THE DAILY NEWS www.extranewspapers.com YOUR DAILY FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER Since 1980 Price of College Textbooks Continue to Soar Textbook prices continue to rise and are costing students more and more three times faster than the average rate of inflation. (Popkin) The question now money every semester. A recent study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that since 1977, is how can a single industry be increasing its prices by three times the national average but not be losing college textbook prices have risen any of their customers. 1,041 percent. The average rate of The biggest problem with With prices of college textbooks rising, students all over the country are searching for other options for classroom texts. inflation for other products in the the college textbook industry United States since 1977 is 308 is that they know they have a percent, showing that college textbooks have risen captive consumer base. (Continued on Page 3) Capital Punishment- What Are The Facts? It is an extremely complex issue and one that has many opinions surrounding it. But what is the big deal about capital punishment (more commonly known as the death penalty) anyway? In the United States Constitution, the bedrock of all legislatures in our country, it states that “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted.” (U.S. Constitution. Amend. VIII) The big question is what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment? By inflicting capital punishment on others, are we taking away rights guaranteed to them since this country was first formed? In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court was faced with what would soon become one of the most infamous cases in the courts history. The case of Furman v. Georgia was a case between the state of Georgia and convicted felon William Henry Furman. (Continued on Page 3) The 39 Steps- A Bona Fide Classic The 39 Steps is a classic mystery/suspense thriller directed by the one and only Alfred Hitchcock. The film originally premiered in theaters on August 1, 1935. Written by Alma Reville, Charles Bennett, and Ian Hay and featuring wonderful performances by such stars as Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, and Lucie Mannheim, The 39 Steps is a classic, masterpiece of a film that well deserves its continued fame of eighty years. (Continued on page 2) Wes Craven “King of Horror” Dies at 76 Wesley Earl Craven, more commonly known as Wes Craven, was born on August 2, 1939 in Cleveland, Ohio. Although he would grow up to be one of the most famous horror film directors, screenwriters, and producers, Craven surprisingly did not see many films as a child. (Con tined on page 2) Wes Craven “King of Horror” Dies at 76 (Continued from Page 1) His parents, Caroline and Paul Craven, were devout members of the Baptist church and as a result he was only allowed to watch a few Disney films. (biography.com) After completing high school, Craven started his undergraduate studies at Wheaton College in Illinois. There he studied and earned an undergraduate degree in both English and Psychology. After his undergraduate, he moved on to study Philosophy and Writing at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. (nytimes.com) After completing his studies, Craven worked as an English professor at Westminster College in Pennsylvania. He was also a professor of Humanities at Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, New York and had a hobby of writing short stories and poetry before he began to make his name as a filmmaker. (Wooley 2011) During his teaching career, he purchased a 16mm camera and began to direct short films. He was notified by a friend, Tom Chapin, that there was a job available in a post-production company owned by his brother in New York City. Craven moved to Manhattan to take his first job in the film industry as a sound editor. He eventually worked his way up to working as the firm's assistant manager. It was through this job that he was eventually able to break into the film editing industry. (IMDB) During this time, he also was married to Bonnie Broeker. They had two children, Jonathan and Jessica. For a short time, Craven became a pornographic film writer, editor, and director. His marriage with Bonnie Broeker ended in 1970. His first feature film as a director was The Last House on the Left, which premiered in 1972. The film "mined human cruelty to fuel the horrific tale of teenage girls abducted by deranged prisoners." (biography.com) Craven brought an even darker mindset to an already twisted industry. His focus on the pain that evil people are able to inflict on others was also the inspiration for his classic The Hills Have Eyes, which made its premiere in 1977. (IMDB) Craven was once again wed in 1982 to Mimi Craven. Their marriage only lasted a couple of years. In 1984, Craven went on to make his most popular work, A Nightmare on Elm Street. (Continued on Page 5) The 39 Steps- A Bona Fide Classic (continued from Page 1) Although the film premiered in 1935, it contains certain cinematic elements that make it a timeless piece of art that continues to thrill audiences well into a new century. The story is intriguing. Richard Hannay, a London man played by Robert Donat, is unknowingly caught up in assisting a counterespionage agent, the alluring Miss Smith played by Lucie Mannheim. But when the agent is shockingly killed in the middle of the night, Richard must run away in order to avoid being accused of the murder himself and to stop an organization of spies that are trying to aid in the export of top secret information. His adventure leads him from London to rural Scotland where he is relentlessly chased by the police force. Along his journey, he has a run-in with a woman named Pamela, played by the beautiful Madeleine Carroll. Pamela is eventually entangled in the same web of commotion that Richard finds himself in. She begrudgingly gets taken along for the ride as the two search to find answers and attempt to stop the spy group from accomplishing their task. The classic thriller is a rare art form in modern cinema with more and more films relying heavily on violence and spectacle to entertain viewers. The 39 Steps was like a breath of fresh air for me. It showed how a film does not need to have an extremely high budget or be filled with thousands of stunts to make it enjoyable. The film relied heavily on its script which in the end pays off very well. The film contains so many twists and turns you’ll be squirming in your seat trying to figure out what is going to happen next throughout the duration of the entire film. You know it’s a good movie when there is only two minutes left and you are still questioning how it is going to end. It is no wonder that The 39 Steps was director Alfred Hitchcock’s breakthrough film. It is gorgeous to look at and the production value is top notch. Everything from the lighting to the cinematography is well done. The camera movements are especially fascinating. Hitchcock does an incredible job of placing the camera at specific angles where you are only able to see a part of the picture, leaving viewers to hang in suspense as to what could be happening outside of the frame. The set and costumes made me feel as though I had been transported back to 1930’s England and Scotland. The film had the unique power that films rarely do to catch the audience’s attention in the first few minutes and never let go until the film is over. I have never had a quicker ninety minutes in my life. Do yourself a favor and take time to see this film. In a day and age of overbloated and over-budgeted spectacles, it is nice to see a film that relies solely on an incredible story and great acting to entertain you. Films these days have turned into merely eye candy, but this film will remind you of how the film is truly an art form. ”Price of College Textbooks Continue to Soar” Continued from Page 1 When your teacher tells you a certain text is required for the class, it is not going to do much if you argue with that professor about how expensive the book is. They have two hundred other students who have already gone out and bought the book. The publishers know that we have no choice when it comes to getting their textbooks. Buying used books from students who have already taken the course is getting more and more popular, but the publishers of textbooks come out with a new edition every couple of years to ensure that they are still going to be making money. From personal experience, I have compared two different editions of the same textbook and seen that sometimes all the publisher does is change the order of the chapters and the wording in a few areas and calls it a new book, just to charge students outrageous prices all over again when they buy their required text. Ben Popkin of NBC compared the college textbook industry to the drug industry in that “[publishers] spend their time wooing the decision makers to adopt their product. In this case, it's professors instead of doctors point did not buy one of their required textbooks due to financial concerns. Of that 65%, 94% of them had Professors are not priceconcerns that by not buying sensitive and they then assign their required textbook put and students have no say," He their grades in serious then continued on to say that jeopardy. (USPIRG) “unlike drugs, there’s no “textbook insurance” to cover So what is to be done about the out of pocket costs.” this situation? Some have (Popkin) It has been reported suggested the idea of openthat the average United States source textbooks. A recent college student will spend on article from the New York average around $1,200 a year Times explained open-source on their textbooks. textbooks as “textbooks (Weisbaum) created under an open license, so they can be downloaded In a recent report by the free or printed at low cost; United States Public Interest instructors can even rearrange Research Group, they found the sequence of material, that in the last school year, 65% of students at some (Con tinued on Page 5) Capital Punishment- What Are The Facts? Continued from Page 1 Furman, whilst robbing a house, had shot the owner while trying to make his escape. His initial statement was that he had fired the gun blindly and accidentally killed the owner. Later, he went on to make a statement that he had tripped and that the weapon he was carrying accidentally fired. The inconsistency between his two statements was grounds for the state of Georgia to assume that he was guilty, and capital punishment was sought after as the punishment for his crime. Furman, however, contested the ruling and appealed the execution. His argument was that the nature of sentencing for capital punishment varied from state to state and lacked a solid definition. The case itself took place on January 17, 1972 and the verdict was not decided until June 19, 1972. The Supreme Court overturned Furman’s execution They stated that “unless a uniform policy of determining who is eligible for capital punishment exists, the death penalty will be regarded as ‘cruel and unusual punishment’”. Because of the outcome of the Furman v. Georgia case, a moratorium on capital punishment across the entire country was imposed, making the death penalty illegal in the United States. However, the moratorium did not last long. It ceased in 1976 after another Supreme Court case, Gregg v. Georgia, was brought before the court. In the case of Gregg v. Georgia, a man convicted of the murder of two adult women and a child was being sentenced to death by the state of Georgia. For four years previous to the case, the moratorium put upon capital punishment by the Supreme Court had insured that no executions would be performed. However, in the case of Gregg v. Georgia, Troy Leon Gregg was found completely guilty of the crime. Since the Furman v. Georgia case of 1972, the state of Georgia had produced additional guidelines to their capital punishment policy, clearly outlining what constituted the punishment and what did not. Since it had been clearly outlined by the state and the defendant was found to be guilty, the Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment would not violate the Eighth and Fourteenth amendments of the Constitution. The Supreme Court in their verdict exclaimed that “Capital punishment does not violate the Eighth or Fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution provided it is set forth in a carefully drafted statute that ensures the sentencing authority has adequate information and guidance in reaching its decision. So now the question is, why all the confusion about the death penalty? Why was it essentially repealed in 1972 just for it to be reinstated in 1976? Why do people have such differing beliefs about its ethicality or constitutionality? To this day, it is still not clear cut on both the national and state level where capital punishment stands. Every state has differing statutes pertaining to the punishment. On a national level, the constitutionality of capital punishment varies case by case and by the views of each Supreme Court Justice. The Supreme Court recently began a new term on October 5, 2015. (Continued on Page 4) Capital Punishment- What Are The Facts? (Continued from Page 3) On their docket of cases to oversee, there are at least six capital punishment cases. Not to mention a recent wave of executions which has been keeping the justices busy with last-minute appeals of capital punishment sentences. (Bravin, wsj.com) Many people are adamant about our country abolishing the death penalty. Just two weeks ago in the state of Ohio, an 83 mile march was organized from the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility all the way to the Ohio Statehouse. As they walked they chanted “What do we want? Abolition! When do we want it? Now!” (Frank, Portsmouth-dailytimes.com) This stunt shows just how spirited some people are in the debate over capital punishment. They argue that over two-thirds of the countries in the world have now abolished capital punishment in either law or practice and that it is now America’s turn. Others argue that it is racially biased, citing that the majority of death row defendants have been executed for killing white victims, even though AfricanAmericans make up half of all homicide victims. It is argued that capital punishment is not a deterrent, and that the fourteen states within our country that no longer practice capital punishment have homicide rates at or below the national average. Another point argued is that capital punishment disregards those suffering from mental illness. According to international law, the execution of those with a mental illness is prohibited and dozens of prisoners have been executed despite suffering from crippling mental illness. (ACLU 2012) However, with as many people as there are fighting to have capital punishment abolished, there is just as large of a group pushing for capital punishment to be more accessible of a punishment for those who have committed heinous crimes. They argue that capital punishment helps give closure to the families of victims. Although some may argue that there have been times that innocent people may have been killed, DNA testing and other modern methods of crime scene science are now able to effectively eliminate nearly all uncertainty of a criminal’s guilt. Overpopulation in our prison system has become a problem in recent years and many argue that a faster track to capital punishment is the solution. (Balko, huffingtonpost.com) At the end of this month, a man named Jerry Correll is scheduled for an execution in Florida. Correll has been on trial since 1985 for the murder of four family members including his five year old daughter. It has been thirty years since the crime has been committed and he is just now approaching his death sentence date. (ncadp.org) Many question why, if he was so clearly guilty, has it taken over a quarter of a century for this day to come? Arguments concerning capital punishment are more often than not a debate over ethics. The arguments that people make whether it be for or against are often a reflection of their personal beliefs. The principles and beliefs of a person are deeply rooted in experiences they have had in their life and the way that they were brought up. Wes Craven “King of Horror” Dies at 76 (Continued from Page 2) Craven tried experimenting with different genres such as horror-comedy, but he did not have another big hit until 1996 when Scream was released. The movie grossed over $100 million and was just the beginning of what would become several sequels. In 1999, Craven took a dramatic deviation from his horror films and directed a drama starring Meryl Streep. The film, Music of the Heart, was critically acclaimed and well received by movie fans even though it was out of the ordinary for Craven. (CNN) In 2004, Craven married Iya Labunka. She went on to be a producer for many of Craven's films. Craven also stepped out of the box in 2005 when he directed Red Eye, a thriller about a woman who gets caught up in a plot to assassinate the President of the United States. He returned to the horror movie genre in 2010 with the film My Soul to Take. The next year in 2011, Craven also returned to the Scream franchise when he wrote and directed the fourth film. (IMDB) After having battled with brain cancer, Craven died on 30, 2015. He is survived by his wife Iya Labunka and his two children Jonathan and Jessica. Friend and colleague, Kevin Williamson, said "He was a true innovator. Wes has horrified and entertained millions for decades. His films will continue to be touted as some of the greatest of their genre. Knowing Wes Craven changed my life forever. I know the impact of his work will be with us forever. As the Master of Horror, he made his mark in cinema." (Biography.com) Make his mark in cinema he did. Wes Craven will always be remembered as the Master of Horror and his films will live on and continue to thrill viewers for decades to come. Price of College Textbooks Continue To Soar (Continued from Page 3) to suit their preference. There’s a movement to make faculty-written, peerreviewed open-source textbooks available to professors and students, to help keep a lid on the cost of textbooks.” (Carrns) Imagine that, having no cost to have a required textbook for a class or paying a small fee to print the entire thing. No more having to carry heavy books around since opensource textbooks can be opened on devices like phones and tablets. According to the Student Public Interest Research Group, there have been five colleges in the United States that have piloted this open source textbook proposal. Thus far, the savings for the average student have been significant. A student at one of these colleges named Jennifer Swain was interviewed about switching to open source textbooks and she said “my instructor for a physics class used an opensource textbook. This one is free, whereas a comparable hard copy physics text would cost about $250.” (Carrns) There really is no lowercost option available than an open source textbook. Although certain online sites such as Amazon and Chegg.com have started reselling used books or offering rental options, most college textbooks still come at a heavy price even when they are used or rented. Even though there have only been five colleges in the U.S. thus far to pilot the program, the hope is that it will spread in popularity until nobody has to pay for a college textbook again. College tuition is expensive enough, why shell out another thousand dollars plus each year for textbooks when they could be free? Bibiliography "Capital Felony--Sentencing Proceeding." Utah State Legislature. State of Utah, 23 Jan. 1998. Web. 17 Oct. 2015. <http://le.utah.gov/~1998/bills/hbillamd/HB0306.p df>. "Pending Case: Jerry Correll, Florida." Pending Case: Jerry Correll, Florida. 6 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://www.ncadp.org/cases/entry/jerry-correll>. Furman v. Georgia, US Supreme Court, 408 U.S. 238 (1972) Gregg v. Georgia, US Supreme Court, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) IMDB. "Biography." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000127/bio>. "The Case Against the Death Penalty." American Civil Liberties Union. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <https://www.aclu.org/case-against-death-penalty>. Karimi, Faith, and Henry Hanks. "Wes Craven, Horror Movie Director, Dies at 76." CNN. Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/30/entertainment/w es-craven-horror-movie-director-death/>. Balko, Radley. "Why Americans Still Support The Death Penalty." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/radleybalko/death-penalty-supportamerica_b_984931.html>. Mulhere, Kaitlin. "Is This the Solution to Crazy High Textbook Prices?" Time. Time, 01 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <http://time.com/money/4017003/high-text-bookprices-solution/>. Biography.com Editors. "Wes Craven Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/wes-craven193498>. Popkin, Ben. "College Textbook Prices Have Risen 1,041 Percent Since 1977." NBC News. NBC, 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/freshmanyear/college-textbook-prices-have-risen-812percent-1978-n399926>. Bravin, Jess. "Supreme Court Docket Loaded With DeathPenalty Cases." WSJ. 4 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-courtdocket-loaded-with-death-penalty-cases1443999113>. Carrns, Ann. "Putting a Dent in College Costs With OpenSource Textbooks." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/26/yourmoney/putting-a-dent-in-college-costs-with-opensource-textbooks.html?_r=0>. Erickson, Rovi Hal. "Wes Craven." NY Times. New York Times, 1 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/86179/W es-Craven/biography>. Frank, Lewis. "Walk to End the Death Penalty Underway Portsmouth Daily Times - Portsmouthdailytimes.com." Portsmouth Daily Times. 5 Oct. 5. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <http://portsmouthdailytimes.com/news/2795/walk-to-end-the-deathpenalty-underway>. U.S. Constitution. Amend. 14 U.S. Constitution. Amend. 8 USPIRG. "Report: Affordable Higher Education." Fixing the Broken Textbook Market. United States Public Interest Research Group, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <http://www.uspirg.org/reports/usp/fixing-brokentextbook-market>. Weisbaum, CNBC Herb. "Cost of College Textbooks out of Control, Group Says." USA Today. Gannett, 02 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfi nance/2014/02/02/cnbc-college-textbooksexpensive/5038807/>. Wooley, John. Wes Craven: The Man and His Nightmares. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley, 2011. Print.