NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
Vol. 41, No. 90
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013
nyunews.com
Report shows
subways
decline in
cleanliness
By PATRICK ANKER
NYU-Poly
to research
storm
response
Dirtiness is commonplace in
New York City’s subway platforms, but a new study has found
increasing levels of filth.
The New York Public Interest Research Group’s Straphangers Campaign conducted a census of New
York City’s subway platforms and
rated certain elements of cleanliness. The third annual “State of
the Platforms” report, detailing results of the 2013 summer census,
was released on Oct. 30.
Straphangers Campaign spokesperson Cate Contino said this
year’s census included all 862 open
platforms, an increase from 2012’s
census of only 120 stations, thanks
to a team of 21 staffers and interns.
Even though all measured factors have worsened since the summer 2012 census, the study found
that four of the factors — exposed
wiring, missing tiles, graffiti and
floor cracks — have become “sub-
Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the beginning of the New York State
Resilience Institute for Storms
and Emergencies, a research institute housed at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU and Stony
Brook University in response to
Superstorm Sandy.
A meeting that will address
funding and the final plan
will take place today Nov. 7.
The funding group consists of
the two co-directors, Minghua
Zhang of Stony Brook and NYUPoly professor Fletcher Griffis
in addition to four other researchers — two from NYU and
two from Stony Brook.
NYS RISE comprises 15 work
units, and researchers will also
include faculty from Columbia
University, Cornell University,
Brookhaven National Lab and
the City University of New York.
SUBWAY continued on PG. 3
By KLEIN ALEARDI
JONATHAN TAN/WSN
NYU School of Law hosts lecture about race in America
At the 18th annual Derrick Bell Lecture on Race in American Society, University of Pittsburg School of Law dean and professor
William Carter Jr. presented a lecture titled The Thirteenth Amendment, the Legacies of Slavery and the Promises of Freedom.
STORM continued on PG. 3
STORY ON PAGE 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Tisch sophomore
to write for
24-Hour Plays
Devin Mojica discusses his
upcoming opportunity to
write for a Broadway show.
CORALINE WANG/WSN
STORY on PG. 4
COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Truth about
Armstrong
Clear language
gets point across
A documentarian pushes
himself stylistically in
his film about Lance
Armstrong’s drug use.
Breaking language barriers
and reaching a broad
audience only requires
simple diction.
STORY on PG. 5
STORY on PG. 7
Thor sequel thunders into theaters with triumphant action
By MARCUS JONES
VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG
In one the biggest movie events
of the fall, America’s favorite Asgardian, Thor, returns for another
epic adventure.
In the aftermath of “The Avengers,” Marvel Studios has held strong
with “Iron Man 3,” the highest grossing film of the year, and “Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D.,” a frontrunner for one
of the fall’s breakout television series. But Marvel’s parent company
Disney is still coming off of two
major flops with “The Lone Ranger”
and Dreamworks’ “The Fifth Estate.”
Disney is putting a lot on Thor’s
shoulders this last quarter — so it’s
good that he is a god.
The first “Thor,” was a solid film
despite many considering it one
of the weakest in “The Avengers”
canon. Heavy on exposition, it introduced audiences to Thor, the
God of Thunder and Son of Odin,
King of Asgard. “Thor: The Dark
World” kicks off by introducing
the new villain, Malekith, and his
fleet of Dark Elves, who tried to
take over the Seven Realms and
shroud them in darkness using
their weapon, the Aether.
Fortunately, Odin’s father Bor
kills the Dark Elves, but Malekith
escapes. Bor then hides the Aether,
hoping no one will find it. Fast forward 5,000 years where Jane (Natalie Portman) finds a portal in London and falls into the hiding place
of the Aether. This action awakens
the Dark Elves, who in turn wreak
havoc on Earth and Asgard while
they search for Jane. Their goal is to
extract the Aether and destroy Asgard, ultimately bringing darkness
to the Seven Realms.
Thor, of course, is the only hope
for the Seven Realms. With the
help of Jane and Thor’s devious
brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston),
THOR continued on PG. 5