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The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2006/04/20/rainer-marias-catastrophe-keeps-us-together/)

April 20, 2006

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Rainer Maria's Catastrophe Keeps Us Together

By | April 20, 2006

In the opening lines of “Catastrophe,” the first track of Rainer Maria’s new album Catastrophe Keeps Us Together, lead singer Caithlin De Marrais croons about the impending disaster that will result as the world falls apart and I immediately groaned, “please, no emo.” But just when I thought I was doomed, I suddenly heard a twinge of optimism: “I’m going to find you at the end … of the world.”

“Catastrophe” sets the tone for the rest of the album, which swirls in a cauldron of moroseness that is neither sulky nor depressing but almost magically tender and in its simplicity. Unlike the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs’s album, which becomes awash in overproduction, the group doesn’t let its first big studio release compromise De Marrais breathy voice, nor the rawness of Kyle Fischer’s guitar work. Even if you aren’t a fan of similar groups like Rilo Kiley, you will almost certainly appreciate the beauty and intricateness of this album.

Archived article by Jonny Lieberman
Associate Arts and Entertainment Editor

Related

Police, Local Officials Plan Slope Day Tactics

By April 21, 2006

While Cornell students enjoy springtime in Ithaca, a group of local government officials, small-business owners and police officers are working to ensure these students’ safe relaxation.
These community members gave a bullet-point summary of the extensive planning that supports end-of-semester fun at the Collegetown Neighborhood Council meeting yesterday at St. Luke’s Church.
The Cornell University Police Department and Ithaca Police Department’s tactics for managing an estimated 15,000 Cornell students and their guests will change this Slope Day due to the alt-rock style of Ben Folds, which is a sharp contrast to the hip-hop style of Snoop Dogg.
A representative from the CUPD expects a much calmer crowd.
“People may want to pre-party before coming to the slope to make it more exiting,” a CUPD representative said.
She expects a large influx of people from the slope into Collegetown during the change in bands.
“We also hope to deal with the issue of high school students standing along the fence at the top of the slope,” said the CUPD representative.
No one under 18 is allowed on the slope.
Leigh Ulrich, the owner of Ruloff’s, plans to “hire more doormen to keep people who have had too much to drink from coming in.”
Slope Day Programming Board Chairman Jon Bellante gave a short history of Slope Day. This year marks the second Slope Day for which guests must pre-purchase tickets. Previous Slope Day music artists include Kanye West and Fat Joe.
For this Slope Day, according to Bellante, gates will open at noon, Acceptance will take the stage at 1:30, Talib Kweli at 2:45 and Ben Folds around 4:00. Slope Fest will span the entire day.
The focus of the meeting soon shifted from Slope Day to Tompkins County-wide issues as Nathan Shinagawa ’05 (D-District 4), who was sworn in as County Legislator Jan. 3, spoke about what he has done and is planning to do in his term. According to Shinagawa, one of the most direct relationships between Tompkins County and Collegetown is solid waste management, such as recycling.
Shinagawa said that he has been working on reducing the cost of air travel between Ithaca and New York City. He also has been developing internships – some of which pay up to $15 per hour – to get students involved in county government.
Shinagawa’s election platform included the extension of bar closing times until 2 A.M.
According to Shinagawa, a 2 A.M. closing time could “alleviate safety concerns in the Collegetown area but exacerbate them in areas like the South Hill.”
Shinagawa plans to lobby with Cornell Democrats to push back the closing time. Work on extending bar hours is planned to go into full swing in August 2006.
An update on the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association’s Collegetown Clean-up, now also known as the Day of Demeter, was also given at the meeting. The project involves 200 to 300 members of the Greek community. The IFC and PanHel plan to install window flower boxes on the store fronts of four to five Collegetown businesses at no charge. So far, only Classic Optical and Ruloff’s have contacted the IFC or PanHel about this project.
The IFC and PanHel will also plant a tree at the corner of College Ave. and Dryden Road in front of the new apartment building. A plaque will commemorate their efforts to beautify Collegetown.
Sun Fest, a festival with barbeque and carnival games sponsored by Campus Life, will also be held May 7.
The Collegetown Neighborhood Council will meet again during May 11.
Archived article by By Jessica DiNapoliSun Staff Writer
Keefer: 'Messy Time' for Media

By April 21, 2006

Deckhead:
'Anti-spin' blogger gives straight facts on journalism
Article body:
Looking to break into journalism?
Just go do it. That was the advice Bryan Keefer, assistant managing editor of the Columbia Journalism Review’s website, gave to a group of assembled aspiring journalists and other Cornellians.
“You should take risks right out of college,” he said. “The safety net tends to be there. If you have a great idea, go for it.”
It is the way Keefer himself entered the industry, writing “anti-spin” during the 2000 election run-up, countering misinformation and skewed releases from both the left and right during the Bush-Gore race.
He did this all, to some acclaim and thousands of daily hits, while working an AFL-CIO job that left him “with lots of time on my hands.”
He described the site, spinsanity.com, as a labor of love born of him and a two friends, a somewhat non-partisan hacking ground where both Ann Coulter ’84 and Michael Moore would get credibility checks.
“This was a novel, edgy idea at the time,” he said.
A little too edgy for his employer. After a spin-check on a liberal politician, Keefer was told to quiet his criticisms or seek new employment. He left, eventually getting the trio’s blog published as All the President’s Spin: George W. Bush, the Media, and the Truth. The move into journalism was a risky one, but one Keefer seems comfortable with.
“It’s a very messy time to be in journalism,” he said. “But it is also a very exciting time to be in journalism.”
He outlined the changing demographics and tastes of the emerging markets, markets which many of the established publishers simply do not understand, according to Keefer. He pointed to a Chicago Tribune editorial suggesting that university students be required to subscribe to a print paper, in order to develop lifetime reading habits.
“That’s just not going to happen,” he said. “The future is aggregation.”
He pointed to ESPN’s “SportsCenter” as a good example of collating today’s tastes: a broad breadth of news, mixed with analysis and kept at a steady clip.
More importantly, Keefer said, was that journalists become “format agnostic.”
“One thing might be economical today, but that might change tomorrow,” he said. Especially as one source becomes as easy to access as another, being able to pull the best content in the most convenient format will be a critical skill.
“What’s the advantage of reading New York Times coverage versus an AP story?” he asked. “Overall, the difference isn’t that much.”
The future will bring more choices to readers, he predicted. The greater diversity of sources gives new perspectives and readers a chance to read more in-depth on issues they care about.
An added bonus of the competing voices is more savvy citizens.
“Young people are becoming much more critical consumers of news,” he said. “We tend to know a commercial when we see one.”
That does not mean, Keefer noted, that traditional news outlets will completely die out in favor of independent bloggers.
“Reporters are getting paid to know more than you do,” he said. “When you go around them entirely, that’s not a good thing for people getting their political information.”
At a question and answer session following his talk, Keefer fielded questions on breaking into the field. He suggested skipping out on journalism school, opting instead to work your way up and earn some real world clips. He added that understanding how to use technology well will “be a huge asset for years.”
One listener asked if he though independent journalists would entirely replace the mainstream media.
“To gather news is still pretty expensive and out of reach of most citizen journalists,” he said. “Blogs piggyback on the mainstream media.”
Keefer was brought to Cornell by StudPubs, an umbrella organization of several campus publications.
Archived article by Michael Morisy