A CONVERSATION WITH FILMMAKER ANG LEE ISSUE #9 / FALL 2007 NYU ALUMNI MAGAZINE / ISSUE #9 / FALL / ISSUE MAGAZINE NYU ALUMNI 2007 FREE SPEECH GETS UGLY ROBERT M. SHRUM’S 2008 ELECTION FORECAST THE GREEN ISSUE Climate Change Is Upon Us. Now What? AlumniPride You’ve got it ... Here’s how to show it! www.bookstores.nyu.edu Main Computer Health Sciences Professional Bookstore Store Bookstore Bookstore 18 Washington Place 242 Greene Street 333 East 29th Street 530 La Guardia Place New York, NY 10003-6637 New York, NY 10003-6676 New York, NY 10016-8301 New York, NY 10012-1427 “Our interest in living does not commonly depend upon our having projects that we desire to pursue; it’s the other way around.We are interested in having worthwhile projects because we do intend to go on living, and we would prefer not to be bored.” —HARRY FRANKFURT, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY AND AUTHOR OF ON BULLSHIT, DELIVERING THE SEVENTH- ANNUAL LEWIS BURKE FRUMKES LECTURE IN HEMMERDINGER HALL HEARD ON CAMPUS “I was in Kabul [for] the inauguration “This country makes it of President Karzai.There were no seem like it’s just about traffic lights, no electricity,no army. being a celebrity, but We started from scratch. Sometimes when people blame the Afghan being an actor is about government for not doing enough, being a storyteller, they should remind themselves that we and society needs started from a very chaotic situation.” storytellers.” —ZAHIR TANIN, AMBASSADOR OF AFGHANISTAN TO THE UNITED —TWO-TIME ACADEMY-AWARD–WINNER AND NYU PARENT NATIONS, IN THE FORUM “GLOBAL LEADERS: CONVERSATIONS WITH SALLY FIELD DURING A LECTURE “LIFE, LEARNING, AND AN ALON BEN-MEIR,” HOSTED BY THE CENTER FOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS IN EVOLVING CAREER,” SPONSORED BY THE GALLATIN SCHOOL THE SCHOOL OF CONTINUING AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES OF INDIVIDUALIZED STUDY “I’ve interviewed young men who are just torsos and heads. The vests are so damn good [that] they all would’ve been KIAs in Vietnam, but they’re coming back—with no limbs.” —NBC NIGHTLY NEWS ANCHOR BRIAN WILLIAMS ON REPORTING FROM IRAQ AT THE JOURNALISM DEPARTMENT’S BROWN BAG SPEAKER SERIES NYU / FALL 2007 / 1 ISSUE #9 / FALL 2007 CONT TS CONT FEATURES 36 38/ GLOBAL HARMING A MAP OF THE PROOF AT HAND AND PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE 40 / THE DENIAL JUSTIFICATION KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW, WHY AREN’T WE DOING MORE? / BY SHARON TREGASKIS 42 / THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING FOOTPRINT CONSERVATION TIPS WITHIN REACH OF ALMOST ALL BUDGETS 44 / THE GREEN APPLE NYC AND NYU BID TO MAKE THEMSELVES SUSTAINABLE URBAN CENTERS / BY SHARON TREGASKIS DEPARTMENTS THE SQUARE 8 / INSIDER POV 12 / WHAT THEY’RE LEARNING DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST STUDENTS GO THROUGH THE ROBERT M. SHRUM SOUNDS MOTIONS IN AN UNUSUAL EN OFF ON THE 2008 PRESIDEN- COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASS TIAL HOPEFULS 14 / MUSIC EDUCATION 10 / IN BRIEF IDOLS IN THE MAKING ANOTHER ABEL PRIZE FOR NYU, STEINHARDT’S NEW 16 / CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH NAME, TISCH AND STERN THE TRUTH ABOUT ANGIOPLASTY, JOIN FORCES, AND MORE LAWS OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTION, AND TRACING EVOLUTION 11 / SPORTS THROUGH OUR MOUTHS REFS ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM, UNKNOWINGLY 18 / LAW AND SECURITY THE DOMESTIC WAR ON TERROR GETS GRADED NYU ALUMNI MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED TWICE YEARLY IN FALL AND SPRING BY NYU OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS, 25 WEST FOURTH STREET, FOURTH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10012; 212-998-6912.CONTENTS COPYRIGHT © 2007. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PLEASE ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO: EDITORS/NYU ALUMNI MAGAZINE AT 25 WEST FOURTH STREET, FOURTH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10012, OR E-MAIL TO:[email protected]. NO RESPONSIBILITY WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS AND ARTWORK. BYLINED ARTICLES REFLECT THE VIEWPOINTS OF INDIVIDUAL WRITERS AND ARE NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS EXPRESSION OF OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY POLICY. MAILED THIRD-CLASS NONPROFIT AT BURLINGTON, VT. 48 60 CIVIL WARS? IN THE BATTLE TO HAVE ISSUES SEEN AND HEARD, CLASS NOTES SOME STUDENTS WILL STOP AT NOTHING, INCLUDING SILENCING THE OPPOSITION / BY SARA IVRY ALUMNI PROFILES ALUMNI Q&A 62 / JAKE BURTON 72 / EDITH SHAIN CARPENTER / WSUC ’77 / STEINHARDT ’47 BUSINESS AND BOARDING KISS SEEN ROUND THE WORLD 64 / RUTH BARCAN ALUMNI ART MARCUS / WSC ’41 74 / LEO TWIGGS MODAL LOGIC’S / STEINHARDT ’64 54 BEAUTIFUL MIND THE MUSIC OF BATIK 70 / KENNY LAO / STERN ’04 PLUS ALUMNI NEWS, THE TAO OF ANG THE DUMPLING MAN CAN BENEFITS, AND UPDATES AN IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION WITH A MODERN FILM LEGEND UNCOVERS THE PHILOSOPHY THAT FUELS HIS CREATIONS / BY JASON HOLLANDER / GAL ’07 IN NYC CULTURE IN PRINT EVERY ISSUE 20 / COOKING 24 / MUSEUM 30 / YOUNG-ADULT FICTION 1 / HEARD ON CAMPUS CHEMISTRY GIVES KITCHENS BROOKLYN SPACE GIVES BLAKE NELSON’S TWISTED A BUNSEN BOOST BLACK ARTISTS A NEW HOME LOOK AT ADOLESCENCE 4 / PRESIDENT’S LETTER 21 / POVERTY 26 / MUSIC 31 / BOOK CLUB 4 / CONTRIBUTORS HOW NEW YORK DOWNTOWN’S ECLECTIC WHAT MYSTERY WRITER NEIGHBORHOODS STACK UP SOUND, REVISITED PHILLIP MARGOLIN IS READING 6 / MAILBAG 22 / THE INSIDER 27 / CREDITS 32 / ARCHIVE DISCOVER NEW YORK CITY’S ALUMNI MAKING NEWS HORROR WRITER PETER 7 / STAR POWER HIDDEN GEMS, FROM A IN ENTERTAINMENT AND STRAUB BRINGS FEAR RENOWNED GOLF COURSE THE ARTS TO FALES 80 / STUDENT LENS TO THE FRESHEST FARM VEGGIES, AND MORE 28 / RELIGION 33 / POETRY AS ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM PETER GIZZI FACES SPREADS, SO DO FEARS OF A WINTER STORM HOMEGROWN TERRORISTS 34 / NONFICTION WRITING RECONNECTS SW-COC-002556 TWIN SISTERS SEPARATED AT BIRTH IN KEEPING WITH NYU’S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY, THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON FSC-CERTIFIED PAPER THAT INCLUDES A MINIMUM OF 10 PERCENT POST-CONSUMER FIBER. (THE FSC TRADEMARK IDENTIFIES PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN FIBER FROM WELL-MANAGED FORESTS CERTIFIED BY SMARTWOOD IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RULES OF THE FORESTS STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL.) FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NYU’S GREEN ACTION PLUS MORE BOOKS BY NYU COVER ILLUSTRATION PLAN, GO TO WWW.NYU.EDU/SUSTAINABILITY. ALUMNI AND PROFESSORS BY DAN PAGE LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT reen is in the air. owners in New York City, NYU PHOTO © MATTHEW SEPTIMUS Issue #9 / Fall 2007 One cannot pass a shares this burden and last spring ac- JASON HOLLANDER (GAL ’07) newsstand, radio, or cepted the mayor’s challenge to re- Editor-in-Chief TV without catch- duce the university’s greenhouse gas NICOLE PEZOLD (GSAS ’04) ing the latest report emissions by 30 percent—a feat we Associate Editor G REN´EE ALFUSO (CAS ’06) on global climate change.Even rock intend to accomplish by 2017.While Editorial Assistant stars helped spread awareness last there’s much work to do,NYU is al- JOHN KLOTNIA / OPTO DESIGN summer with a day of Live Earth ready the largest purchaser of wind Creative Director concerts across the world. On the energy in the city and among uni- political stage,169 nations have rat- versities nationally,and our recently Articles JOSEPH MANGHISE ified the Kyoto Protocol and, de- created Green Action Plan has stu- Copy Chief spite a lack of participation by the dents, alumni, employees, friends, DAVID COHEN (CHIEF) United States, a few courageous and neighbors joining forces to im- MICHAEL MATASSA leaders in this country have already prove our sustainability.We also hope Researchers set agendas to confront the chal- to position NYU on the front line of ANDREW FLYNN SABINE HEINLEIN (GSAS ’07) lenges of global warming. innovative research and ideas that Editorial Interns Among them is New York City will help assuage our planet’s im- circles—the state of free speech on Mayor Michael Bloomberg (HON pending climate and energy crises. American campuses (“Civil Wars?” Art / Opto Design ’03), who acknowledges that the Climate change is so central to page 48)—and offers an in-depth RON LOUIE issue requires not only talk but ac- the university’s future—indeed the conversation with one of our most Art Director BRIAN MAGNER tion. This year, he announced planet’s—that we have dedicated a celebrated and visionary alums, Associate Art Director PlaNYC 2030, which maps a double feature to it (“The Heat Is filmmaker Ang Lee (“The Tao of JACQUIE LANE (TSOA ’03) course for how the city will absorb On,”page 36), in which we outline Ang,” page 54), director of Crouch- Photo Research Director one million new residents over the the evidence that our planet is ing Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Broke- Advertising next two decades, modernize its changing, our slow acceptance of back Mountain,among others.I hope DEBORAH BRODERICK aging infrastructure, reduce global the problem, what New York City these stories, and others in our Fall Associate Vice President of Marketing warming emissions, improve pol- and NYU are doing about it—and 2007 issue, will inspire you to con- Communications, NYU luted air and brownfields, and pre- what you can do, too. This maga- tinue these vital social, environ- Alumni News Editor pare for rising sea levels. zine tackles another issue being dis- mental, intellectual, and artistic JENNIFER BOSCIA SMITH (SCPS ’04) JOHN SEXTON As one of the largest property cussed in higher education conversations. Director of Development and Alumni Communications, NYU New York University MARTIN LIPTON (LAW ’55) CONTRIBUTORS Board of Trustees, Chairman JOHN SEXTON CHRISTIAN DEBENEDETTI is a Chronicle, and other publications. Yorker,Vogue, and Vanity Fair. His President Brooklyn-based freelance writer cov- work is also in the permanent col- LYNNE P. BROWN ering adventure and the environment. JAMES JUNG is an editor at lection of the National Portrait Senior Vice President for University Relations and Public Affairs His writing has appeared in The New Maxim.com and covers music for Gallery in London. DEBRA A. LAMORTE York Times, Esquire, National Geographic Blender.com.