Vol. 40, No. 40 TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 nyunews.com

wAShINgToN SqUARE NEwSNYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

DOE namestopics to avoid on exams

Students celebrate Asian culture

Thumbs up for Sticky’s Finger Joint

By Michelle lee

Birthdays, dinosaurs, dancing and junk food are included the 50-plus topics the New York City Department of Education recent-ly deemed unacceptable for test-makers to include in the city’s standardized school tests.

According to a recently released request for proposal report by the DOE, the department considered these topics to be not only over-used and boring but even offen-sive to students, as they suggest bias for or against certain groups of people. Though the DOE is not banning these topics from ap-pearing in exams, they will dis-tribute the request for proposal to test publishers around the country and encourage testmak-ers to avoid these subjects.

“This is standard language that has been used by test publishers for many years,” Deidrea Miller,

R TOPicS continued on PG. 3

By hanqinG chen

Students erased the boundaries of the Asian-American identity last night over bubble tea, food, music and dance at the opening ceremonies of Asian Heritage Month at the Kimmel Center for University Life.

Julia Liu, a CAS senior and an organizer of the event, said this year’s theme, Represent, was de-signed to invite people to rethink the Asian-American identity.

“[The ceremony] is to review and revisit the Asian identity, to look outside the box on Asian identity,” she said. “We are dedi-cated to unifying the plethora of Asian and Asian-American groups on campus and in the surrounding communities.”

Larry Hama, a keynote speaker and comic book artist, said some persistent issues of race are simply

R heRiTaGe continued on PG. 3

Re-release of ‘Titanic’ exemplifies 3D

By Michelle liM

If you are scared of what exactly is in fried chicken, fear no more. Sticky’s Finger Joint has made its debut in Greenwich Village to give you chicken with integrity. On Saturday, March 31, the city’s first “fast food chicken finger res-taurant” officially opened to serve young and vibrant Villagers.

Founder Paul Abrahamian was first inspired while working in China. He was eating at a local KFC and surfing fast food blogs, studying New York’s famed Shake Shack. Soon, with help from a friend, Abrahamian was starting what he describes as a fast, casual, new take on a chicken.

Currently the restaurant offers four different kinds of chicken fin-gers including “The Finger” (five

fingers for $13), the joint’s take on the classic chicken finger, and The “Wasabi Finger” (five fingers for $15), a product in high-demand among adventurous, spicy-food lovers. The chicken fingers are lightly crispy so the juicy white meat can be tasted perfectly.

There are also over a dozen unique sauces to pair with your chicken, all $0.75 each. The origi-nal Sticky Sauce is a southern style, white barbeque sauce with a spicy kick. Customers and staff also admire the Tomato Aioli and Sunny Mustard sauces. The Purple Sweet Potato Fries ($4) tie every-thing together with their crispy, sweet crunch.

Tisch sophomore Allison Tom enjoyed her meal.

“It’s a good place for fast, quick service,” Tom said. “I would defi-nitely come back with my studio crew during lunch because we are always looking for a fast meal in between breaks. It’s also finger food, so less mess.”

But this fast food restaurant offers

By STefan Melnyk

Despite the encroachment of myriad home entertainment options, theatrical film releas-es have suffered remarkably little. However much it might try, big screen TV will never match the grandeur of a genu-ine theater screen, and video-on-demand release dates have yet to deprive the movie the-ater of its primacy in a main-

stream film’s release schedule. Nevertheless, in times of hard-ship and discontent, even the king is bound to grow uneasy. Thus, 3D was revived in the hope of finding a gimmick that home entertainment would be unable to replicate.

Yet dissent has been growing among the movie-going public over the use of 3D, and espe-cially of 3-D conversions, so it should come as no surprise

that the announcement of “Ti-tanic’s” 3-D re-release has been met with an enormous wave of cynicism. Re-releases of “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast” in 3D were previously met with simi-lar animosity from film fans but enjoyed varying degrees of success at the box office.

Nevertheless, it is important to recall that re-releases are nothing new. Disney has re-re-leased “Snow White” and “Pin-nochio” dozens of times while films like “Star Wars” and “Gone With The Wind” have required only the flimsiest of excuses to march back into theaters. Three-D is merely the latest of these justifications, and it neither adds to nor de-tracts from the film’s original appeal.

In this regard, “Titanic 3D” has slightly more to offer than many of its fellows. First, the 3-D conversion is being supervised by the film’s director, James Cameron, who fathered the

Affordibility

Service

Menu Variety

Atmosphere

Quality

R STickyS continued on PG. 4

NYU’s Asian American Heritage Month began last night with food, performances and a keynote address.WENDI LIU FOR WSN

R TiTanic continued on PG. 5

Success is unpredictable for 3-D releases like “Titanic.”cOURtESy OF paRamOUNt pIctURES

oN ThE SIDE cOmpILED By thE WSn STaff

2 WaShINgtON SqUaRE NEWS | tUESDay, apRIL 3, 2012 | NyUNEWS.cOm

wAShINgToN SqUARE NEwSEditor-in-Chief AMANDA RANDONE

Managing EditorJAEWON KANG

Deputy Managing Editor

AMY zHANG

Assistant Managing Editor

JAMES LANNING

Creative DirectorSELENA CHEN

SENIoR STAffuniversity JULIE DEVITOcity/state EMILY YANGinvestigative HANqING CHENarts JONATHON DORNBUSHfeatures JESSICA LITTMANsports DANIEL HINTONmultimedia DAVID LINcopy MAxIMILíANO DURóNsenior editor JACK BROOKS, BRIDGETTE DORAN

DEPUTY STAffuniversity ERIC BENSON, ELIzA-BETH MAGUIREcity/state TONY CHAU, KRISTINE ITLIONG, JESSICA SCHULTzinvestigative FEIYE WANGmusic JOSH JOHNSONfilm STEFAN MELNYKentertainment JEREMY GROSSMANbooks/theater CLIO MCCONNELLdining HANNAH BORENSTEINbeauty & style SHANNON LOUGHRANsports JOHN AxELROD, COLE RILEYspecial issues KRISTINA BOGOSmultimedia JAMES KELLEHERcopy JORDAN MELENDREzsocial media agent NICOLE GARTSIDE

oPINIoN PAgEopinion editor OLIVIA GONzALEzdeputy opinion editor ATTICUS BRIGHAM, SANCHAY JAIN

ADVERTISINgBUSINESS MANAGERREBECCA RIBEIRO

CIRCULATION MANAGERCHLOE COFFMAN

UNIVERSITY SALES COORDINATOREMILIA MIRONOVICI

SALES REPRESENTATIVES KAITLYN O’BRIEN, MICHAEL RYAN, MELISSA YNEGAS

ADVISINg

EDITORIAL ADVISER

KEITH LEIGHTY

EDITORS-AT-LARGE

JAYWON CHOEKELSEY DESIDERIORUSSELL STEINBERGKIRSTEN CHANGFRANCIS POONTERKA CICELOVA

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

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

NYUNEwS.com

The Temper Trap entertained at the Music Hall of Williamsburg over the weekend.

PHOTO BY GLORIA LEE

oN ThE wIRE

An astronomical egoA Sacramento County judge ruled last week that California Democrat

Jose Hernandez can use the designation “astronaut” next to his name on the Congressional ballot in the fall. Hernandez flew on the space shuttle

Discovery in 2009, but his Republican opponent, Jeff Denham, argued that the “astronaut” designation should not be allowed because Hernandez has

since left NASA. State superior court judge Lloyd Connelly ruled that ballot designations can, in fact, reflect a candidate’s former profession.

— Sacramento Bee

uNiveRSiTy of SouTHeRN CALifoRNiARacing Team prepares for national competition— Daily trojan

HARvARD uNiveRSiTyHarvard accepts record low of 5.9 percent to the Class of 2016— the harvarD crimSon

ToDAY5 to 7 p.m. | The Humanities initiative at Nyu |

20 Cooper Sq., fifth floorBOOk LAunCH: GOInG SOLO,

BY ERIC kLInEnBERG

Sociologist, author and Nyu professor eric Klinenberg celebrates the launch of his book, which

explores the lives of singles around the world.

6 to 8 p.m. | Kimmel Center for university Life, Room 802

COmInG OuT muSLIm: RAdICAL ACTS Of LOvE

Terna Tilley-Gyado and Wazina Zondon will use story-telling techniques to explore LGBT issues in

the Muslim community.

6 p.m. | School of visual Arts | 136 W. 21 St.

CInTRA WILSOn TALk

famously witty fashion critic and author Cintra Wilson will give a talk at SvA tonight.

1 2 3

STAff REcommENDATIoNS

SNAPShoT

goT AN EVENT? EmAIL US AT AgENDA@NYUNEwS.com oR TwEET US @NYUNEwS. goT SomEThINg To ShARE? EmAIL US AT TIPS@NYUNEwS.com.

“Felicity”if you go to Nyu, you need to watch “Felicity.” The show’s four seasons follow the school years of students attending the university of New york, a fictionalized NYU. The late ’90s series, which stars Kerri Russell and Scott foley, showcases J.J. Abrams’ versatility. “Felicity” is soap opera-esque, and not only will you find yourself laughing at the hormonal decisions and heart-wrenching love triangles, but you’ll also marvel about how your life is more similar to Felicity’s than you would have ever imagined.— Hannah Borenstein

“Community”This NBC show has returned for a third season despite rumor of cancellation. The show chronicles the adventures of Alison Brie, Chevy Chase, Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi and Donald Glover who play a misfit group of community college students struggling to survive classes, notably Spanish class with Ken Jeong. Jim Rash plays the role of the eccentric Dean Pelton, head of Greendale Com-munity College. under the premise of being in a study group, they quickly become a family and provide laughs throughout every episode.— Julie Devito

“Spartacus”for those of you left wanting even more sex, violence and scheming after watching Sunday night’s season two premiere of “Game of Thrones,” i highly recommend “Spartacus.” “Spartacus” is a show about gladia-tors set in the days of the ancient Ro-man empire. in addition to constant pulse-pounding action and graphic violence, Spartacus features a com-pelling and emotional plot. The show is currently in its third season and airs friday nights at 10 p.m. on Starz.— John Axelrod

“Sleazy REMIX 2.0 Get Sleazi-er” by Ke$ha, feat. Wiz Khalifa, Andre 3000, T.I. and Lil Wayne

Some people don’t think anyone could write lyrics worse than Ke$ha’s. This remix proves those people wrong. Wiz Khalifa rhymes “Ke$ha” with “cashier”; Andre 3000 has a horrible, pseu-do-intellectual verse about broken homes (i think); Lil Wayne contin-ues to sacrifice logic for the sake of puns: “I’m financially straight, like a lion / I ain’t lyin’.” But T.I.’s contribution is unquestionably the greatest, and there’s not a single line in it that’s printable. Listen to this song. Repeatedly. — Jack Brooks

aLL ImagES vIa FLIckR

DOE proposes topics to avoid on exams TOPicS continued from PG. 1

N.Y. state announces 2012-13 budget

By WalinaSe Mbekeani

NYU’s Socialist Club organized a meeting last night calling for action against racial profiling, highlighting the recent death of Trayvon Martin and the NYPD surveillance of Mus-lim students in New York City.

The International Socialist Organi-zation and the Troy Davis Response Collective at NYU called for the meeting in an effort to rally more organizations to confront the issue.

“We hope to come out of this meet-ing with a plan for action at NYU demanding justice for Martin and condemning all forms of racial profil-ing,” ISO leader Sean Larson said.

Gallatin sophomore Daniel Jones believes there is more to Trayvon Martin’s situation than it appears.

“I think it is more than just throwing this guy in jail,” he said. “I am looking forward to this meet-ing as a beginning to answering this question of how to get justice for Trayvon, and what does getting justice for him really mean.”

Attendees wanted to take the issue of racism beyond the Martin case.

“I would like to not only talk about this issue but make sure people are making vital connec-tions,” said Asia Dorsey, a CAS ju-nior and member of the Troy Davis Response Collective.

Jones said he was interested in finding out how NYU plays into the issue. Despite the already large out-cry following Martin’s death, the meeting emphasized collaborating with other campuses and contrib-uting to larger efforts across uni-

versities nationwide.At the end of the meeting, the attend-

ees proposed the idea of creating a pe-tition of demands for NYU to increase the anti-racist presence on campus.

Many also expressed that their frustration was with the NYPD. In addition to questioning the pres-ence of NYPD on campus, they ex-pressed the wish for NYU security personnel to receive anti-racism training and to eventually replace the NYPD on campus.

The ISO is not the first NYU organi-zation to hold events for Martin. Law school students gathered to hold a moment of silence in honor of Mar-tin last week.

NYU Latinos Unidos Con Honor y Amistad held an event last Wednes-day called Forging a Strong(er) Community: Interrogating Im-posed Differences. There, they held

a discussion about Martin.“The situation, the murder and

not bringing the assassin to justice, is tragic and disgraceful,” said NYU professor Juan Flores at the event. “The guy should be taken into cus-tody and a full investigation and discussion should follow, includ-ing in the Latino community.”

Dorsey suggested what she called an Occupy Spring Washington Square Park, in which the ISO and Troy Davis Response Collective activists will sit in Washington Square Park and explain these is-sues to NYU students.

“We can call it home base,” Dors-ey said. “People will know where the activists are.”

Walinase Mbekeani is a contributing writer. Email her at university@nyunews.com.

NYU Socialists discuss racial profiling

NyUNEWS.cOm | tUESDay, apRIL 3, 2012 | WaShINgtON SqUaRE NEWS 3

AHM honors Asian culture heRiTaGe continued from PG. 1

spokesperson of the New York City Department of Education, said. “It is meant to ensure that tests con-tain no possible bias or distractions for students.”

In a press release last week, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said New York City’s list is longer compared to those of other school districts because the general stu-dent body in the city is significant-ly more diverse.

Sarah Beck, a Steinhardt associate professor of English Education and former high school teacher, said the DOE is taking the most cautious road possible in designating these topics to be inappropriate.

“When designing assessments for large groups, it is impossible to know which students will be both-ered by which topics and to what degree — to such a degree that it will affect their performance on the test,” Beck said.

But Steinhardt senior Chrissie Chua said she did not entirely agree with the department’s efforts.

“They’re not helping the students by avoiding these topics,” she said. “If [students] don’t know about some of these topics, I feel like they should be exposed to them since [they] are vital for students to know.”

While Beck noted the sensitive ef-forts of the DOE, she also believed

students would be unable to accom-plish their best writing if several of the avoided topics are potentially in-teresting to students.

“I think it is an important learn-ing opportunity for students to fig-ure out how to respond academi-cally, with critical insight, to topics that may be upsetting or unfamil-iar to them,” Beck said. “This is the nature of academic experience.”

Emily Yeo, a senior at Hunter College High School, also said she disagrees with the DOE’s advice to avoid these subjects.

“These tests are testing your knowledge of the world,” Yeo said. “If we’re ignoring what is on this list, we’re ignoring so much of the world.”

Michelle Lee is a contributing writer. Email her at cstate@nyunews.com.

By TaTiana baez

Governor Andrew Cuomo, senator Dean Skelos and as-sembly speaker Sheldon Silver announced the passage of the 2012-13 budget for New York state yesterday.

The new budget is geared to-ward implementing new pro-grams and projects to provide economic relief to the state.

“We started off with several priorities, among them con-trolling spending and taxes,” said Scott Reif, a representa-tive for Senator Skelos. “We wanted to do a budget with no new taxes.”

The budget will help estab-lish a New York Works Task Force that would work to create more jobs, a system that would aim to repair and replace bridg-es and other infrastructure and reforms to Medicaid spending and other healthcare-related issues through the Department of Health.

Last year, 10 Regional Coun-cils were established to de-velop plans for job creation. In the 2012-13 budget, fund-ing was delegated to continue these councils with the hopes that more long-term jobs will

become available. In addition, the budget in-

cludes several provisions for increasing the quality of edu-cation by providing school aid. The budget will allocate $20.4 billion, and grants will be given to schools based on their performance. Together, this would total an increase of over $805 million in education spending next academic year.

Several educators have ap-plauded the new budget for its potential impact on teachers, students and school districts.

“Any additional money schools get will probably save jobs, most likely teaching jobs, although this is not a certainty.” Jay Gottlieb, Stein-hardt professor of educational psychology, said. “The money could mean a whole lot [for future student success].”

The education aspects of the new budget have also met some skepticism.

“When I read that the bud-get increase has been allo-cated to target ‘high needs school districts,’ what I hear is coded language for more of the same-old-same-old, mar-ginally effective, one-size-fits-all policies that have plagued

educational reform in this country since No Child Left Behind,” Fabienne Doucet, as-sistant professor of education at Steinhardt, said.

Still, some experts say the planned education reforms look hopeful for higher education.

The budget plan includes a tuition increase for SUNY and CUNY schools. The individual schools will be allowed to de-cide what to do with their in-creased budgets.

“We are grateful to Gover-nor Cuomo and the Legisla-ture for [giving] our colleges a chance to develop propos-als that are specific to their region and to advance a capi-tal project that will support academic and research ini-tiatives that foster economic growth,” said David Belsky, press officer and director of new media at SUNY.

Gottlieb said the additional money could lead to various results: “It could mean a lot, and it could mean absolutely nothing, depending on how the money is allocated.”

Tatiana Baez is a contributing writer. Email her at cstate@nyunews.com.

remnants of a bygone era.“There’s a lot of embed-

ded incipient racism that isn’t inherent racism,” he said. “It’s just stuff that’s lying around, stuff that’s always been there. It’s best to get into the situation and change it from within.”

Hamma added that there should be no divides within the Asian community.

“There is no use in splin-tering,” he said. “We have strength as a unity.”

Dinner was accompanied by a number of performanc-es by students who reflected on bridging the gap between Asian and American cultures through unique renditions of classic American pop songs and of songs from mu-sicals centered around Asian Americans.

CAS junior Catherine Tan performed a song from a musical centering on Chi-nese Americans alongside a song from the musical “The King and I.”

“I like to do things that support and represent my Asian heritage,” Tan said.

CAS junior Kush Rauhila performed a hip-hop dance to dubstep from a fusion of traditional Asian music and Europop.

Rauhila said he wanted to get more involved with the Asian-

American heritage celebration.“There is a lot of meaning

behind Asian American [Her-itage] Month,” he said. “After this, I really hope to become more involved and more im-mersed in the culture.”

Veronica Chai, a Tisch sophomore and winner of last NYU Asian American Idol, also captured the crowd with an Adele cover.

The event drew students in-volved in the Asian-American community at NYU and curi-ous students who wanted to join in the food and fun.

“I came here because I’m pretty big on advocating Asian heritage and I really wanted to see what the oth-er clubs are up to,“ said Em-ily Lu, a Tisch freshman and a staff member at Genera-sia — a magazine for Asian American students at NYU.

CAS sophomore Taylor Clarke-Cameron said she attended the event as an anthropology major eager to discover more about Asian culture.

“I love to learn about oth-er places and cultures, and I love to throw myself into situations like this,” Clarke-Cameron said.

Hanqing Chen is investigative editor. Email her at hchen@nyunews.com.

Dinosaurs are among 50+ topics DOE deemed inappropriate.

DavID LIN/WSN

NYU Socialist Club called for action against racial profiling last night.JONathaN taN/WSN

4 WaShINgtON SqUaRE NEWS | tUESDay, apRIL 3, 2012 | NyUNEWS.cOm

DININg STickyS continued from PG. 1

Sticky’s Finger Joint offers ‘just the best’

Traditional German bakery takes two villages

EDItED By hannah bORenSTeinDININg@NyUNEWS.cOm

Vegetarians and Vitamin BSecret city picnic places

more than just tasty food; they’re health conscious, too. Abrahamian expresses his pride in serving hor-mone-, antibiotic- and cruelty-free chicken.

“The chicken world is like mafia,” he said. “The restaurant world has so many secrets in the kitch-en. All our products are natural and organic. No chemicals or icky stuff — just the best.”

Abrahamian also mentioned that soon NYU stu-dents will receive a 10 percent discount if they pay with Campus Cash.

Sticky’s Finger Joint is located at 31 W. Eighth Street, at MacDougal Street. It opens at 11 a.m. ev-eryday and closes at 4 a.m. Thursdays through Satur-days and at 1 a.m. Sundays through Wednesdays.

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

Sticky’s opened in Greenwich Village last month.RachEL LIU FOR WSN

By anGel chanG

When it comes to bread, Germans know best — especially Swabians. Volk-er Herrmann, CEO and co-founder of the newly opened Landbrot bakery, named after a kind of country bread, hails from this unique southwest German region.

Herrmann recommends the signa-ture rye loaf, the landbrot, pretzels and the flaming pies, saying he believes firmly in the precision and authentic-ity of all household goods.

“Everything here is handmade,” Her-rmann said. “We didn’t want Landbrot to represent an industrial nature, and more than anything else the design and feel of the place had to be like that of bakeries in Germany.”

With antiques shipped over from Germany and staff sporting suspend-ers and alpine hats, Landbrot energet-ically combines Swabia’s traditional and historical setting with its dynam-ic West and East Village locations.

“I traveled to New York City for a business trip two or three years ago and felt that the perfect place to start a bakery would be in these two loca-tions,” Herrmann said. “I felt that there was a lack of really good baker-ies, so it seemed like a good idea to bring Swabian flavor to the city.”

Around two dozen other baked deli-cacies are made on the second floor of the marble- and wood-tiled space, including classic German pastries like Black Forest cakes and Berliner jelly doughnuts. The bakery also serves spe-cialties such as bratwurst and quiches, as well as hot dogs, sandwiches, salads and soups. The rolls, baguettes, pretzels and loafs range in price from $3 to $7.

At Landbrot’s West Village location, the bar, which offers draft beer at $8, is stationed opposite a row of small win-dow-side cafe tables and the second-floor balcony area composes the most intrigu-ing and cozy eating environment.

Angela Rodriguez, who lives close to the bakery, was one of its numerous customers at its April 1 opening.

“I previously saw construction around this area and was impatiently awaiting the bakery’s opening,” Ro-driguez said. “My brother loves Ger-man food and beer, so I was excited to try what Landbrot could offer.”

Herrmann hopes Landbrot will offer a bit of home to many German stu-dents studying in the city.

“[NYU students] are doubtlessly as open to trying and experiencing new things as all New Yorkers are and this is why the particular West Village loca-tion of this shop is so perfect,” he said.

CAS freshman Priyanka Ramesh said she loved the feel of the bakery.

“Landbrot is very authentic and pleasingly aromatic,” Ramesh said. “I loved the bustling atmosphere and the quaint nature of the place.”

Herrmann added that he forsees a long future for Landbrot.

“The first step is to open up more satellite shops in New York City, and hopefully we’ll branch out all over the east coast,” he said.

Landbrot has shops at 137 Seventh Ave. South (at Charles Street) and 185 Orchard St. (at Stanton Street).

Angel Chang is a staff writer. Email her at dining@nyunews.com.

Landbrot offers authentic German pastries in the East and West Villages..

RachEL LIU FOR WSN

By MaRiOn neSTle

Question: As a vegetarian, is it possible to get a sufficient amount of Vitamin B without taking supple-ments? Would you recommend tak-ing these supplements if your levels are low, provided you maintain a healthy diet?

Answer: Vegetables are loaded with most B vitamins, so I assume that your question refers to the one that is most definitely missing: Vitamin B12. Vita-min B12 is made only by bacteria and certain blue-green algae. Like all vita-mins, it is required for metabolism to function properly.

When animals eat grass and grains, they also eat bacteria and incorporate vitamin B12 in their tissues. When you eat foods from animal sources — meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs — you get all the B12 you need.

Whether you get enough B12 de-pends on what kind of a vegetarian you are. People who call themselves vegetarians eat diets of enormous va-riety with only one practice in com-mon: They do not eat beef. Partial vegetarians exclude beef but some-times eat pork or lamb and eat fish, poultry, dairy foods and eggs. Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat dairy and eggs. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but none of the other animal-based foods.

As long as your diet contains any animal-based food, you will be getting vitamin B12 in your diet and don’t need to give it another thought.

You only have to worry about vita-

min B12 if you are a vegan — someone who eats no animal products at all.

If you follow vegan practices, you need to be sure to eat a variety of grains and beans (to get enough protein), to take in enough calories (so you don’t lose too much weight) and to find an alternative source of vitamin B12.

Any one-a-day vitamin supplement containing B12 will do the trick. If you are a vegan, by all means take one.

And remember: The key to healthy diets is to eat a variety of plant-based foods. Animal foods have a place in healthy diets, but if you don’t want to eat them, you don’t have to.

Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard pro-fessor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at NYU Steinhardt. She is the author of “Food Politics” and, most recently, “Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics.” Each week, she will answer student ques-tions about nutrition, health and food.

Marion Nestle is a contributing columnist. Email her questions at dining@nyunews.com

By kaTya baRRanik

Has your desire to have a picnic been foiled by not knowing any suitable loca-tions? Here are five relatively secret spots within the NYU community that will get you feeling like you just stepped into the secret garden of Fran-ces Hodgson Burnett.

1. albert’s GardenThis shady little nook is

the perfect place to bring a small group. Albert’s Garden is located behind the south wall of the New York Marble Cemetery, and it is a lovely example of the East Village community’s hard work and dedication to nature preser-vation. Intimate, secluded and flourishing with life, this is truly a peaceful oasis.

Second Street (between Bowery and Second Avenue)

2. christopher ParkLocated on the oldest street

in the West Village and at the center of the gay rights move-ment of the late 1970s, this miniature park is a quaint little spot amid the hustle of Sixth and Seventh avenues. Though there is no lush greenery to sit on, the park is lined with benches and George Segal’s life-size sculptures.

Christopher St. (between Sixth and Seventh avenues)

3. enid a. haupt Glass Gardens

This garden opened in 1958 as part of NYU’s Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine — a place where patients, visi-tors and staff could escape the stuffy hospital atmosphere and enjoy the beauty of na-ture. In the mid-1970s one of the nation’s first horticultural therapy programs began here, and now this 1,700-square-foot indoor conservatory has a koi pond, tropical birds and plenty of space to enjoy a picnic and forget about your worries. Un-fortunately, the gardens are scheduled to be demolished in March 2013, so visit soon.

400 E. 34th St.

4. Jefferson Market Garden

Originally a woman’s prison, this garden is now a beautiful escape from the concrete of the city. Located behind a Victorian Gothic library building, Jeffer-son Market Garden is adorned with blooming seasonal flow-ers, a wide array of trees and a pond that is home to koi, gold-fish and water lilies.

W. 10th Street (Between Greenwich and Sixth av-enues)

5. Willy’s GardenPass through the portico

entrance of 7-13 Washington Square North and step into a secluded spot perfect for a quick picnic between classes. There are no benches or grass to sit on in this shady corner, but the cool concrete will be a nice refresher. Whether alone or in a group, you’ll be kept company by the statue of the famous Spanish writer and painter Miguel de Cervantes.

Fifth Avenue (between Washington Square North and Washington Mews)

Katya Barranik is a staff writer. Email her at dining@nyunews.com.

cOURtESy OF maRION NEStLE

Nutritionist’s Notebook

katya BaRaNNIk/WSN

katya BaRaNNIk/WSN

katya BaRaNNIk/WSN

NyUNEWS.cOm | tUESDay, apRIL 3, 2012 | WaShINgtON SqUaRE NEWS 5

Venue: Le Poisson Rouge

ARTSEDItED By JOnaThOn DORnbUShaRtS@NyUNEWS.cOm

Second season premiere of ‘Killing’ remains slow-paced

Future game consoles may stifle current creativity

TiTanic continued from PG. 1

‘Titanic’ re-release a familiar trend

beginning of the 3-D craze in 2009 with “Avatar.” His involvement suggests that this 3-D post-conversion will not be of the same mediocre breed as seen in recent action films like “Clash of the Titans” and “Thor.” Furthermore, the 3D is to be accompanied by a special effects facelift. While it appeared revolutionary at the time, the CGI in “Titanic” now looks rudimentary com-pared to the hyper-detailed effects of today, so such a change is welcome.

Is a re-release of “Titanic” necessary? No. Is it a tactic aimed at making money? Transparently. But such ques-tions have no bearing whatso-ever on whether or not people will see it. Your decision to buy a ticket will probably be influ-enced by your affection for the film itself more than any con-sideration of principle, and that is, frankly, for the best.

Stefan Melnyk is film editor. Email him at smelnyk@nyunews.com.

“Titanic” is the most recent in a line of 3-D re-releases.cOURtESy OF paRamOUNt pIctURES

By JOSh JOhnSOn

On the surface, West Village venue Le Poisson Rouge may seem a bit pretentious. With its “Serv-ing Art and Alcohol” slogan and a name that almost demands snark when spoken, LPR presents itself as less of a music venue and more of a museum of everything cool in New York City. Despite that, LPR is one of the city’s most organized, eclectic and self-assured venues.

Any negative feelings towards this artsy venue are immediately erased even before you enter. There is only one clearly marked, single-file line, which always puts my mind at ease. The staff is kind and helpful, and

they run a music venue as it should be run. For example, the staff usu-ally collects tickets from tickethold-ers and will-call users before letting anyone in, putting everyone on equal ground.

One of the cool things about LPR is its disaffiliation with big concert promoters like the Bowery Pres-ents or Live Nation. The venue sells its tickets through its own website and box office. Instead of a generic Ticketmaster printout, you receive a ticket uniquely marked with LPR’s insignia. It’s a simple detail, but it cements the feeling that this venue is different from the rest.

LPR’s main attraction is its eclec-tic music lineup. Coming this month is a healthy mix of jazz, classical music and something called “Macaulay Culkin’s iPod” — which their website describes as “exactly what it sounds like.” And have no fear, fellow indie rock aficionados: LPR hosts a variety of buzz-worthy bands like Tune-Yards and zola Jesus. The NYU Program Board even booked The Thermals to play there last May.

LPR’s barely knee-high stage is my favorite feature of the venue. If you’re in the first couple of rows, you’ll feel like you’re on stage with the band. This intimate feeling al-

lows for more band-audience in-teraction, which is always fantasti-cally unpredictable. Occasionally, for less rock-oriented shows, LPR will put out tables in the standing area. While this doesn’t affect the intimacy, the tables come with a menu, requiring you to pay for an overpriced drink.

It may seem contradictory that I am praising LPR’s varied lineup when I previously denounced that of Irving Plaza, yet there is a key difference — LPR’s schedule is di-verse and eclectic; Irving Plaza’s is simply random. LPR only books bands that fit their identity, which gives it a distinctiveness few other venues possess.

In terms of booking big names, LPR cannot compete with simi-larly sized venues like the Bow-ery Ballroom. Yet it appears the venue doesn’t have the desire to compete. Instead, it will continue to book the bands it wants in or-der to reinforce its unique New York identity.

Le Poisson Rouge is located at 158 Bleeker St.

Josh Johnson is music editor. Email him at jjohnson@nyunews.com.

By alex GReenbeRGeR

In the second season premiere of AMC’s “The Killing,” rain still pours, everyone is still ugly and mean, Rosie Larsen’s killer remains uncaught, and every room is unnaturally dark. Little has changed since the first season fi-nale, which was ripped by the media after its unsatisfying conclusion.

Thankfully, this season’s first two epi-sodes were far quicker than those of last season. Long gone are the extended se-quences of the Larsen family grieving for Rosie. There are fewer extraneous scenes about the Richmond campaign. It seems that the writers have come to the realiza-tion that viewers had little investment in many of the first season’s subplots. Despite this progress, compared to any other show it still feels lethargic.

One of the few places “The Killing” remains strong is its gutsy approach to characterization. There is not a single likable character — Sarah is a horrible mother, Stan is a mob boss and Hold-er is intolerably sardonic — yet the cast remains talented. In particular,

Mireille Enos plays Sarah with a cold-ness that mirrors the gloomy setting. Enos impressively carries the weight of a protracted narrative for most of the season premiere.

The aesthetic of the show, too, has been successfully carried over from last season. AMC deserves respect for making shows with such a cinematic look to them. From “Breaking Bad” to “Mad Men,” every AMC show has its own distinct, sublime aesthetic. “The Killing” is no exception. Whether the writing is faulty or not, the technical aspects are gorgeously ex-ecuted, from the tense tracking shots to the rain-soaked Seattle exteriors. The gray color scale of this show is strangely beau-tiful, and in that respect, it looks unlike anything else on TV.

But that’s just it — “The Killing” looks and seems unlike any other show, but it evokes countless films. It’s hard to watch “The Killing” and not think about how films like “Se7en” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” took simi-lar concepts and executed them better.

The ads for the first season showed a picture of Rosie with “Who Killed Rosie Larsen?” scrawled on it. The show should have been able to an-swer that question in the first season, and the second season premiere has unsuccessfully tried to recreate inter-est. Perhaps the best part of watch-ing “The Killing” is that “Mad Men” comes on directly afterward.

Alex Greenberger is a staff writer. Email him at entertainment@nyunews.com.

By JOnaThOn DORnbUSh

The tradition of game hardware manufactur-ers has been to release a new generation of con-soles about every five years. That changed with the most recent cycle, which is in its seventh year and will likely continue until 2013. Rumors have been circulating recently about what the next PlayStation and xbox will be, and though innovation is always an exciting prospect, di-verting so much attention to a new generation may stifle the industry’s current creativity.

Reports suggest that developers are already working on games for these non-existent con-soles. There is certainly nothing wrong with exploring the possibilities of what will one day be the norm — the longer lead time developers have, the more comfortable they become and the better their games are. But this experimen-tation becomes an issue when they choose to abandon the hardware they have worked with for over half a decade.

Familiarity appears to be a key ingredient when developing a system’s most impressive games. Arguably one of the most technologi-cally advanced games of the PlayStation 2, “God of War II” was released months after the PlayStation 3 had already hit the market and most gamers had moved past the console. And if we are truly on the cusp of another set of sys-tems, history may be doomed to repeat itself.

The conclusion to one of the most ambitious gaming projects ever, “Mass Effect 3,” was re-leased only last month, bringing a five-year-long epic saga to a close. Had a new generation released in the midst of this trilogy, the com-plex connective tissue of decisions and charac-ters that carried across all three games could

have been lost.Similarly, some of the generation’s most prom-

ising games are set to release this fall, with “Assas-sin’s Creed III” also wrapping up a long-running story in developer Ubisoft’s largest project ever. “BioShock: Infinite” is also releasing this fall, and it promises a freedom in gameplay and narrative that has rarely been attempted before.

If these games demonstrate anything, it is that our current hardware is more than capa-ble of handling what game studios can imag-ine. And if advancements are necessary, devel-opers should worry less about the technology and more about the narratives, characters and locations they design.

“BioShock,” “Assassin’s Creed” and “Mass Ef-fect” are all playing with narrative in unique methods that could only exist in games. More game designers should take this approach to their titles instead of worrying about how pretty a game looks. New consoles always elicit excitement, but with so much work left, de-velopers should learn to be satisfied with the opportunities currently available.

Jonathon Dornbush is arts editor. Email him at jdornbush@nyunews.com.

Current game consoles still offer innovation.vIa FLIckR

Mireille Enos plays Sarah Linden. cOURtESy OF amc

Idiot Glee played at LPR in March.vIa LEpOISSONROUgE.cOm

ThE NEw YoRk TImES cRoSSwoRD & DAILY SUDokU

Across

1 Norwegian city

5 Corrida shouts

9 Start of a carol

14 Proceed slowly

15 Explorer Marco

16 Mississippi, e.g.

17 “Othello” badguy

18 Port of Algeria

19 Modern Persian

20 Hint — first part

23 KLM competitor

24 Pres. Obama,once

25 Public hanging?

28 Magical dragon

31 Words of relief

36 Café lightener

38 Less’s opposite

40 Seating choice

41 Hint’s next part

44 Buddy List user

45 Father of a foal

46 Bumper blemish

47 Derisive looks

49 Bugler’s melody

51 Hogs’ enclosure

52 Surreal ending?

54 Tiny brain size

56 Last of the hint

65 Half a wolf’s cry

66 Daily delivery

67 Odd collection

68 From squareone

69 Old Dodgemodel

70 Lacking starch

71 Most egregious

72 Caught sight of

73 Glasgow lovely

Down

1 Boy of Mayberry

2 Serbian or Pole

3 Box in a theater

4 Secret targets?

5 Pogo and others

6 Actress Singer

7 Personal flair

8 Vocalizations

9 Eastern, in away

10 Mag.’s statistic

11 Nascar circuit

12 List on a laptop

13 Sandusky’s lake

21 Incessant talk

22 Grazing ground

25 False identity

26 Blathered away

27 Duke or duchess

29 Beau Brummells30 Mango and

guava32 Wasn’t truthful33 Hearth residue

34 Not be vertical

35 Short-tempered

37 You, in the Bible

39 Pound of poetry

42 Pain in the neck

43 Former airship

48 Opposite ofNNW

50 Filming locale

53 Internal notes

55 Coral reef isle

56 Melting period

57 Boss of fashion

58 Beam in abridge

59 Baseball stats

60 Facebook entry

61 Bit of dialogue

62 Director Kazan

63 Canyon locales

64 Absorbs, with“up”

Puzzle by Randall J. Hartman

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a creditcard, 1-800-814-5554.Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sundaycrosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS.AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visitnytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 pastpuzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

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47 48 49 50 51

52 53 54 55

56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

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68 69 70

71 72 73

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aPRil 5, 2012FRINGE

oPINIoNEDItED By Olivia GOnzalezOpINION@NyUNEWS.cOm

Surveillance of cell phones invades privacy

STaff eDiTORial

Society can reverse climate change By liz beRaS

You do not need to be a meteo-rologist to identify recent mer-curial changes in the weather. In New York, February 2012 was the warmest February since tem-peratures began to be recorded in 1870. Meanwhile, England is expe-riencing the worst drought in 30 years, and China is encountering heavy rainfall with rising temper-atures. Evidently, these changes stem from a much larger problem — climate change. Our planet is experiencing the impacts of cli-mate change and these impacts are becoming too loud to ignore any further.

Climate change was first noted in the 1970s, and the changes were called “Inadvertent Climate Modification.” Scientists were un-sure of the exact reason why — was it global cooling from indus-trial emissions of aerosol particles or global warming from increased greenhouse gas emissions? A few decades later, it appears that global warming is the winning contender. Scientists and politi-cians alike have made efforts to communicate the detrimental ef-fects climate change can have on our people and our planet. How-ever, public opinion about climate change in the United States ap-

pears to be as mercurial as climate change itself.

According to a study co-authored by J. Craig Jenkins, a professor of sociology at The Ohio State Uni-versity, political leaders play a key role in the American public opin-ion of climate change. A study of public opinion conducted from 2002 to 2010 found that “public belief that climate change was a threat peaked in 2006-07 when Democrats and Republicans in Congress showed the most agree-ment on the issue.” Public con-cern for climate change has since declined as “partisanship over the issue increased.” Despite the pal-pable evidence of climate change, Americans are more likely to base their concerns on the attitudes of their public leaders on the issue. This is a grave mistake. Whether Americans are in agreement or not, climate change is happening, and fast.

The current warming is rising at a rate unprecedented in the last 1,300 years; this is predominantly because of the rise in human- induced pollution. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, sea levels and temperatures are rising at alarming rates. For instance, in North America, there has been an increased frequency and intensity of heat waves; Latin America has

had significant changes in water availability; Europe has more fre-quent flooding from sea level ris-ing; Asia’s drying land impacts its crop availability; in Africa, access to food is increasingly compro-mised.

Although the changes seem ir-reversible, they can be slowed to restore nature’s balance. Our society has more potential than we realize to ameliorate the prob-lem, and the world’s citizens, cor-porations and governments must take action.

It is unacceptable that England, the land of umbrellas, is having a drought worse than any it has had in years. It is unacceptable that Africa is arguably the most “vulnerable continent to the im-pacts of global warming, despite being the least responsible for the pollution causing it,” accord-ing to the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. It is unacceptable that our political leaders decide to be environmentally conscious when it is convenient for their political agenda. And above all, it is unac-ceptable that the majority of our society witnesses and contributes to climate change but is doing ab-solutely nothing about it.

Liz Beras is a staff columnist. Email

GlObal WaRMinG

NyUNEWS.cOm | tUESDay, apRIL 3, 2012 | WaShINgtON SqUaRE NEWS 7

Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

Editorial Board: Olivia gonzalez (chair), atticus Brigham (co-chair), Sanchay Jain (co-chair),

chris DiNardo, Emily Franklin, matt kao, Ben miller, peter murphy and Richard Zhang.

Clementi case proves our insensitivityGay RiGhTS

By bRanDOn JacObi

Imagine your roommate just told you that he was going out for a while. With your few hours of newfound privacy, you put on a makeshift concert, dancing and lip syncing to your favorite Back-street Boys song while, unbe-knownst to you, your roommate is broadcasting the whole per-formance to your entire dorm. Pretty embarrassing, right? Now think of Tyler Clementi. His roommate spied on two separate sexual encounters with another male and aired them in a room down the hall. Unfortunately, this story has a sobering ending — Tyler jumped to his death just days after learning about this invasion of privacy. You’re prob-ably outraged at Tyler’s room-mate, Dharun Ravi, but truth be told, we as a society are just as guilty by creating an unwelcom-ing and hostile culture for gays in America.

Just recently, a jury found Ravi guilty on multiple charges includ-ing invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, but I believe our society should have been sitting right next to him in the defen-dant’s chair. There’s no doubt that what Ravi did was reprehensible,

and he probably booked his tick-et on the first thing smoking to hell, but America set the platform for Ravi’s actions. Although the gay community has made some strides in our society today, they are generally labeled as pariahs and outcasts. The fact that many gay people have to hide their true sexuality in fear of their families’ and friends’ reactions is a testa-ment to how unwelcomed they are in the so-called melting pot of America.

And for what reason? Does the gay community run around with torches and pitchforks threaten-ing to kill us all? Do they in any way hinder our daily way of life? The answer is no. The problem is that anti-gay sentiment in America has been passed down from gen-eration to generation so we don’t know any better. We normalize gay jokes and allow offensive lan-guage to be tossed around in daily conversations with no recourse. This behavior continues the con-struction of the barrier hetero-sexual America has built to keep gays out.

Before we call for Ravi’s head, it’s time we look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we are truly accepting of gays. America has normalized anti-gay sentiment so much that

an outsider can listen in to any or-dinary conversation and probably label any of us as homophobes. We may empathize with Tyler’s story, but our insensitivity and ig-norance caused his death just as much as anything. The fact is Ravi put the target on Clementi’s back, but society aimed at it.

We have a fear of the unknown, and a lot of people don’t even take the time to get to know anyone in the gay community. My best friend at NYU is gay and he is one of the brightest, most caring people I have ever met. I admire the fact that he is openly gay and doesn’t care what others think. Knowing people like him makes me realize the fight for gay acceptance isn’t just right, it’s necessary.

So now we have come to an im-passe where it’s time to make a choice. Are we going to continue this vicious cycle of normaliz-ing homophobia to future gen-erations, or are we going to teach them homosexuals deserve to be accepted and recognized as ordi-nary, functional members of our communities? The choice is yours; I just hope you choose wisely.

Brandon Jacobi is a contributing columnist. Email him at opinions@nyunews.com.

As if the burst of the dot-com bubble didn’t revolutionize expectations of privacy enough, police tracking of cell phones has cast doubt on notions of what counts as a legal search. The tracking of personal cell phones has become a stan-dard practice in many law enforcement groups across the country.

According to The New York Times, cell phone companies have also profited from the increased surveillance by imposing many surveillance fees. It is surprising considering the legal attention garnered by these technology-related cases that the practice of police phone tracking is still so ubiquitous. Supporters of police tracking are attempting to establish an appropriate balance between safety and privacy.

Submitting to a legal search should re-quire something more than the simple ownership of a cell phone with GPS ca-pabilities. Otherwise, the fourth amend-ment will lose even more traction.

Police phone surveillance carries echoes of the 2006 wiretapping scandal that re-volved around the Patriot Act. The Su-preme Court tackled a similar issue with the 2010 GPS cases and ruled that a war-rant must be obtained before conducting similar tracking practices. The crux of this legal issue (and those associated with sim-ilar modern devices) is that the law has simply not caught up with advancements in technology.

The opportunity for businesses to impose surveillance fees is lucrative and incen-tivises adherence to law enforcement sur-veillance policies. Retroactive immunity passed after the wiretapping scandal al-lows these companies to profit from illegal searches relatively unscathed. Even if the advancement of many technological inno-vations is contingent upon the renuncia-tion of privacy, this does not mean that law enforcement groups should act in defiance of the Supreme Court’s GPS decision.

The gaps in the tech age law leave one question unanswered for most Americans: Are cell phone users losing their right to get lost?

8 WaShINgtON SqUaRE NEWS | tUESDay, apRIL 3, 2012 | NyUNEWS.cOm

SPoRTS EDItED By Daniel hinTOn SPORTS@nyUneWS.cOM

Almost time to play ball in New York

WrestleMania XVIII delivers on biggest night of year

By cOle Riley

The Mets and Yankees both break north this week to be-gin their seasons, and with Opening Day approaching, here’s a look at how their seasons should look.

new york yankeesGeneral Manager Brian Cash-

man had two goals this offsea-son: to fill out the starting ro-tation and to replace long-time Yankee great Jorge Posada, who retired after last year. In Janu-ary, the Yankees sent prized catching prospect Jesus Monte-ro to the Seattle Mariners for 6-foot-7 Dominican flame-thrower Michael Pineda. Pine-da went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 2011, but disputing reports claimed he could either open this year as the No. 2 starter or land with the Yanks’ Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This media speculation — along with the rest of the New York feeding frenzy — flustered Pineda. He showed up to camp overweight, and after several disappointing spring training starts, he has landed on the 15-day DL with shoulder soreness to open the season.

Perennial Cy Young candidate CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and newly acquired Hiroki Kuroda will anchor the pitching staff. Other potential starters are Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia and 39-

year-old Andy Pettitte, who re-turns for his 14th season in pin-stripes. This rotation has many question marks as Kuroda, who came over from the Dodgers on a one-year/$10M deal, must acquaint himself to American League hitters and the tumultu-ous schedule that lies in the AL East. Nova faces a predictable sophomore slump while Hughes is an injury-prone model of in-consistency. The bullpen, how-ever, is possibly the best in the league. David Robertson, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera headline a 1-2-3 punch that can shutdown any offense.

Cashman grabbed Raul Ibanez off the free agent market to re-place now-retired Jorge Posada in the Yankees’ lineup. The 39-year-old has decent power, can play in the outfield and, if healthy, would certainly be an improvement. The rest of the starting lineup is the same as 2011. Sluggers like Curtis Granderson (41 HRs, 119 RBIs, .552 slugging percentage) and Robinson Cano (28 HRs, 118 RBIs, .533 slugging percentage) will have to replicate last sea-son’s production, and a healthy Alex Rodriguez could balance the stat sheet. Overall, the offense is still one of the most potent in the Majors and, surprisingly, it remains overlooked.

The Bombers can rest assured that they’ll secure a postseason berth, especially with the new playoff format in effect this year. As their AL East rivals, the Tam-pa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, show huge weaknesses entering

the regular season, New Yorkers can also plan to claim the divi-sion crown. But when pitching becomes a priority in October, the Yanks will flounder with only one dependable option on the mound in Sabathia.

new york MetsThe Mets’ era of mediocrity

will most likely continue into 2012. The departures of Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan, the unknown health situations of stars Johan Santana and David Wright, the abysmal bullpen and the inevitability of the Mets counting on R.A. Dickey to throw 200-plus innings is all tough to swallow.

The Mets’ brass has not im-proved the team fundamentally, internally or with free agent sign-ings, so another losing season is on the horizon. But not all is bleak for Mets fans. This season, the aura of “if” will drive inter-est in this particular squad.

The Metropolitans could be ex-citing and somewhat successful if Santana stays healthy, starting right fielder Lucas Duda breaks out with 25-plus home runs, Ja-son Bay can take advantage of the outfield fences being brought in by over ten feet and power lefty Jonathon Niese can log 150-plus innings and 10 wins.

Yet for 2012, in all likeli-hood, expect this Mets team to be blown up prior to the trade deadline. Assets like Wright, Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy could warrant multiple prospects for

contenders in need of one more piece to their championship puzzles. An under-the-radar trade rumor includes Wright to the Red Sox for third baseman Kevin Youkilis and a pitching prospect.

With the Philadelphia Phillies stacked with stars, the Atlanta Braves deep with young talent, the Miami Marlins reloaded

with marquee free agent sign-ings and the young Washington Nationals ready to take the next step, the New York Mets will be left in last place, trying desper-ately to break 70 wins to calm the collective self-esteem of a broken fanbase.

Cole Riley is a deputy sports editor. Email him at criley@nyunews.com.

By Daniel hinTOn

Last night, more than 73,000 fans at SunLife Stadium in Miami, Fla., and over one million households watched WrestleMania xxVIII, the biggest annual event in wrestling. The three most anticipated match-es — The Rock vs. John Cena, CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho and the Un-dertaker vs. Triple H — turned out to be the best moments by far and made Sunday one of the best nights for the WWE in a long time.

With the Undertaker’s perfect re-cord at WrestleMania on the line, a rematch between him and Triple H with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee had the potential to be legendary, and it definitely was a historical event. The Undertaker suffered brutal hits from a sledge-hammer and a chair and survived a Sweet Chin Music by the Heart-break Kid and a Pedigree by Triple H. When the Undertaker performed a second Tombstone Piledriver and pinned Triple H for his 20th con-secutive victory at WrestleMania, the crowd went crazy. By the end

of the match, Triple H had to be carried off by the Undertaker and Michaels while the legendary wres-tlers respectfully embraced the moment together.

The second-best match of the night was the WWE Champion-ship bout between reigning cham-pion CM Punk and Chris Jericho. This match featured the best feud of the night, as Jericho and Punk are two of the nastiest trash- talkers in wrestling. Punk seemed to be destined for defeat but forced Jericho to tap out with an Anacon-da Vice. After defending his title in a great match, Punk can contin-ue his rise toward becoming the biggest and best wrestler in the WWE. He’s one of the few stars that is genuinely interesting and worth watching for both hardcore and casual fans.

One of the most anticipated main events in years featured wrestling’s current big star, John Cena, versus all-time great The Rock, who returned to the WWE from Hollywood. This match had been hyped for an entire year and,

surprisingly, met sky-high expec-tations. What the match lacked in technique, it definitely made up for in excitement. Fans erupted when The Rock suddenly got up to pin Cena with his signature Rock Bot-tom move. Cena has received a lot of hate from older fans, and boos rained down during his entrance. The Rock should have won simply because most of the fans wanted him to, and now Cena should take advantage of this opportunity to reinvent himself since fans will respect him for suffering a clean defeat at the hands of a legend.

Sports entertainment, especially a pay-per-view event, rarely meets expectations. This time, the WWE didn’t get everything right, but it perfectly executed the fights that mattered most. During the upcoming 12-month build-up to WrestleMania xxIx, the stars and storylines must continue to deliver like they did on Sunday.

Daniel Hinton is sports editor. Email him at dhinton@nyunews.com. John Cena fought The Rock at WrestleMania xxVIII.

vIa WIkIpEDIa

New York Mets’ David Wright suffered from a side muscle injury. cOURtESy OF kEIth aLLISON