about something, but passion

struck me when I saw her.She seemed to notice everything, but me.Our first date was spent in a friends house

(like most of her time with me)And once in bed that night, all we did was talk.

About everything.Desperate to kiss her, I admitted my weakness for her, she admitted -

kissing me would be as likely as us getting married.We married two years later.

I’ve been fixing the fence for two years.Like her I love.

Her lips on my forehead, her hands on in mine, the silence after we make love...

But in every action, has a reaction.Her lips on another, her hands reaching for another, the moans she

reserves for others.And yet I still welcome her home.

I inhereted my parents house, her mothers headache, and reasons why I hurt when I kiss her.

When I kiss her, I feel human once again, but only because I remember what hurt is.

Tonight I will spend another night alone.

Today,I eat breakfast alone.

She isn’t coming back.She packed her bags 3 days ago.I just didn’t want to tell her I knew.

I once dreamed of having children. I once dreamed of sharing my life with another in something so pure, white

sheets would blush at our love.I once dreamed.

But today,I guess I’ll finally finish the fence.

Left at the DoorCamillo Brun

By Desiree HadleySTAFF WRITER

As reported previously The Game will be returning to primetime. It will be sooner than previously expected. BET will begin airing

new episodes of The Game January 11.Along with another new sitcom entitled Let’s Stay Together. While you’re at home enjoying your winter break from classes you can enjoy the always entertaining sitcom The Game.

You can still catch re-runs of previous episodes on BET if you need to catch up on previous episodes. To find out times of airing of the new episodes and previous ones check your local listings.

BET has been re-running the show since it was canceled in May of 2009. People are still unfamiliar with the show can catch up on

missed seasons of the show currently on BET BET reported in April they will be

picking up the sitcom and ordered new episodes with its original cast, The Game followers have fell in love with over its 3 season run on the CW. Season four is set to air January 11. After BET received high ratings while re-running old episodes, bringing the show back is a clever move. The Game has revived its old fan base and has expanded to new fans as well.

The Game fans have had much time to catch up on previous episodes with the constant reruns on BET over the past 2 years. You can be updated on the show’s official twitter page (@BETTheGame) about the new season. The cast has been tweeting photos of the new season and more. Fans of The Game are excited and ready to see how the show will capture their attention once again. Mark your calendars The Game fans!

‘The Game’: It’s back!(Almost.)

By Steven AlbanoCONTRIBUTOR

Black Swan is Aronofsky at his finest: dark, somber, and cathartic. In The Wrestler we saw Mickey Rourke come to terms with his perpetual

loneliness and unintentional destruction of everything around him and Requiem for a Dream showed us the lives of four individuals fall deeper and deeper into a drugged downward spiral until they have nothing more to lose. Nina Sayers, played brilliantly by Natalie Portman, is a ballerina obsessed with perfecting her craft and living up to the impossible expectations of every person around her; we witness her struggle with meticulousness as she walks down a dark path to her own insanity.

Nina is in a ballet company, and their next production is a contemporary version Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake. A princess was turned into a swan, the white swan, and must have a prince confess his love for her to turn her back into a beautiful princess, but another swan, the black swan, seduces him and the prince falls in love with the black swan. The white swan then believes that nobody will ever love her, and she jumps off a cliff to kill herself.

Thomas Leroy, played by Vincent Cassel, is the director of this production and wants the Swan Queen to play both the white and black swan, and this is the obstacle Nina must overcome. She is the perfect white swan with her innocence, purity, and masterful technique. However, the black swan needs someone who is not as methodical but equally perfect, someone that is seductive in form and stature, and someone whose movement

seems so chaotic and powerful but incredibly beautiful. Thomas tells Nina that she needs to embrace her inner black swan; she needs to let it consume her. And she does.

At first Nina seems reluctant, her visions and paranoia are fleeting. The audience senses that something is wrong with Nina, but it could just be stress. Then we are introduced to Mila Kunis as Lily, an exotic ballerina from the West Coast with more than enough sexual energy and intensity than a normal person should possess, and she is the perfect black swan. This enthralls and worries Nina, and as she becomes more invested in trying to mimic Lily and stepping out from her own little safe and perfect box, her visions becomes more horrifically vivid and graphic. The delusions which were once a rarity are happening constantly, but she does succeed – she becomes the perfect black swan.

In the end, the movie attempts to be a glorious drama but falls short with its constant focus on Nina’s delusions. Whether or not certain scenes happened in reality or were her does not matter because everything to her was catastrophically real, but the audience is left in a state of ambiguity and ultimately does not know whether to sympathize with a girl whose world is collapsing around her or with a girl who sacrificed everything to achieve her dream. This indecision on the director’s part alienates the audience from Nina: How can we feel for her when we do not know what to feel for her? Overall, the movie is visually stunning with some of the best mirror work in any film I have ever seen, has incredible and intense acting from every character, and a moving score. Black Swan is a very dark and harrowing trip, and while I may have been unfulfilled at the end, it is a trip that I highly recommend.

Stunning, but ultimately unfulfilling trip with ‘Black Swan’

Life & LeisureDecember 15, 2010

Easy

Rutgers Observer

Sudoku 16x16 - Puzzle 2 of 5 - Hard

1 g b d 7 f8 1 a e

c a 5 6 g b 8 3a 6 2 4g a 5 c e 9

8 6 5 cd e 7 9 a 8 62 1 7 4 f b g

f a 5 26 f 9 33 e 8 g 4 b7 9 3 8 1 f c g

9 3 5 g 6e 3 f 1

b 4 6 9 c 2 d 1 fe c 4 d 9 2 8

www.sudoku-puzzles.net

Want to see your writing in the next issue of the

Observer? Email poems and short stories to

observerlife @gmail.com

Observer Creative Space:

Rutgers Observer

Sudoku 12x12 - Puzzle 1 of 5 - Easy

c 36 b c 4 a

8 56 8 a

a 5 b 1 71 c 8 7 6 9

c 7 5 8b 8 6 9

a 9 3 c b6 2 3 a 5

5 7 6b 4 1 9 3

www.sudoku-puzzles.net

SUDOKU & CROSSWORD

Across1- First name in jazz; 5- Biblical spy; 10- Soft drink; 14- Hero; 15- Preceding, poetically; 16- Amenable; 17- Small blemish; 18- Balkan capital; 19- Do followers; 20- Like Einstein’s continuum; 23- Cheerful; 24- Foolish; 25- Canvas shelter; 28- “Hard ___!” (sailor’s yell); 30- Be in front; 31- Allegation; 36- Debussy subject; 37- Ancient city of Lycia; 39- ___ roll; 40- The talus; 42- ___ impasse; 43- Abba of Israel; 44- Tropical fruit; 46- Fend (off); 49- Writer of lyric poetry; 51- Incompatible; 56- Disgusting; 57- Birth-related; 58- “…countrymen, lend me your ____”; 60- Pipe; 61- Large wading bird; 62- Horne solo; 63- Celestial body; 64- Acclaim; 65- Monetary unit of South Africa; Down1- Golfer Ernie; 2- Edges; 3- Coil; 4- Tums, e.g.; 5- Checking out, as before a robbery; 6- In progress; 7- Towering; 8- Ashtabula’s lake; 9- Ray of light; 10- Small crown; 11- Musical drama; 12- Geneva’s lake; 13- Old-womanish; 21- Convert into leather; 22- Wharves; 25- ___ mater; 26- “Pure Guava” band; 27- Stool pigeon: var.; 28- 1975 Wimbledon winner; 29- Monetary unit of Romania; 31- Auth. unknown; 32- RR stop; 33- Bit; 34- Son of Judah; 35- Granny; 37- Three-masted ship of the Mediterranean; 38- Attorney’s org.; 41- Demolisher; 42- Aardvark; 44- Provide lodging for; 45- Botanist Gray; 46- Uses a sieve; 47- Freshwater fish; 48- Island off Venezuela; 49- The number system with base 8; 50- Roman goddess of the moon; 52- A single time; 53- Bust maker; 54- Zhivago’s love; 55- “___ Brockovich”; 59- Downcast;

Crossword from bestcrosswords.com, Sudoku from sudoku-puzzles.net

Hard

Dinosaur Comics

Death of a Failed manRyan Vance

This will be the death of me and everything I wasFor I will never live this down for anything because

The people who believed in me and all of what this doesI’ll never be enough for them or enough to be called one of men

And this will be the death of me because

This will be the death of meCause I’m tired of tryin to beEveryday something I’m notTryin to fit another’s thought

And this will be the death of meI’d bet my life on it

If I have to wake todayI won’t make it through this shit

So let this be the death of meThe death of every memory

Of every story of every chanceOf every single passing glance

Let it all fall down the wellJust let it all burn down to hell

Let this be the death of me and the start of something newCause even in death I’m just not good enough for you

This will be the death of meI’m losing my sanity

And all the things I thought I neededAlways made me feel defeated

And this will be the death of meAnd everyone I knew

Cause when I die no one will be missing meI know it’s true

So let this be the death of meThe death of every memory

Cause I don’t want to try to beSomething that I’m not

And if you let this die in meIf I don’t have to try to be

Anymore ever again, if I can just be all I’ve beenI’ll die content with what it meant

To almost be enough to be with you

Advertisement December 15, 2010

December 15, 2010 Sports PAGE 11

By Shashwat DaveStaff Writer

Every avid baseball fan knew that after Derek Jeter’s contract expired at the conclusion of the 2010 season and that he will re-sign with the Yankees. That was a given. But what was not a given was

when will Jeter re-sign and how much will the Yankees pay

the aging short stop. Well the questions were answered on December 7th,

when Jeter signed a 3 year extension with the New York Yankees worth $51 million.

As with any sporting contract this year, such as the Lebron James-Miami Heat, Randy Moss-Minnesota

Vikings, Ilya Kovalchuk-Devils signings, etc. the Jeter contract too was plagued with controversy; albeit it wasn’t as dramatic as the afore mentioned names.

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and Derek Jeter had been in talks about a contract extension ever since the Yankees were kicked out of the post season by the Texas Rangers in mid October. Neither party would budge on its accord, with Steinbrenner refusing to extend Jeter’s

contract to more than 3 years, and Jeter’s party refusing to sign a deal that short.

Steinbrenner cited Jeter’s mediocre performance as being the major factor in not awarding the Yankee Captain more than a couple of years extension. Despite winning his fifth Gold Glove this year, Jeter ended the season with a batting average of .270, well below his career average of .317. Also, Jeter turned 36 last June, and many believe that he is at the zenith of his sporting career.

Jeter’s party on the other hand cited his legacy and his iconic image as the Yankee captain in awarding Jeter a longer tenure with the New York Yankees. Jeter legacy boasts five World Series Rings, five Golden Glove Awards, a .317 career batting average, .385 on base percentage, and he is currently shy of 74 hits to reach 3000.

After months of negotiations, the two party compromised to reach a 3 year/$51 million agreement for Derek Jeter with a 4th year option of earning up-to $17 million; a deal which would take Jeter into his 41st birthday. Both parties seemed to be satisfied with the deal, and the fans will be happy to see #2 take the field for his 17th year as a New York Yankee.

By Yaroslav ImshenetskySports Writer

The Devils have found their playoff hopes fading away bit by bit after each lost game, as they tried to break their 2-game losing streak against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

New Jersey, winless in six consecutive road games, took a 1-0 lead on Brian Rolston’s first goal in 10 games.

With Pittsburgh’s Pascal Dupuis off for hooking, Patrik Elias’ shot from the right point deflected off Rolston’s left wrist and fell to his feet. Rolston lifted the puck inside the near post, and then clutched at his wrist as he celebrated his second goal.

But Sidney Crosby, who had caught fire this season, scored a goal and set up another, and the Pittsburgh Penguins matched the second-longest winning streak in franchise history, winning their 10th in a row by beating the Devils 2-1.

“We did some good things, but we did enough bad things that we didn’t win again,” Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner said.

The Devils then moved on to Ottawa, facing the Senators on Friday night.

Milan Michalek and Jarkko Ruutu scored 2 minutes apart midway through the second, spoiling Martin

Brodeur’s return to New Jersey’s lineup in Ottawa’s 3-2 victory Friday.

Brodeur made 26 saves in his first appearance in eight games following a right elbow injury as the Devils’ losing streak stretched to four.

“It’s not looking good,” New Jersey center Jason Arnott said. “We’re getting further and further away from that No. 8 spot (the last playoff spot). It’s getting near impossible. If we don’t put a string of wins together here by Christmastime we’re going to find ourselves going home early.”

New Jersey had a possible tying goal by David Clarkson disallowed with 4 minutes remaining in the third. The puck went in off Clarkson’s left skate and referee Brad

Watson immediately waved it off, a call that was upheld by a video review.

“They’ve got better cameras, I guess, than the one we saw and it must have looked like I kicked it,” Clarkson said. “I can’t really sit here and bash it, because I’m not that type of person, but I just thought that I shot the puck, it hit my skate and went right in the net, so it’s a tough one to swallow, especially when that ties the game and we get the momentum back.”

To finish off their week, the Devils hosted the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

What can go wrong has gone wrong for the once-proud Devils, and the Red Wings were just the latest team to take advantage.

Tomas Holmstrom and Danny Cleary beat Brodeur in the opening 2 minutes, and the Red Wings handed the slumping Devils a season-high fifth straight loss with a 4-1 decision on Saturday night.

The losing streak is the Devils’ longest since a six-game slide (0-5-1) late in the 2008-09 season. It also marks the first time they have lost five straight in regulation since November 2000, when they lost six in a row, a season in which they went to the Stanley Cup finals.

“It’s definitely a situation that is hard,” Brodeur said. “It’s hard on our fans. It’s hard on the players. It’s hard on the coaches and the organization when you have to go through this.”

The Devils will need to do something fast and get a winning streak going before the christmas break, or this season might as well be over in 2011.

By Yaroslav ImshenetskySports Writer

Having lost their last four games, the Nets were trying to get their first win in December as they faced the

Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Josh Smith scored a season-high

34 points, leading the Hawks to a 116-101 victory. The Nets led 44-40 before the Hawks closed the first half with a 20-3 run for a 60-47 halftime lead. Atlanta stretched the lead to 16 in the third but had to hold off New Jersey in the final period.

Smith, accurate with his outside jumper and inside game, made 14 of 16 shots from the field. When it was over, he blew kisses to the crowd.

Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 24 points. Devin Harris had 18 points and 13 assists and Jordan Farmar scored 16.

“We just couldn’t score and we couldn’t stop them from scoring,” Harris said. “We put ourselves in a position where you’ve got to play perfectly to come back and we didn’t do that.”

The Nets then traveled to Dallas to play Jason Kidd and the Mavericks on Thursday.

With former coach Avery Johnson in the house, the Dallas Mavericks kept their emotions in check and rolled to a comfortable victory.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Shawn Marion added 18 points, and Dallas stretched its winning streak to 11 games with a 102-89 victory over the Nets on Thursday night in Johnson’s return to Dallas.

Bryant scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half and set up Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom for easy baskets in a late eight-point run that led the Lakers to a 99-92 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Sunday.

Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 24 points, Anthony Morrow had 21, and former Maverick Kris Humphries finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Nets have lost six straight and 11 in a row on the road.

The Mavs pushed their lead to 21 points early in the third quarter, but the Nets cut it to 79-69 with a 28-17 run over the final 10 minutes of the quarter. New Jersey caught up by driving to the basket and getting fouled, going 15 for 18 from the free throw line in the third quarter.

New Jersey crept as close as 81-73 early in the fourth quarter, but Jason Terry’s basket with 7 minutes left capped a 13-3 run for a 94-78 lead.

Gasol broke an 87-all tie, hitting the second of two free throws with two and a half minutes to play.

After Harris missed a drive, Bryant took advantage of the Nets’ double-teaming him and made them pay with his playmaking. He hit Gasol coming down the middle of the lane for a layup and a 90-87 lead with 2 minutes to play.

Harris again failed to capitalize inside on the other end of the court and Bryant made a short cross-court pass to Odom for a dunk and a 92-87 lead with a minute left.

Odom closed out the run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key off a nice pass by Derek Fisher.

The Nets have now lost 7 straight games and will once again try to redeem themselves against the Sixers on Tuesday

Devils downed by Pittsburgh, Ottawa, and Detroit Nets drowning under seven-game losing streak

The Captain Returns Derek Jeter Re-signs with the New York Yankees

Captain Derek Jeter returns for his 14th year in the MLB.

Metrodome roof collapse inconveniences more than just GiantsBy: Camilo Brun

Sports Editor

By the time you read this, the over-traveled Giants will have played the Vikings in Detroit.

And the Metrodome will be under repair for the fourth time, since the stadium opened nearly 30 years ago.

Amherst’s Birdair Inc., the company that specializes in stretched fabric buildings used at stadia across the globe, installed the Metrodome roof in 1981. The Minnesota Stadium Commission’s director of Facilities and Engineering, Steve Maki said he was coordinating with Birdair, on a plan to

fix the stadium, after heavy snowfalls drove the roof down early Sunday.

“This just came very fast. It was heavily loaded, and the wind was just unbelievable,” said Maki, who halted the snowmelt process and called his crew down from the roof Saturday night out of concern for their safety. “It almost knocked me on my rear end,” Maki added.

Owners Zygmunt and Mark Wilf have not commented on the stadium’s roof collapse. The $782 million team value is dead last among NFL teams (and of that, $782 million only $56 million (or 7%) of that is set aside for the stadium.)

At an average ticket price of $71,

the ownership is in question as to why Birdair will be back to make the repair. The last time the roof collapsed was 27 years ago, in April of 1983 when the Minnesota Twins were forced to postpone a baseball game.

In it’s 30-year history, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission chairman, Roy Terwilliger, said it was this was the worst Metrodome collapse.

By Sunday afternoon, the Giants had been in traveling/game-time limbo, for nearly 31 hours, and were stuck in Kansas City. Giants President John Mara said the final decision to play in Detroit was a logistical headache.

“We looked at the option of playing at the University of Minnesota but at

some point this morning that was ruled out because of the amount of snow,” said Mara, “Detroit seemed to be the most logical, I think primarily because it was fairly close by and Fox already had their TV equipment out there to broadcast the Lions game. The commissioner ultimately made the decision to play the game in Detroit, and we were fine with that.”

If and when the roof is repaired the Vikings will play host to Chicago on December 20th, for the Monday night Primetime game.

We can only hope the Giants inconvenient travels can result in a win.

Senators right-winger Chris Neil (25) receives a bump from Adam Mair

R-N Sports December 15, 2010

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By LaQuay WeekesStaff Writer

Rutgers-Newark Athletic Director Mark Griffin is firmly against having wall padding installed inside the Golden

Dome gymnasium, for now.

In a sit-down interview Friday afternoon, Griffin emphasized a lack of need for the padding, which is usually placed along the walls behind a basketball post and designed to prevent impact injuries. “I don’t think I’ve really seen anybody run into the walls here, in the time I’ve been here,” said Griffin. Griffin has been at the helm of R-N athletics since August 2004.

Many high schools and some Division II and III colleges have the

padding in their gymnasiums, including Rutgers-Camden. R-N’s neighbor colleges in Newark are split on wall padding. NJIT, a smaller Division I college has blue padding lining its gym walls, but a peek into Essex County College’s gym revealed no wall padding.

“We haven’t put them up because we don’t think it’s necessary,” said Griffin. “If it was necessary and it was a safety issue for the (athletes), we’d have them up but we just don’t see the need for it.”

Griffin stated that the basketball players are more likely to run into the Hydra-Rib basketball posts, which do have padding on them. “We just re-did all the pads on them,” he said. In addition, a new floor was placed down last year in the Golden Dome gymnasium

and it has led to fewer player injuries, according to Griffin. “We felt it was a good investment to put a new floor down,” he said. “The composite floor that we’ve had for years was rock hard.”

Griffin cited a major decrease in the number of lower leg injuries suffered by players in comparing the new floor to the old one. “The amount of lower leg injuries has gone down and will continue to go down because of the great padding under the floor, which is something that we didn’t have in the past here,” said Griffin.

According to Griffin the amount of injuries overall in the past few years have “significantly dropped.” “I think it’s a combination of putting in a new floor and having a good training staff that works with the kids in terms of pre-conditioning, conditioning, and rehab on them,” said Griffin.

When asked how excited he and the athletic department as a whole are of the early success of both the R-N men’s and women’s basketball teams, Griffin’s face lit up. “I can’t tell you how much it’s enjoyable because the kids on the team hustle, they’re aggressive on the court and they work hard,” said Griffin.

The Scarlet Raider men’s basketball team currently sits atop the NJAC conference and matched their best start in school history Friday at 9-0. By the time you’re reading this, they may have surpassed that. The women’s team only has one blemish on their record; a nail-biting non-conference loss to Hunter College (NY). They redeemed themselves with a 72-36 victory over York College on Friday, just hours after Griffin sang both teams’ praises.

“Our kids are hustling and they’re winning games. They’re not being given games,” said Griffin. “We’re not arrogant about being good…We’re working hard to be good,” he concluded.

Padding such as the one at Rutgers- Camden ensures player safety.

By Thomas HahnManaging Editor

The men’s basketball season continued their quest for an undefeated season last week. They currently stand at 9-0 and

are playing well as they head into the New Jersey Athletic Conference portion of their schedule in Jan. 2011.

The Raiders played three games at home in the Golden Dome this week and none of them were all that close.

The first victim was Baruch College on Monday evening. Like all the games the Scarlet Raiders basketball team has played this season, it was a team effort.

Ralph Jones scored 20 points to go along with four assists, five blocks, and 10 rebounds. This was not only the Raiders’ most well rounded performance, but the most well rounded performance of the game.

Christian Garcia, the NJAC’s Rookie of the Week for the third time in four weeks, scored a game high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Garcia is making a strong case for Rookie of the Year.

Jeremiah Rivers contributed with 14 rebounds, and Pedro Burgos had 16 points.

The Raiders went into halftime leading by only one point, and Baruch played the Raiders tough for ten minutes in the second half. The final score was 75-88.

Next up was Hunter College, and next up was another scoring barrage by the Raiders. The Raiders defeated Hunter by a final score of 79-89. Once again the Raiders had multiple players score more than 20 points.

This time it was Burgos (23 points to lead all scorers) and Al’Don Muhammad (21 points). Garcia added another 18 points. The Raiders hit on a remarkable 58.6% of their field goal attempts.

The Raiders have scored at least 88 points in six of their nine games this year. The three games in which they failed to score 88 points were the first three games of the season, and they were all victories.

The final team the Raiders played, and I use the term ‘played’ loosely, was York College. The final score was 93-50. The Raiders emptied their bench in this one. They had 15 players see minutes, with eleven of them seeing six minutes or more.

The Raider will hit the road this week to take on John Jay in New York and Neumann University in Pennsylvania. That will do it for the Raiders’ 2010 schedule, until the turn of the New Year, when the Raiders travel to Springfield, Ma. for the Hampton Inn Naismith Classic.

By Camilo BrunSports Editor

All good things must come to an end, or at least all PERFECT things must come to an end.

The Raiders dropped their first game of the season against Hunter College 57-54. Poor Raider shooting, and the brilliant play of Hunter College’s senior point guard Shamar Stewartson made the key difference in the match. Stewartson made 13 of 16 free throws, on her way to 19 points.

Junior guard Jared Tactuk led the Raiders with 19 points, but shot an abysmal

18-72 from the floor. Freshman forward, Anthonia Ajumobi pulled a game-high 14 rebounds, and was accompanied by classmate ShaQuanna Marshall with six points, six rebounds, and three assists.

Attempting to rebound from the tough loss, the Raiders hosted York College. The Raiders rolled to a 72-36 over the Cardinals from New York. Senior forward Jaleesa Coleman scored a game high 17 points. Freshman forward Jasmine Daniels finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds resulting in a double-double.

The Raider defense was however, the key to their win—forcing the Cardinals to 29 turnovers and a staggering 28.8% shooting from the floor.

The Lady Raider’s played their last game before winter break against Briarcliffe College. The Raiders dismantled the Seahawks 67-45, as senior forward Jaleesa Coleman erupted with a career-high 31 points, 13 rebounds, and three steals. Coleman became the first Raider to reach the 30-point mark since junior guard Martyna Ruminska scored 31 points in 2009.

The 9-1 Lady Raiders lead the NJAC (2-0), and are trailed by William Patterson University. Rutgers-Newark breaks for fall semester final exams and the holidays before resuming play at Purchase College on December 29.

Is athlete’s safety an issue? Men’s basketball continue to roll

Lady Raiders suffer first loss, but bounce back

Rutgers Observer, v75, issue 15

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Transcript of Rutgers Observer, v75, issue 15