Vol. 41, No. 102 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 nyunews.com

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWSNYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

Panel debates US health care policy

Montaditos brings Old World dining experience to New York

Spears struggles to find emotional balance

DANIEL COLE/WSN

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

By NIKOLAS REDA-CASTELAO

For anyone who has ever desired the feeling of Spanish luxury and authentic flavor or the baroque ambience of a different world, all the while never having to leave the convenience of your home, there is solace. A new franchise branch 100 Montaditos has opened on Bleecker Street, and is the first of its kind in New York.

The franchise started in Spain in 2000. Since then, 100 Montaditos has rapidly expanded, with the goal of creating a casual yet classy

dining experience that introduces its American patrons to a new seg-ment of Spanish cuisine.

“Americans’ perception of Spanish cuisine is largely limited to tapas,” said Carlos Perez Tenorio, CEO of 100 Montaditos US. “By bringing 100 Montaditos to New York City, the epicenter of dining, we are in-troducing a whole new aspect of Spanish culture to this country.”

The restaurant opens up to a bar with a couple of parlor seats, but as patrons walk through the traditional atmosphere, the diner leads into a large seating room

decorated with vintage photos and plasma screen TVs at each corner. The room is not tight nor is it too spacious — rather, it is snug with the warmth of a holiday dinner.

But, of course, the experience lies wholly in the dining. To order, there is a small sheet where you jot down the number of the sand-wich and the amount you desire — there are close to a hundred differ-ent sandwiches — which you hand to the register. Your platter will emerge with a festival of small, as-

MONTADITOS cont’d on PG. 4

STORY on PG. 7

Syria should spark UN actionThe UN Security Council must intervene in Syria because of human rights violations.

VIA FACEBOOK.COM STORY on PG. 5

‘Fast’ franchise should continueDespite Paul Walker’s death, the “Fast & Furious” films should not stop production.

VIA FLICKR.COM STORY on PG. 4

Celebrate with sweet apple pieIn honor of National Applie Pie Day, learn to bake your own apple pie with WSN’s recipe.

By ANJANA SREEDHAR

Almost 50 students gath-ered to hear an interdisciplin-ary health care discussion sponsored by the College of Arts and Science’s College Cohort Program’s Academic Inquiry Committee.

The panel discussion, which took place Dec. 2, in-cluded perspectives on uni-versal health care from poli-tics professor Patrick Egan, biology professor Patrick Eichenberger, anthropology professor Todd Disotell and international law professor Fakiha Khan.

The panelists engaged in a dialogue about how dif-ferent factors affect the way health care is viewed in America, especially since the

Affordable Care Act was re-cently put into practice and still causes political debates.

CAS sophomore Matthew Hammen, who moderated the discussion, said with the implementation of the ACA, the cohort program thought the topic would in-terest students.

“We wanted to organize something that students could actually learn something new from,” Hammen said.

A theme of the discussion was the American emphasis of individualism and how that changes the view of the government controlling the health care system.

Egan said part of the rea-son Americans value indi-

HEALTH cont’d on PG. 3

By JAKE FOLSOM

“Britney Jean” is an album divided.

Whereas Britney Spears’ last several LPs (“Femme Fa-tale,” “Circus,” “Blackout”) felt like cohesive works with overarching ideas, “Britney Jean” feels like a collection of clashing ideas in search of a singular product.

In promotional interviews leading up to “Britney Jean,” the pop star built up hype by labeling the album an “intensely personal” one. Considering the critical suc-cess of 2007’s intimate and confessional “Blackout,” this seemed to bode well for the

success of “Britney Jean.” However, the album is ulti-mately only confessional in the way that “Blackout” was.

True, the standout tracks on the album are often those that feel slow and re-flective — “Alien” and “Per-fume” are especially memo-rable — but the high energy tracks would feel more at home on 2011’s EDM party “Femme Fatale.”

“Tik Tik Boom” is catchy and fun, and it recalls the droning hook of recent Spears classic “Womanizer” for its use of repetition. But a chorus as simple as “Better

BRITNEY cont’d on PG. 5

100 Montaditos’s New York location offers a variety of options for its signature dish at low prices.

ON THE SIDE COMPILED BY THE WSN STAFF

2 WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM

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

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

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PHOTOS VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG

PHOTOS:EIFFEL TOWER - JONATHAN TAN/WSN | INTERVIEW - VIA FLICKR.COM |

BOBST - JONATHAN TAN/WSN | MOVIE - VIA FLICKR.COM | WRITING - VIA FLICKR.COM

Amanda I @Amanduhhhh37

So NYU rented out the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower for our Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes NYU is cool

like that. #nyu #paris #studyabroad

Elizabeth@5elizabethgrace

“I’d be so hype to interview with you.” A response I’ve just

received. #sohype #nyu

Daniel Ratcliffe@Daniel_NYU

The Bobst Library will be my home for the next

two weeks. #finals #nyu #gradschoolproblems

Ashley@AshleyDreece

When you watch a 2 1/2 hour movie for class. Finish it. And still don’t understand wtf just

happened. #nyu

Bonnie Dugan@BonnieDoogs

Just poured my heart out to my online #NYU class about my struggles writing my first novel. Sometimes, it’s about

laying it all on the table

“Baby One More Time”“Hold It Against Me”

“Stronger”“Work Bitch”

“Gimme More”“Lucky”

“Til the World Ends”“Perfume”

“Toxic”“Piece of Me”

“I’m a Slave 4 U”“Oops!... I Did It Again”

By JAKE FOLSOM

It has been 15 years since Britney Spears broke through to the top of the charts with her breakout single “Baby One More Time,” but since then, Spears has become a radio favorite and pop royalty in her own right. With her forthcoming LP “Britney Jean,” it seems like a good time to look back on the singer’s biggest hits to gain a better context for her new songs.

NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS 3

CAS cohort organizes panel discussion on US public views on health

care, Affordable Care Act

HEALTH continued from PG. 1

viduality is because many are immigrants who came from oppressive governments.

“Historically, we’ve been fiercely protective of our right to self-rule,” Egan said.

Eichenberger, a former resident of Switzerland, said Swiss people are also independent, but are able to implement universal health care.

“We’re not a socialist country by any means, we’re very conservative,” Eichenberger said. “Univer-sal health care is not con-tested because it works.”

Disotell said some do not want to discuss the respon-sibility of making personal health decisions and edu-cating themselves about health choices.

“If we’re going to be rug-ged individualists, we also have to be responsible,” Disotell said. “Health care

has to be holistic.”Khan introduced the

idea of health care as a hu-man right and said many Americans are not com-fortable with that idea.

“There is a fear that if we give the government the right to give us health care, we give it the right to control our lives,” Khan said.

CAS sophomore Benja-min Goh said panelists provided a variety of per-spectives about health care issues.

“People get very emotio-nal about it, and they end up creating self-serving jus-tifications from there de-pending on whether they agree or disagree,” Goh said. “It was a good event to get a deeper understanding of the whole problem.”

Anjana Sreedhar is a contributing writer. Email her at news@nyunews.com.

Students organized the panel as part of the College Cohort programming.

VIA NYU.EDU

Panelists consider problems, progress of Israeli society

By ANN SCHMIDT The NYU School of Law hosted

three prestigious Israeli leaders for the Center on Law and Securi-ty’s panel Israel, From the Inside Out. The panel, which was moder-ated by Leon Wieseltier, the liter-ary editor at The New Republic, included three panelists — re-tired Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch, Council on Foreign Relations Dis-tinguished Fellow Stanley Fischer and NYU Law professor Moshe Halbertal. Beinisch, Fischer and Halbertal discussed their experi-ences and thoughts on current is-sues within Israel.

Zach Goldman, executive di-rector of the Center on Law and Security, said the purpose of the event was to better understand the domestic politics of Israel.

“The Middle East strategic pic-ture has been changing rapidly in the last weeks and months,” Gold-man said. “And the strategic ori-entation of Israel is a key compo-nent of those shifts in the public discussion of those issues.”

Fischer, who was also the former governor of the Bank of Israel and a former top official at both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, spoke about the current economic status of Israel.

“If you’re a macroeconomist, which I am, [Israel’s economy] is a significant success story for a country with a per capita about two-thirds of the United States,” Fischer said.

Fischer also discussed some of the current problems with Israel’s society in terms of its demograph-ics, growing economic inequality and increased property value.

“All these problems are interre-lated,” Fischer said. “And they re-late to the education system and how it’s structured.”

Beinisch, the president of the Supreme Court of Israel from 2006 to 2012, explained how she views the judiciary branch in the Israeli government.

“The role of the court in a dem-ocratic society is to protect the rights,” Beinisch said. “It is an independent judicial system. It is an apolitical judicial system.”

Beinisch said these apolitical qualities help maintain democ-racy and justice in the complex Israeli society.

“Our courts have the power to be so important and relevant in our society because we have so many problems because of the composi-tion of our society,” Beinisch said.

Halbertal said the various

groups of people in Israel under-stand the necessity for an agree-ment, but the lack of trust among them could hinder the process.

“This is a complex problem,” Hal-bertal said. “This will have an impact on the very identity of the state.”

Laurent Wiesel, 36, said he found the panelists’ discussion about the sense of detachment in the lives of the Israelis and the large political issues to be impor-tant subjects.

“Politically, if Israeli people are not motivated in some way to change the status quo, then, in a functioning democracy, there wouldn’t be the kind of pressure on the politicians to make the big deci-sions that most people understand need to be made,” Wiesel said.

Ann Schmidt is a staff writer. Email her at news@nyunews.com.

The Center of Law and Security hosted three panelists to discuss their perspective on current events in Israel.

VIA FLICKR.COM

Healy discusses ‘Great Dissent,’ free speech caseBy LARSON BINZER

Seton Hall law professor Thomas Healy discussed his book “The Great Dis-sent” with a small crowd in the NYU Journalism Insti-tute on Dec. 2.

The book tells the story of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ dissent in Abrams v. Uni-ted States (1919), in which he wrote against the ma-jority opinion that con-firmed the constitutional-ity of the Espionage Act.

Journalism professor Ste-phen Solomon asked Healy to speak at NYU after reading his book when it was released in August. Solomon also as-signed the book as home-work for his First Amend-ment honors seminar.

“[Students should read this book] because Justice Holmes wrote an opinion that put forth the first modern interpretation of the First Amendment,” Solomon said. “So it was a

major departure from what had come in the past.”

Healy gave a brief back-ground of the book and ex-plained how Holmes trans-formed from someone disagreeing with a broad interpretation of freedom of speech into one of free speech’s key advocates and initiators.

Healy said this change of mind resulted from young, prominent men lobbying for free speech at the time. He also stated Holmes was angry that his friend was punished for speaking freely about the Boston Po-lice Strike, which Holmes’ friend said was the police commissioner’s fault.

“Holmes’ opinion marked not just a personal trans-formation, but the start of a national transformation,” Healy said in a phone inter-view before the event.

“It’s important to under-stand that we have the free speech rights we have to-day as a result of struggle

and as a result of the efforts that people made to help us understand the value of free speech,” Healy added.

During the question-and-answer session after the lecture, a student asked if Healy thought Holmes would have been recognized as one of the greatest judges in Ameri-can history had he not written that dissent.

“I think it’s possible he would be remembered kind of negatively [had he not written the dissent] as a judge who basically always deferred to the ma-jority,” Healy said.

Healy also elaborated on Holmes’ past and how he uncovered the informa-tion abou the Supreme Court justice.

CAS freshman Sean Mc-Cready, who is enrolled in Solomon’s seminar, said the discussion expanded on what Healy had talked about in his previous visit to the class.

“The [question and an-swer] really gave a lot more insight into his opinions of what the case meant and what Holmes’ general opin-ion on free speech meant,” McCready said.

While the book could also pertain to the politi-cal sphere, Solomon said it is especially important to journalism students because

it shows the origins of their freedom of speech rights in terms of court cases.

“Here, we’re journalists, and what the book is about is the great decision about the history of freedom of the press,” Solomon said.

Larson Binzer is a staff writer. Email her at news@nyunews.com.

Thomas Healy discussed his book, “The Great Dissent.” VIA FACEBOOK.COM

UNDER THE ARCH

At a global university like NYU, it may feel that adventures can only happen by traveling

abroad. But so often, the next adventure is

just around the corner.

This week on wsnunderthearch.

com, we’re exploring new places and new perspectives. We’ve

sent our writers to barely traveled roads and

secret rooms around campus, hopefully

encouraging you to find your own adventure.

NYU is a big place, you never know where you’ll suddenly find yourself.

4 WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM

DINING EDITED BY DANIEL YEOM DINING@NYUNEWS.COM

sorted sandwiches, but do not be deceived, they are tasty and more filling than you would imagine. A personal recommendation would be one of their house specialties, anything with chorizo (a rich Ibe-rian sausage) or jamón.

Each sandwich offers its own brand of savory flavor. For custom-ers, though, choosing from nearly a hundred options can be over-whelming. Yet, at $1 to $2.50 a pop, it isn’t pricey to experiment.

The bread, imported straight from Spain, is the perfect com-bination of crispy and fluffy. The espresso has a distinctive twang and invigorating kick to it.

Margaret Saunders, a CAS junior who has visited the 100 Montadi-tos in Spain, claimed its new New York City location is much better, in terms of the food quality.

“It’s funny, actually,” Saunders said. “The food here is much bet-ter at this one than the one I went to in Spain. And it really felt like Spain, too.”

100 Montaditos at 176 Bleecker St. is now open and will shortly be running their operations until 4 a.m. for any late-night snackers. Go and explore the old world.

Nikolas Reda-Castelao is a staff writer. Email him at dining@nyunews.com.

Montatidos brings authentic Spanish flavors to New York City

MONTADITOS continued from PG. 1

Montaditos opened its first NYC location on Bleecker St. last week. DANIEL COLE/WSN

Savor Apple Pie Day with homemade cooking

By BRENDA LIU

Dec. 3 is National Apple Pie Day. Celebrate with a delicious slice of homemade apple pie packed with warm, wintery flavors.

Ingredients

6 to 7 Apples2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice3 tablespoon cornstarch1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon nutmeg2/3 cup brown sugar1/4 cup granulated sugar1 egg1 tsp. butter3 tablespoon all-purpose flour1 pie crust (Pillsbury

refrigerated pie crust)1 pastry cloth

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start with the fillingPeel and core the apples,

then cut them into 3/4-inch slices. Mix the apples with the lemon juice.

In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, sugar, cornstarch, a dash of cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

Lightly beat the egg with 1 teaspoon of water, then set the filling ingredients aside for now.

Making the coverRub 3 tablespoons of flour into

a pastry cloth, forming a circle. Roll the dough into a circle that should be about 1/8-inch thick with a 15-inch diameter.

Spread the egg and water mix-ture into the premade pie crust.

Putting it togetherCombine the sugar mix with

the apple slices and pour them in the pie pan. Press down to make sure they are compact.

Place 1 tablespoon of cold butter cubes into the mixture.

Gently place the sheet of dough over the filling to seal the pie. Make sure there is at least 3/4 of an inch of dough hanging over the edges.

Fold the top layer under the crust and press the two together.

Drip a little of cold water onto the top and sprinkle a bit of sugar to finish it off.

Poke a few holes in the pie crust with a knife to make sure the pie has enough ventilation.

BakingPlace the pie onto a metal pan

covered in aluminum to catch the juices that may leak while baking.

Bake until the top of the pie is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. This will take about an hour.

Cool the pie in the refrigera-tor for at least 5 hours, though preferably overnight, before serving. Heat it in the micro-wave if you want to eat it warm.

Brenda Liu is a contributing writer. Email her at dining@nyunews.com.

A slice of apple pie can be enjoyed chilled or heated.VIA FLICKR.COM

TOP5 Delicious foods, flavors to incorporate into December, holiday season recipes

By GIANNA COLLIER-PITTS

While most students are focused on final exams and freezing temperatures, we must remember the holi-days are quickly approach-ing. Stay in high spirits with a few classic Decem-ber snacks and staples.

PeppermintIt’s the season of candy

canes and all things red and white, so pay homage to this exquisite plant as much as possible. To take peppermint to the next level, add it to hot bever-

ages, such as tea or coffee, for an extra kick in the morning. If you happen to have extra candy canes lying around, sprinkle peppermint bits on top of cupcakes and brownies. It will add minty touch to holiday desserts.

CranberriesFor those who enjoy tart

flavors, this is a great time to try new combinations with this seasonal berry. Add dried cranberries to oatmeal or yogurt for a de-licious version of a break-fast favorite. If you have a

stove, cook fresh cranber-ries with sugar and a hint of orange zest for tangy relish, which tastes great when paired with peanut butter, allowing you to add a holiday twist to the tra-ditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

PumpkinNot tired of pumpkin af-

ter Thanksgiving? Still con-fused as to why most Amer-icans love this squash? Have a slice of pumpkin pie and you will quickly understand why. Although there are many ways to

integrate pumpkin into a meal, the best methods by far include pies, soups and the lesser known but equally delicious pump-kin ice cream or frozen yogurt. Though making it from scratch can be time consuming, 16 Handles of-fers a blend that will satisfy your pumpkin craving.

Cinnamon Cinnamon may be one

of the best spices to use, regardless of the time of year, but it is especially great in December. To satisfy a cinnamon-laden

apple pie craving, make apple crisp by simmering sliced apples with butter, sugar, a pinch of nutmeg and plenty of cinnamon. Be sure to grab a hot chai tea and sprinkle with a lit-tle cinnamon to increase the spiciness of the tea.

ChocolateWhile it’s not necessar-

ily tied to any particular month, chocolate makes for a rich and decadent December flavor. You can purchase the timeless choc-olate Santa Claus, or choco-late coins if you are cele-

brating Hanukkah. Nothing compares to hot cocoa on a cold December afternoon, and adding a bit of choco-late liqueur can transform the holiday favorite into an adult beverage with a tasty kick. For those who favor a bitter taste, substitute dark chocolate for milk choco-late to dip strawberries, oranges and even coffee beans if you need to keep up with finals without over-indulging.

Gianna Collier-Pitts is a staff writer. Email her at dining@nyunews.com.

PHOTOS VIA FLICKR.COM

NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS 5

ARTSEDITED BY JEREMY GROSSMANARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

make me tik tik tik tik tik tik boom/tik tik tik tik tik tik tik” is nowhere near as emotionally deep as Spears promised. But the lyrics on many of these tracks demonstrate Spears’ vulnerable side. On “Alien,” she sings with poignancy, “There was a time I was one of a kind.”

Much of the recent criticism of Spears targets her work on the will.i.am track “Scream & Shout,” which was lamented by fans and pop music critics alike for being obnoxious. As a result, many expressed con-cern in the weeks leading up to “Britney Jean” because of will.i.am’s considerable pres-ence on the album.

As it turns out, his contribution to the album is uneven but inof-fensive. While his featured track, “It Should Be Easy,” uses abra-sive electronics, as does “Scream & Shout,” he is also credited on “Til It’s Gone,” which has intri-cate beat drops that are up to par with the bangers of 2011’s super-lative “Femme Fatale.”

Spears superfans will be excited to see a duet with sister Jamie Lynn Spears on “Chillin’ With You.” The track is campy fun (“I drank some white wine/Now I’m walking on the sky”) with over-the-top fronting (“When I’m wit

chu I’m chilling/I’m chillin’ I’m chill”). But those hoping for an intimate look into the sisters’ re-lationship may be left wanting — the track is devoid of substantial personal detail.

While “Britney Jean” is not as cohesive as previous albums, it still often delivers. Tracks such as “Perfume,” “Alien,” “Til It’s Gone” and “Tik Tik Boom” in-clude exhilarating moments that would be at home on Spears’ pre-vious three standout albums.

Spears’ hardcore fans will de-light at each song on “Britney Jean,” but even more casual mem-bers of the Britney Army will find something to their liking.

Jake Folsom is music editor. Email him at jfolsom@nyunews.com.

Despite inconsistencies, fans will enjoy Spears’ latest album

BRITNEY continued from PG. 1

VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Four-actor production brings ‘Hamlet’ to profound success

Walker leaves behind powerful legacy on, off screenBy MOHAMED HASSAN and

DAVID LEIDY

From the moment the camera flashed onto Paul Walker in his Mitsubishi Eclipse in 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious,” kids around the world dreamed of attaining the perfect racing machine.

Walker, best known for his role in the “Fast & Furious” series, unfor-tunately passed away on Saturday because of a car crash in which Walker was in the passenger seat. Since then, fans, friends and various celebrities have been in mourning. Many have gathered at the crash site in Santa Clarita, Calif., leaving flowers and mementos at the makeshift memorial. Tyrese Gibson, actor and close friend of Walker,

visited the crash site and broke into tears among the vast sea of silent fans.

Off screen, Walker con-tributed to many chari-ties and started Reach Out

Worldwide, a charitable or-ganization that raises funds for those affected by the typhoon in the Philippines and other natural disasters.

Events like these are what

remind us of the fragil-ity of our own lives. These highly publicized tragedies provide us with the lesson that no matter how famous one may be, no matter how

young, caring or even how healthy, no one in this world is immune to death.

Controversy has sparked over whether Universal Stu-dios should continue the “Fast & Furious” franchise — it was recently announced that “Fast & Furious 7,” in which Walker was sched-uled to reprise his role as Brian O’Conner, has been de-layed rather than canceled.

Whether Universal should cancel the franchise is a trivial matter. Walker’s life stood for something much more important than that franchise itself. He’ll be re-membered for both his per-formances and his willing-ness and selflessness to give back to society solely for the good of helping the commu-nity. Unlike some celebrities, such as Sean Penn and Bono, Walker never publicized his endeavors to give back, nor

asked for attention or praise. The films should conti-

nue because, even though Walker played a major role in the series, there are many other cast and crew who were equally in-volved, and it would not be fair to their efforts to end it entirely because of one key actor’s death.

Nevertheless, he now lives on not only through the legacy he left behind in film and television but, most of all, through his loving, charismatic per-sonality offscreen which resonated deeply with ev-eryone who was fortunate enough to have met him. To continue the series is to continue that legacy.

Mohamed Hassan and David Leidy are staff writers. Email them at film@nyunews.com.

Paul Walker starred as Agent Brian O’Conner in five “Fast & Furious” films.VIA FACEBOOK.COM

By SARAH DOODY

“Hamlet” is not an easy show to perform. From the little old lady in the front row reciting “to be or not to be” along with the actor, to the more general problem of the audience know-ing exactly what will occur by the end of the show, “Hamlet” is fraught with chal-lenges. With at least 30 different charac-ters, “Hamlet” also requires a huge com-pany of actors — or at least that is the tradi-tional ensemble.

The Bedlam Comp-any has opened a four-person production of Shakespeare’s “Ham-let” at the Lynn Red-grave Theater in SoHo, running through 2014. Eric Tucker, who plays the Danish prince, conceived the produc-tion, which ran earlier this year in February at the Access Theater. It has the same amaz-ing cast as the first production, with Ed-mund Lewis, Andrus Nichols, Tom O’Keefe and Tucker himself.

The moment view-ers walk into the theater, they know they are not in for a traditional version of one of Shakespeare’s

most-produced plays. The stage is covered with chairs and the audience is free to choose their seat — on the stage.

The play starts in complete darkness, creating an unsettling environment for an au-dience unsure of where the action will take place. Then, the ac-tors slowly enter with only a flashlight, which is the sole source of light for most of the opening act. From the use of flashlights to the costumes, this is a minimalist version of “Hamlet.” While mini-malist Shakespeare is not a new idea, this version makes the con-ceit unique. Maybe it’s because so much of the action takes place in

and around the audi-ence, or maybe because there are so few actors. Whatever idea you con-sider, it makes for a thrilling show.

This minimalism also puts the acting center stage. Tucker’s Hamlet is a lovely, relatable version of the prince. He brings a human-ity to Hamlet that is sometimes left out of productions, and the power behind “Ham-let” is the play’s relat-ability. The plot re-volves around a prince afraid to act and follow his fate — a universal fear. We are all scared to follow our dreams, and Tucker’s perfor-mance taps into this known truth.

The idea of four peo-ple performing “Ham-

let” seems a bit insane. But somehow, Tucker’s production succeeds. He creates an excit-ing version that truly captures the essence of the play and of this well-known character. The production may be somewhat hard to follow for someone unfamiliar with the play, however — ac-tors suddenly jumping from one character to another could poten-tially be confusing. But for people who know the play, this is a wonderful production, and it makes for an incredibly enjoyable three hours.

Sarah Doody is a contributing writer. Email her at arts@nyunews.com.

PICK UP THE ARTS ISSUE: EXTRAVAGANCE

ON THURSDAY, DEC. 5

Edmund Lewis stars as one of only a quartet of actors in “Hamlet.”VIA FACEBOOK.COM

6 WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM

THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD & DAILY SUDOKU

ACROSS 1 “Ad ___

per aspera” (Kansas’ motto)

6 Fine pillow stuffing

11 Car with a checkered past?

14 Turkish money15 Parkinson’s

treatment16 Egg: Prefix17 Audibly

shocked18 Military muscle20 Sign of change

at the Vatican22 Prell rival 23 Ogle24 Ship slip25 RR stop26 Chief Norse

god28 Saffron and

ginger32 Functional lawn

adornment36 Per person

37 Word that can follow both halves of 18-, 20-, 32-, 40-, 54- and 57-Across

39 Plus40 Take every last

cent of42 Inflatable safety

device44 Curt denial45 10 Downing St.

residents46 Scoring 100 on49 One who keeps

plugging along53 Fade54 “Go” signal57 Using all of

a gym, as in basketball

59 Eagle’s home60 Network that

aired “Monk”61 007, for one62 News that may

be illustrated by a graph

63 Fictional detective ___ Archer

64 Like the north side of some rocks

65 ___ Park, Colo.

DOWN 1 “There oughta

be ___!” 2 “Alas” and “ah” 3 Curly hair or

hazel eyes 4 Haile Selassie

disciple 5 Bad-mouth 6 Actress Jenna

of “Dharma & Greg”

7 Moron 8 Almost any

character on “The Big Bang Theory”

9 Fencing blade10 Radio format11 Shrink in fear12 Deflect13 Word with

canal or control19 Place to

get free screwdrivers, say

21 Free throw, e.g.24 Said, as “adieu”26 “___ for

octopus”27 “Yeah, like

you have a chance!”

28 Regulatory inits. since 1934

29 ___ around with30 Winter driving

hazard31 Wide strait

32 Word of qualification

33 Priest’s garment

34 Org. with a prohibited-items list

35 Sharer’s opposite

38 Parisian assent41 Yule libation

43 Quarantine45 & 46 Quite bad

47 Effect’s partner48 Something

acquired by marriage?

49 Shore fliers50 Shore fixtures51 “Snowy” wader

52 ___ Valley, German wine region

54 ___ girl

55 Regrets

56 Senators Cruz and Kennedy

58 Machine part

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UN Security Council must end Syrian crimes

STAFF EDITORIAL

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Thailand prime minister must refocus efforts

Reproducability needs to be re-emphasizedSCIENCE

NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS 7

OPINIONEDITED BY RAQUEL WOODRUFFOPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

EDITORIAL BOARD: Raquel Woodruff (Chair),

Edward Radzivilovskiy (Co-chair), Peter Keffer (Co-chair),Harry Brown, Marcelo Cicconet, Christina Coleburn, Omar Etman,

Nina Golshan, Nickhil Sethi

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

By MARCELO CICCONET

Reproducibility is one of the main pillars of the scientific method. It refers to the degree to which scien-tists devise experiments and stud-ies that can be repeated by others while obtaining the same results. For instance, if a study proposes a drug for a certain disease, it must be tested many times before the medication can appear in drug-stores. Yet lately, there has been alarming news regarding this nec-essary practice.

In the past few months, a number of articles have discussed the prob-lem of reproducibility in science — a factor which has become less important in the scientific commu-nity. Writing for phys.org in Sep-tember, Fiona Fidler and Ascelin Gordon heralded a “reproducibility crisis.” An article in The Economist seconded this idea and emphasized how such a crisis harms science’s capability to correct itself.

Michael Hiltzik of The Los An-geles Times wrote a similar arti-cle at the end of October in which he cited a project from biotech-nology firm Amgen, which tried

to reproduce 53 important stud-ies on cancer and blood biology. Only six of these studies led to similar results. In another exam-ple, a company in Germany found only a quarter of the published research backing its research and development projects could be reproduced. These consequences severely impair the reputation of the scientific method.

The blame for this emerging crisis should be shared between both sci-entists and the general media. Read-ers desire novelty, and journalists are eager to cater to them, which leads to science news focusing more on new and exciting discoveries rather than on the important ques-tion of how reproducible each study is. Indeed, Hiltzik observed that “re-searchers are rewarded for splashy findings, not for double-checking accuracy.” The fault within the sci-

entific community is that research quality is measured essentially by the popularity of the study, rather than its reproducibility.

One initiative to solve the problem is to create a reproducibility index attached to journals. In computer science, researcher Jake Vanderplas proposed that the code used to pro-duce the results should be well-doc-umented, well-tested and publicly available. Vanderplas convincingly argues that this “is essential not only to reproducibility in modern scientific research, but to the very progression of research itself.”

Scientific journals should pro-vide tools to easily discern the reproducibility of a study. Accom-panying data, software code and reproducibility indexes — in ad-dition to the main manuscript — should all be mandatory. Rather than imposing an extra burden on researchers, these additions would facilitate the validation and com-parison of results, speeding up the pace in which important — and popular — discoveries are made.

Marcelo Cicconet is a staff columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.

By KENNY KYUNGHOON LEE

History is repeating itself in Thai-land, as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra fails to address a decade-long political division in the country.

On Sunday, Dec. 1, around 30,000 protesters launched a people’s coup, swarming state agencies and forcing the prime minister to flee. When Shinawatra won the elec-tion in a landslide victory in 2011, she promised to heal deep political divisions caused by the tumultu-ous previous decade. But the cur-rent crisis is stark evidence that not much has been achieved so far.

The prime minister seems to have lost interest in keeping her campaign promise. She has fo-cused instead on trying to exon-erate her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who served as prime minister until being overthrown in 2006. Early last month, she at-tempted to pass a bill that would pardon almost anyone facing crim-inal and corruption charges from the political turmoil between 2004 and 2010. This bill was rejected by the Senate because of heavy criti-cism that it had been originally

crafted to pardon her brother, a businessman who faces a jail term for corruption if he ever returns to Thailand. Her attempt to rush this bill through the legal system gave the opposition party a solid pre-text to revitalize anti-government protests. Unsurprisingly, anti-gov-ernment protests supported by the opposing party have spread like wildfire since this incident.

The current unrest primarily re-sults from her misinterpretation of public mood. Unlike residents in rural areas who have benefited from populist policies, the educa-ted middle class in urban locations are not willing to forgive the prime minister’s brother. Thailand has suffered from political violence for a decade, and many people still fear the time when he used popu-list mandates to crack down on the

opposition. Although Thailand has enjoyed relative political stabil-ity until recently, people have not fully recovered from the trauma of the early 2000s. The ruling party’s attempt to push through the am-nesty bill was a striking reminder of the populist chaos of those days. The violent backlash against the bill and the administration that drafted it was inevitable.

Instead of restoring her fam-ily’s fortune and fame, Shinawatra should focus more on reducing political polarization in her coun-try. Prolonged political turmoil will interrupt economic growth and undermine the stability of her administration. Even if she over-comes this challenge, any small dis-ruption would start another cycle of protests and government crises while the Thai population remains deeply divided. It will take years of work to heal the wounds from past conflicts, but the current political unrest is reversing the work that has been done so far.

Kenny Kyunghoon Lee is a staff columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.

Yesterday, the Office of the United Nations High Com-missioner for Human Rights reported that an inquiry has produced “massive evidence” of individual responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. Com-missioner Navi Pillay indicated responsibility “at the high-est level of government, including the head of state.” This is the first time President Bashar al-Assad has been directly implicated by a report from the OHCHR, and it is a valu-able opportunity for the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

Syria has signed the Rome Statute of the ICC but, cru-cially, is among the countries that have not ratified it. This means that for the ICC to have jurisdiction over Syrian nationals, all five members of the Security Council must pass a resolution referring the crisis in Syria to the court. Unfortunately, it is likely that China and Russia will veto any such action. The humanitarian concerns at the heart of international dealings with Syria are at odds with China and Russia’s national interest. Both nations have vetoed three proposed resolutions on Syria. If they approve the decision to send Syria to the ICC, they legitimize a process that potentially threatens their sovereignty and brings into question their own human rights abuses.

The death toll in Syria has risen to over 125,000, with millions more displaced from their homes. Despite these staggering numbers, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fai-sal Mekdad derided Pillay’s comments — “She has been talking nonsense for a long time and we don’t listen to her.” In spite of this contempt, a substantive response de-livered through the ICC is the key to guaranteeing the delivery of justice. The indictment of Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadžic did not at all impede the peace process. A trial of Assad would be an essential component of a solution to the Syrian conflict.

While the ICC will only be able to try a few key officials for the widespread crimes afflicting the Syrian people, it is the most tenable method of investigating and pros-ecuting the leaders responsible. In January of last year, the Security Council received a letter from Switzerland on behalf of 58 countries urging an ICC referral of the situation in Syria. The ICC alone does not have the power to end the atrocities in Syria, but a Security Council deci-sion to support ICC jurisdiction is the critical first step in holding perpetrators of some of the worst human rights crimes accountable to their actions.

8 NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

SPORTS EDITED BY FRANCISCO NAVASSPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Chandler’s absence directly causes Knicks’ poor performances

By CHRIS MARCOTRIGIANO

If you look at the New York Knicks today, it is difficult to fathom how this is largely the same team that reached the East-ern Conference semifinals last season. In their first 16 games, the Knicks have registered an abysmal 3-13 record.

The Knicks’ problems are not too difficult to ascertain. First of all, the Knicks have been without their 7-foot center Tyson Chan-dler for the past 12 games. Chan-dler suffered a knee injury in the Knicks’ fourth game of the season against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Chandler brings three irre-placeable qualities to this Knicks team. He is one of the league’s superior defenders, having won the Defensive Player of the Year award last year. He provides a stout inside presence on the de-fensive end and denies scorers an easy path to the basket. His offensive rebounding prowess is also a huge indication of his tal-ent and qualities that have ben-efitted the team.

This gives the Knicks much-needed second-chance scoring

opportunities which they have sorely lacked in his absence. Most intangibly, Chandler’s leadership on the court contributes to the team’s success. Most of the time, he seems to ensure players main-tain defensive intensity or stay pos-itive after a missed opportunity. In short, he is the Knicks’ floor gen-eral and that is not an easy role to fill on short notice.

Defense has proven to be a prob-lem for the Knicks as well, and this has only been exacerbated by Chandler’s absence. Too often, op-posing players are left open to hit three pointers, or a point guard is given free passage to the hoop. This demoralizes the team and provides their opponents with momentum. It will continue to be a crucial point for head coach Mike Woodson, who many con-sider a great defensive tutor.

Another problem the Knicks have faced is a sudden ineptitude in shooting three pointers. This was a staple of their offense last year. But the three-point offense has dried up just as the Knicks struggle defensively this year.

This is a recipe for disaster, as missed threes often lead to

fast-break points for the oppo-nent, yet another area where the Knicks have been victimized.

All hope is not lost. There are 82 games in a season and the Knicks certainly have the talent to turn it around. Chandler’s imminent return will certainly help that cause. However, if the Knicks continue to sputter, look for the front office to make changes. These could range from a trade to a different head coach.

Chris Marcotrigiano is deputy sports editor. Email him at cmarcotrigiano@nyunews.com.

NYUNEWS.COM

Tyson Chandler tips off against a member of the Wizards.

VIA FLICKR.COM