Should College Athletes Be Paid?

Imagine being a 20-year-old kid who plays any college sport. They’re one of the best players on the team, which is derived from practice

Imagine two people playing the same sport, and they’re the same age. Both practice equally as hard, and score as many points and are key assets to their teams’ development. Without them, the team would fall apart and the chance of getting to the playoffs was slim to none. Both players are lauded amongst their peers and fans adore them. Both of them bounce the ball the same way, or swing the bat just as hard or skate just as fast.

But there’s one difference, one of them gets paid millions of dollars a year, through a sporting contract as well as countless endorsements from some of the biggest companies in the world. The other lives in a dorm with friends, and has to attend classes along with the kids who attend the university and don’t have to wake up at 5a.m. every day to practice, and are forced to write research papers while traveling across the country with there teammates.

Perhaps you see it differently.

A underdeveloped, immature teenager who thinks she/he is on top of the world, without a care. School? It means nothing to them, aside from a bridge that must be crossed before they can get into the league. Red Shirting has never crossed their mind, and hopes to make their freshmen season their very best. After all, they’ll be in the pros before they can even drink at the clubs where they plan to spend loads of money. Professors are mad fans, who see that the players arrive late, and instead of recognizing that fact, they congratulate them on their most recent game and comment on the game winner that they were responsible for. After the professor reenacts the play, the student athlete is invited to take a seat. Any student who walks in afterwards gets yelled at in front of the class though. The athletes already attend top notch universities and colleges and don’t pay for a thing. A free education, room and board, and a meal plan are all taken care off.

Neither one of these views are wrong nor right, and the views of the student body as well as the media critique this.

“Why should they get paid to go here? Just because he can through a ball in a hoop, or hit a ball with a piece of wood doesn’t mean anything. We should all care about our education first, seriously. I think athletics at St. Johns are awesome and are a great way for school spirit but sometimes people really do just go overboard. And it needs to stop. Isn’t it enough that they literally get treated like kings and queens around campus, they pay for nothing,” said John Gross, a junior at St. John’s.

Other students are just as irate.

“Show me one student athlete crying about having a partial scholarship for their insignificant major and I can show you a ton more of radiology kids who have a higher tuition and no scholarship, but work twice as hard,” Chloe Vincent, a sophomore at St. John’s.

Some of these players do deserve to be paid, actually all of them do. If you look at it from the point that they put their bodies in harm’s way for a sport and aren’t really being awarded monetarily, it’s pretty messed up. Even though our school doesn’t have football, that’s the sport that definitely needs to be paid, between playing in the heat with all that gear, or constantly being tackled to the ground by a guy who weighs twice as much as you. Look at Johnny Manziel, and you’re telling me he shouldn’t get paid,” said Matthew Moore, a Baruch Senior.

Manziel is a great example of this dichotomy, The Texas A&M quarter may have red shirted freshman year, but he broke out during the sophomore year by breaking several NCAA Division 1 records.

He broke numerous NCAA Division I FBS and SEC records, which include becoming the first freshman and fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. At the end of the regular season, he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, Manning Award, and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. Manziel capitalized on his redshirt freshman season by leading Texas A&M to a 41–13 victory over Oklahoma in the 2013 Cotton Bowl Classic.

Other accolades include 2012 Sporting News College Football Player of the Year, 2012 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, 2012 SEC Freshman of the Year, 2012 All-SEC First-Team Quarterback

All of these accolades show that Manziel is a great football player, and should be rewarded is some way, shape, or form. But with these gifts come a few curses, which Manziel seems to continuously attract.

On June 29, 2012, before he was chosen as Texas A&M's starting quarterback and before his first college game, Manziel was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors—disorderly conduct, failure to identify, and possession of a fictitious driver's license. These charges stemmed from a late-night fight in College Station, Texas.

Many may have thought that he’d learned his lesson after this, after he stated that he “had to make a lot of changes in life.” But this didn’t last long as troubles arose again during the 2013 off season.

During the 2013 offseason, Manziel drew significant media attention over his behavior off the field. Notable incidents include his early departure from the Manning Passing Academy after allegedly oversleeping, tweeting that he "can't wait to leave College Station" after receiving a parking ticket, and getting kicked out of a University of Texas fraternity party. An ESPN The Magazine article revealed his parents' concerns about his dealings with his newfound stardom.

On August 4, 2013, ESPN reported that the NCAA was investigating whether Manziel accepted payments from autographs that he had signed in January 2013. The NCAA did not find any evidence that Manziel accepted money for the autographs, but reached an agreement with Texas A&M to suspend him for the first half of the season opener against Rice University, due to an "inadvertent violation" of NCAA rules.

The very issue of NCAA athletes getting paid was the main focus of Manziel’s article in TIME magazine this past September. The article reveals that paying athletes can be done, and they amounts that some schools can afford to pay are astonishing.

Sean Gregory who wrote the article, stated that each Aggie player would get $225,000 a year if the NCAA operated under the NFL’s revenue-sharing model, and a compromise is even suggested.

All athletes would be eligible for payments in addition to any scholarship. But most schools would pay only football and men’s basketball players, since those sports produce the bulk of the revenue. An SEC school like Alabama could pay 50 of its players up to a limit of $30,000 a year. The more successful players would get near the maximum while others would get less.

But the total amount any school could pay out would be capped at $1.5 million. Experts think this is a fair amount given the millions in revenue that sports and TV deals amount to. Athletes could be allowed to make money in other ways, such as the right to secure sponsorships even be part of commercials.

Smaller offenses have even been subjected to scrutiny, such as the Arian Foster situation that arose while he was a player at Tennessee, after his coach bought several players on the team food.

Foster was quoted saying "Then I walk back, and reality sets in. I go to my dorm room, open my fridge, and there's nothing in my fridge. Hold up, man. What just happened? Why don't I have anything to show for what I just did? There was a point where we had no food, no money, so I called my coach and I said, 'Coach, we don't have no food. We don't have no money. We're hungry. Either you give us some food, or I'm gonna go do something stupid.' He came down and he brought like 50 tacos for like four or five of us.”

Seeing it from this angle it is hard not to feel some sort of compassion for the position the players are in. Players offer a healthy argument as to why the deserve to get paid

"I'm a firm believer that an employee should get paid for his work," Foster added. "And, 100 percent, I see student athletes as employees. Hiding from it is just cowardly."

As opinions continue to flare the debate, the NCAA refuses to budge on the issue, as that would literally take money out of their pocket.

Giants Who?

If someone would have predicted during the off season   that the Giants would have a 3-6 record, any self respecting Giants fan would have thought that those two numbers were accidentally switched.

Unfortunately this is not the case, and even worse, this is the most hopeful that Giants fans have been all season, after losing the first six games. Winning the last 3 games have put the Giants ahead of much of the pack already.

Even Antrel Rolle has toned down the smack talk amidst the Giants' three-game winning streak. “With winning comes more confidence,” Rolle said a week ago, a day after the Giants stretched their winning streak to three with a 24-20 win over the Raiders. “I think that’s a no-brainer. But, like I said, we’re just going out there competing as Giants. This team has shown a lot of resiliency. We’ve overcome adversity. We’ve been the lowest of the lows.”

The Giants sure were chirpy back when they were 0-6 and talked freely about winning the rest of their games. They didn’t shy from saying how much better they were than their record, and how they expected to get back in the playoff run.

Yet now they’re miraculously just 1½ games out of first place in the NFC East with just seven games to go, but the locker room talk has lessened. All the talk of making a run has been replaced by talk of the reality of their 3-6 record.

And instead of boasting about what they will do the rest of the season, they’re talking about all the work that has yet to be done.

Giants fans are thinking quite the opposite.

“When they were losing all of those games it became a running joke within my group of friends that the Giants would eventually come back and win it all. But now that the Giants actually have a chance to make it into the playoffs its crazy. The sky is the limit and the Giants truly have nothing to lose at this point. They should just play their hearts out,“ said Carl Tiwari, a diehard Giants fan.

Coughlin feels the same as his players and really doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, and believes that taking things on as they come is the best way to go about things.

“It’s smart,” Tom Coughlin said during a press conference last week. “It’s one game at a time. Where are you? You’re right where you are. And obviously you keep your dreams alive, but you focus on the task at hand.“

With the Giants winning Sundays game against the Packers and the Cowboys being knocked down to second place, the Giants are still third in their division.

A quick look at the Giants’ division-title and wild-card circumstances are eye opening. The Giants hold third place over the Redskins on account of a better division record (1-2 vs. 0-2).

The Eagles hosted the Redskins Sunday in an important divisional matchup, which they won. With the Eagles winning, they took a half-game lead over the Cowboys for the division lead. The Giants continue to fight to stay in the top rankings and if their defense continuous to be as boisterous as its been the past month, a playoff spot isn’t too farfetched. This is great news for Giants fans, though casual fans seem to be much less optimistic.

“Are you serious? The Giants have no chance in the playoffs. Giants fans need to stop being so hopeful and just deal with reality. I’m a Jets fan, I have to deal with it all the time,” said John Mastrango, a junior at St. John’s University.

A Redskins win and a Giants loss to the Packers would give Washington sole possession of third place in the East. However, if the Giants and Redskins each win, the Giants will keep third place, as they would have the better record in games against common opponents. The two December meetings between the Giants and Redskins could be key in separating the two teams.

Also, the Giants can’t afford a loss to Dallas next week. A Cowboys win would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Giants. That could be devastating to Big Blue, but fans think that anything is possible at this point

“Its crazy that now Green Bay at 5-5 is out of the hunt and the Giants at 4-6 are back in the hunt? Pretty odd statement. If the Giants win 10 straight and then the Superbowl, it would be insane,” said Dominic Marcone, a freshman at St. Johns University.

Either way, another game, another must-win for the Giants. If all else fails the Giants will leave behind a memorable season, whether its good or bad.

The good news is that the Jets, who are 5-5, are finally getting some shine, something that they shouldn’t get to used to.

Matt Tedino Profile

Matt Tedino is a senior at St. John’s University with dreams of being a high school sports reporter. His dream is in his grasp, as he currently interns at The Daily News. He covers weekly games of football and soccer and loves that they’re almost always outdoors, which he sees as an added benefit of a great opportunity. He is also an avid sports fan when he doesn’t have to write game stories as well, and admits that his favorite NBA team is the Boston Celtics and his favorite player is Paul Pierce. The Celtics isn’t the only connection Matt hopes to have with the city of Boston though.

The 21 year old grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey and loves the town he’s from but is unsure whether he wants to live there as a young adult. “I don’t know where I want to live permanently, but I definitely want to live in Boston for a few years, especially in the city, its gotta be the city because I just love being there, I like the vibe and staying there for a few years would be great.”

He’s got another place he hopes live for a few years before he settles down, which is California. “I’d like to live in San Fran for a few years, you can’t beat the weather and I love the community aspect of it,” he said.

Even though he wants to live somewhere other than his hometown New Jersey, he can’t deny the influence it has had on him, and credits his father for it. “My father went to St. John’s too, he majored in Pharmacy and I can’t remember what year he graduated, even though he’s mentioned it several times,” said Tedino as he laughed.

However he does vividly remember the first time he father mentioned that he was an alumni of St John’s and he knew right then that that’s where he wanted to go, however his subject of study wouldn’t be chosen until much later.

It wasn’t until senior year of high school when he decided that he wanted to be a journalist. He explains that he didn’t choose it because it was the only subject he wasn’t lacking  it, but as the only one he didn’t have to try, instead it just came to him. “I was good at most subjects because I studied them, writing was different, because it just worked,” said Tedino.

Aside from sports, his favorite hobby is listening to music. After claiming that he “dabbles in the rap game,” he named his favorite rapper of the moment, the Brooklyn native known as Joey Bada$$. His favorite thing about the up and coming rapper is that he brings back the old hip-hop sound, and recommends that an skeptic should listen to the mix tape titled “1991” and dare say different.

As of late, Matt hasn’t been listening to much rap/hip-hop, instead he’s been getting into a lot of house music, namely Morgan Page an electro house DJ based in LA.

After explaining why he likes house music and hip-hop he admits that its not is favorite thing to blast through his headphones. That special privilege is reserved for the smooth sounds of the saxophone of course.

There is no word on whether or not this may lead to a career change, though.

Wearable Tech

The time for technology has come.

By technology I mean Samsung, and by time I mean watch. Samsung has been the top tier company to release a next generation watch, that attempts to bridge the gap between you cell phone and your wrist.

It’s a simple and intuitive idea, in that the watch is something that most people already have, and it’s so small form factor and placement make it easy to look at and quickly draw information from.

With something that most people already own, it seems brainless to not add more features to it. The ad that accompanies the Galaxy Gear watch, is a testament that the idea of a techie watch is nothing new, but it coming to fruition is still fresh on the minds of possible consumers.

“That’s sick. I’ve heard of some other less known companies making some smart watches, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I want one of the real big companies to see what they could do with. But Samsung? I really have to look into this watch. It’s really futuristic looking,” said Michael Sawyer, a senior at Cardozo High School.

That’s what Samsung is banking on too. One of the most successful ways that this watch has gained momentum is the commercial that has only been running since early October. The ad features a package of old shows ran together giving their interpretation of what a watch would look like and the features it would have in the new millennium  It has clips from shows such as The Jetsons, The Power Rangers and even Star Trek. With 3.5 million views on Youtube and nothing but nostalgic and encouraging compliments, its hard to deny the hit the commercial has become.

But has the watch had the same impact?

The answer is subjective in that it’s hard to determine the impact a product has or what it should offer with the product category being so young. First it is important to understand the watch itself, with its 1.63 inch screen. The watch features a full-color Super AMOLED display, a built-in camera. The coolest and most futuristic feature of the watch is the S Voice feature. It can most closely be compared to Apples’ Siri, somewhat of a personal assistant, now on your wrist. The most important feature, aside from telling the time, is the watches ability to deliver notifications.

The Galaxy gear does a pretty good job of that by delivering text messages and emails with no hiccups and even allowing you to respond to your text messages with S Voice. You can delete emails with ease too. This is the quintessential point to the device, to be able to use the limited functionality of the device to utilize the overwhelming technology of your mobile device. To be able to answer a text message without have to type, or much less take out your phone, already seems to be a huge help. The app store at this point is still pretty lacking, which is to be expected. However you can make and receive calls with the watch, and the camera gets the job done. The device itself doesn’t look gimmicky or flashy at all, instead it looks very mature, with its rubber wristband and stainless steel face, which will wake up to reveal the time and notifications with just the flick of the wrist. Upon the device waking up, it is very simple to use with basic navigations. For instance, if you ask the forecast, it will simply tell you the forecast.

Perhaps the most striking about the watch is how it liberates you from the practice of constantly pulling your phone from your pocket or leaving it in clear view to see your most recent alerts. It's all right there on your wrist.

But with its $299 price tag, many have purchased the device and saw that the time for such a device had not yet arrived.

Geek.com has obtained leaked documents that state that the Galaxy Gear has a 30% return rate, much higher than normal. Samsung has found that more than 30% of Galaxy Gear purchases are returned in Best Buy locations, and they have asked that Samsung employees on site help try to figure out why this is.

While the product is conceptually interesting, it gives us more of us an idea of what smart watches could be like in the future instead of what we should expect today.

Learning Curve

The face of technology has changed as we know it, or at least when it comes to cell phones.

LG and Samsung are each releasing smartphones with curved displays. The Samsung phone is the lesser of the two evils, as it curves horizontally, which will make for a more natural grasp of the phone while holding it. Deemed the Samsung Galaxy round, it takes advantage of this gently curved 1080p 5.7-inch OLED screen.

As a result of its unique curved design, users can take advantage of round integration experiences like the Roll Effect that enables user to check information such as date, time, missed call and battery easily when home screen is off, and the Gravity Effect for creating visual interaction with the screen by tilting the device. For music, the Bounce UX enables users to control their music. When the phones display is off while the music player is running, a short press to the left of the device will play the previous track while a short press to the right will play the next track. For pictures and videos, the Side Mirror feature enables users to gain access to list of the album content with a left and right tilt.

Though it looks very different from the phone Samsung demoed at CES this past year, it’s hard to deny that its still groundbreaking. However it won’t be breaking ground in the US, as it is currently only available in South Korea. If sales are a success it may then see an international launch. The current price converts to around $1000, which would be much lower if it saw a general release.

But the question remains, would its presence be appreciated enough in today’s ever moving technology world? Many people just can’t seem to get past the curved screen.

“What do you mean its curved?” said Quentin Stevens, upon viewing a press shot of the new phone, after raising his eyebrows a few times he still wasn’t sure what to make of the odd device.

One question. Why?

“Definitely not to increase productivity, that’s stupid. It’s hard enough to type on these things, and now it will be worse since its curved. I actually like it, not going to buy it, but it seems a bit cool,” said Stevens.

It already seems as if a new phone is released every few weeks, making companies rack their brains even harder to keep themselves even a few steps in front of the competition.

“ Too little too soon. But I do understand their point of view; to be the first so others cant claim it as theirs, something that happened when LG had the first full touch phone. Of course Apple got credit for it,” said Russell Kent.

It’s as if Samsung is on a vengeance, to patent first anything that Apple has in mind. Therefore Apple with have to come to them for patent usage. As per usual, it’s all about the money

With South Korea being used as somewhat of a testing site, the phones real value will be determined, and some people here in the states wouldn’t mind being a guinea pig either.

This may not be the only reason, but when it's in your pocket, it would follow the curvature of your leg. It would allow for larger screens to be made without that awkward space between the tangent line and the rest of the curvature of a cross-section of the thigh, with the phone being the tangent line.

With phone screens seeming to get larger and larger each year, Samsung has attempted to aid the biggest issue that comes with having such a large phone-carrying it.

The large screen size of the Galaxy Round provides additional benefits to users. One-hand operation features bring a user's most desired controls closer to a preferred side of the screen. The device has enhanced multitasking capabilities that allow users to fully utilize the large screen through multiple windows, a feature that enables users to open more than one application on the screen, run simultaneous multiple instances of the same application or to easily share content between applications.

LG is another companies that has decided to jump on the curve but they didn’t decide to take the route of a small release at first, instead their phone is already in production

Though LG has yet to officially announce the phone, the tech news site Engadget, got its hands on a few leaked photos. The phone has a codename of LG G Flex, which is expected to be its official name at the time of launch. The major difference between the two phones is that the LG phone curves from top to bottom, making for a odd design.

If LG can release its phone in the U.S. and Europe, it could reap the rewards from the coverage given to the Round being that Samsung’s phone can’t be purchased anywhere except Korea,. It would also fit in with LG’s plans to give its hardware a wider release, something it has done with the LG G2. This oddly shaped phone is said to give the impression of watching TV when the phone is held in landscape.

 For a phone that has not seen the most positive comments from potential customers, its safe to say that it can be used as an expensive shoe horn

The Impact Of Breaking Bad

It’s hard to deny the impact a show like Breaking Bad had on TV Culture and the millions of fans that enjoyed watching it every Sunday night.

That’s 10.3 million people who sat down to watch the heart pumping finale, to be exact. An amazing feat because the viewership had previously never gone above 6.6 million.

Its hard to understand just how crazy that is until it is put into context. Two years ago during the season finale, when Walt “Faced Off” with Gus Fring, the enemy of that season, it only had 1.9 million viewers. This was actually considered a good thing because it was more than 20 percent higher from the previous season.

This didn’t only affect the fans, but AMC as well who was able to make quite a bit more money from their ads. AMC charged as high as $400,000 for 30-second ads during the finale, competing with a similar price for shows like Modern Family and even American Idol.

One of the biggest issues fans have with some of their favorite shoes is that they don’t quite know when to quit. Shows such as The Office and Dexter ran dry after awhile, and affect the viewers’ view of the show as a whole.

However the writers and Vince Gilligan, the creator, are happy with the way it ended and were grateful enough to have those five seasons to keep viewers on their seat.

 “I can’t even believe that the ratings have increased with each episode — I just think it’s wonderful. People have asked me, ‘Does it make you want to go on and do a bunch more episodes now?’ Just the opposite. It makes me think; through quite a bit of good luck being involved, we really did pick the right moment to exit the stage,” said Vince Gilligan.

Vince credited Netflix for the success of the show at the Emmys recently, because it allowed people to watch the show at their own pace, and catch up quick enough to be able to watch the finale with everyone else.

Breaking Bad withstood the test of time, and commuted from the Internet age, to the social media age, and did so gracefully.

Upon its premier in 2008, Facebook was social media, and in 2013 things have progressed so rapidly and people are so uses to getting information at an instant with Twitter.

This has produced a generation that is lacking patience, as they are used to getting what they want, when they want it. Many TV shoes can be blamed for that, with conflict resolutions appearing within the 30 minute span of the show, and quips that are easy to understand.

A show like Breaking Bad didn’t offer that, but was still able to tie up all loose ends in the season finale. One thing that contributed to Breaking Bad being such a success was its character progression within the show. They seemed natural, and coincided with the happenings of the show, like a chemical reaction if you will.

During the show, Walt was the only one who actually broke bad, and Jessie did the opposite.

As the show goes on, Jesse becomes a nicer, better guy. He becomes more humane, responsible, etc.  He ends up taking care of his work area which touches Walt in the final episode when he goes into the lab, a complete opposite to how he was during the first season. He grows to almost resent Walter for doing exactly what Jesse originally started off doing himself. Jesse ends up literally breaking away from his bad.

He even finds himself in rehab, in an effort to better himself. Even the way he kills people changes. When he kills Gale, you can see the sorrow in eyes as his handshakes when he pulls the trigger.

Even in the finale when he kills Todd, it is done out of total anger and despair, not out of greed and revenge.  In the final episode he finally gets free off that ball and chain that has been holding him; there’s no loose end to chase him after he hears Walt has dealt with Lydia. And him crashing through the fence or breaking through it, literally shoes him breaking away from the business. He's free.

This is in contrast to Walt who ends up growing to love the whole process behind meth (all the chemistry etc.) so he chooses to die in that environment. In doing so it shows that he is the #1 meth cook, and his legacy will live on. He even has an ego after death. A true transformation from the wimp of a man he was in season 1.

During this final episode, Walt said to Skylar that he felt 'alive' while he was on top and making meth.  Ironically that it’s the meth trade that kills him, as well as the bullet that came from his own gun.

The only time he looked genuinely happy was at the end when he touched metal vats in the cook room, which he eerily had the same look when he said goodbye to his daughter.

The entire show displays 2 people Breaking Bad at the same pace, same time and similar settings, but in two opposite ways. Sort of like chemistry.

Trouble Up North?

What was once one of the world’s most influential and forward thinking companies is no longer a force to be reckoned with.

It is now just a wreck, a far cry from its glory days in 2008 when you couldn’t take a step without bumping into somebody that had their eyes glued to their blackberry screen.

The company, now legally known as Blackberry changed its name this past January.

The Company adopted to the name of its revolutionary BlackBerry Smartphone to coincide with the launch of its new mobile computing platform, BlackBerry 10. The move consolidates the company’s brand into a single cohesive global presence.

However the presence of Blackberry hasn’t really been felt in a very long time, Back in 2009,the Smartphone company was sitting pretty with a stock price of $83.02, and it currently sits at $8.03.

Its stock prices are a true testament that other companies and platforms can always come and recapture territory that were thought to be off limits. With companies like Apple and Google finally putting their hands in the Smartphone business and strived to make advancements, it was clear that Blackberry wasn’t.

Blackberry could have stayed on top or at least in the top tier if they listened to the needs of the people, instead of the voices in their heads and the people in those giant corner offices.

As other companies made their phones more usable, thinner, and bigger screens, Blackberry stayed in the lane of Business phones and refused to budge.

They were given ample warnings as well. The first iPhone was released on June 29, 2007 for a whopping $599. It wasn’t until a year and a half later that Apple would release a second, more affordable version, which would of course sell better. During this time Blackberry could have developed a newer device or at least target a different audience to increase sales.

However, Blackberry didn’t release a touch phone until March 2013.

This phone, called the Z10 produced horrible sales for the company, which is mostly what they attribute the expected $1 billion net operating loss in Q2 of 2014.And for the first time, the consumers aren’t the only ones being affect. As Blackberry looks to cut nearly 40% of their global employees, adding up to about 4,500 people being laid off.

CEO Thorsten Heins said in a statement that "We are very disappointed with our operational and financial results this quarter and have announced a series of major changes to address the competitive hardware environment and our cost structure."

 Canadian investment company Fairfax put in a $4.7 billion buyout offer earlier this week. It is likely that Blackberry will agree to the deal, making the phones only available to the enterprise market.

Blackberry may have lost touch in the Smartphone world but some hate the idea of touch phones.

Audre Canon, a sophomore at St.Francis College hates even thinking about having to use a touch phone.

Holding out his hands, he says “Look at these fingers, can you imagine typing on a touch screen with these fat things?”

“If I have to get a iPhone I’ll be able to type a word with one press from these huge thumbs” said Canon.

Others are a bit more excited that the future of Blackberry isn’t so bright.

Ariana Turkson, a St. John’s student thinks it’s about time the company reaped what they sew.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder right? Maybe if I stop seeing those archaic phones I wont hate them as much as I do now. They can’t seem to do anything right”

This statement holds true to even last week. On September 22 BBM was supposed to come to iOS and Android devices. BBM, which stands for Blackberry Messenger is a messaging platform made exclusive to Blackberry Handsets until recent. At the tail end of June it was announced by Blackberry that the company would make BBM available to everyone by summer’s end.

Apparently someone took this time frame very literal as September 22 was the official first day of fall. BBM, which was suppose to be the world’s first true cross platform messaging system never even came to fruition. Due to sudden complications, the release was delayed. This announcement of course was made on the day it was suppose to release.

As Blackberry continues to go down the wrong path, many hope that the once dominant company will find its way.

iPhones For All

Last week, Apple had consumers feverishly waiting for the new generation iPhone to be revealed to the masses.

And for the first time, Apple released two iPhones at once. One is called the iPhone 5C and is just $100 on contract, a perfect phone for those on a budget or young children who will also be attracted to the jolly rancher-esque colors its available in.

The other is the more expected of the pair, the iPhone 5S. Somewhat of a re-up of last year’s ever popular iPhone 5, which sold 55 million units. The iPhone 5S boasts a  speedier processor and a slew of camera improvements. Which include a better light sensor, a more life-like flash, the ability for slow motion video, and live video zoom.

Even for those not into photography, the new iPhone has something for them as well. There has been an entire overhaul of the OS, in an attempt end the redundancy of a system that has seen little change since its inception in 2007.

Perhaps the most surprising change in Apples flagship device is the finger print scanner. A welcomed change from the monotonous passcode route and the infamous “slide to unlock” feature.To unlock it now, all you’ve got to do is push your finger onto the home button, which will then scan you finger and unlock your phone. A novel feature that will no longer leave people scratching their head when trying to remember that pesky passcode. The last and possibly most noticeable update is that the iPhone now comes in a gold hue.

But the question is, is iPhone still the gold standard when it comes to mobile devices? Or are they now playing catch up to other platforms?

Their stock prices are a direct reflection of this, as it is currently $463.50, and just a year ago it was $700.00.

The idea of a budget device is nothing new to the Cupertino tech giant. The iPod which debuted in 2001 offered a cheaper model, which is now called the Nano. A more affordable version of their laptop was available too, the Macbook. Yet it took them six years to release a price conscience iPhone. In the tech world, six year is a very long time.

Other companies such as Samsung, LG and Huawei have been releasing cheaper versions of their top tier devices for years, usually aimed for the enormous domestic Chinese market, and billions of other people in other countries have been waiting to get their hand on a technology that still seems so intangible.

It has taken Apple awhile to see what potential a country like China can hold. For instance, Reuters reported that back in March, 1.5 billion people in China had cell phones, and 280 million of those people were Smartphone users. Here in America, there are just 254 million cell phones all together.

Aside from the obvious competition between companies, bringing this type of technology into burgeoning markets benefits the world. It will lessen the economic inequality that doesn’t include billions of people from accessing such important and large amounts of information.

On the other hand, it has become another option in markets that have already been established, such as in America, where people who don’t feel like (or cant) spend that extra few hundred bucks to have the same phone as everyone else.

Jennifer Horowitz, the mother of an 18-year-old who has just started college has been delighted by the fact that Apple is finally paying attention to those that can’t afford such expensive devices.

“I’ve got a kid who just started college and another in High School, and for the price of one expensive iPhone, I can get two of the cheaper ones now. You know, with tuition being as high as it is, every dollar helps,” mentioned Horowitz.

Some people believe that Apple is just a little too late when it comes to releasing the iPhone 5C.

“It’s almost like they’re running out of ideas for things to do,” said Andrew Gross, a student at St. John’s. “I want an iPhone because it’s a status symbol; if I had the iPhone 5C people would know that I had the cheap one and not the expensive one. So I’m definitely just gonna get the iPhone 5S instead, there’s nothing better than Apple because it’s so cool.”

Those who aren’t iPhone fans at all have a totally different view when it comes to the iPhone’s newfound territory, or lack thereof.

After all, you can put lipstick on a pig.

“I had the first three iPhones and I loved them, until one day the new one came out and I got tired of how it looked, it hadn’t changed much,” said Candace Christine, a senior at Baruch College.

She thought that it was time for a change and decided to get an android handset, and has not looked back.

“It’s more customizable ,I can put icons wherever I want, and if I want a giant clock on the home screen, than that’s what I get,” she exclaimed.

It’s hard to deny the foot print that Apple has left in the mobile computing world, though some wonder if they have strayed from their innovative and groundbreaking ideas. Perhaps Apple just isn’t built to innovate forever; many other companies come to this point as well.

Companies rise to relevance, dominate for a period of time, then fade into the scenery, after all it's the cycle of capitalism and it happens every day.

Kissland, The Weeknd- Review

It’s hard to determine where The Weeknd is in his career, although it started with the release of three mysterious songs at the tail end of 2010.  The subsequent release of three mixtapes in 2011 ("House of Balloons," "Thursday," "Echoes of Silence") cemented his place in music, a space that had never before been occupied. For an artist to carve their own lane, it is impossible for the public to have any inkling on when that lane will vanish, or even merge.

The Weeknd, whose birth name is Abel Tesfaye grew up in Scarborough, a small town in Toronto Canada. Although small, it has plagued him with experiences that effect who he is and his music.

Upon releasing three works in one year, it is easy for fans to become spoiled, greedy and downright bored. How much life can someone live in one year to make them feel comfortable enough to embark upon such a trilogy?

A lot of life, apparently. The first mixtape dubbed “House of Balloons” isn’t filled with the usual sappy love songs or those hip party songs that have no depth beyond the catchy chorus and nonsensical rhymes. Instead, it’s about a shadowy enigmatic teenager who sees the world as his oyster, as long as it included partying, drugs, and girls to brag about.

Once you move onto the second installment, titled “Thursday,” the mood becomes a little more serious, or as serious as it can be for a kid who thinks he can take over the world, by doing as he pleases, even if it comes at someone else’s expense. Sentiments like such can be heard in a song titled “Lonely Star” where he sings “ It seems like pain and regret are your best friends/ Cause everything you do leads to them/ Well baby, I could be your best friend”

Once you move onto the 3rd and final chapter of the trilogy, the mood changes completely, even the title “Echoes of Silence” evokes sadness. It is here where Tesfaye realizes that his actions were wrong, as if he were at a party the night before, and during his hazy hangover a friend retells him the tales of the night. None of which are flattering. All of those things you’d hoped you didn’t do, you did, and all of the things you’d hoped you didn’t say, you yelled. After all, the last words uttered on the trilogy are “Baby please/Would you end your night with me/Don't you leave me all behind/Don't you leave my little life.”

Thus bringing us to his newest offering, titled “KissLand”. Nearly a year after The Trilogy was released to the masses, little is still known about The Weeknd. Not one interview has been conducted, and the only pictures available were those released by his team. With such a carefully designed method, many wondered if he’d maintain this cloak of anonymity , and if the quality of the music would stay up to par.

Starting with the album cover, The Weeknd has decided to go a different route, instead of a party-ridden woman on the cover, it is him, with his head tiled in a condescending way, as if looking down on you, in a dimly lit room with the only source of light coming from the city behind him.

The album is in no way trekking on new territory, neither is it completely rehashing old material either. It is the type of brash, non sentimental existential hate that encompasses The Weeknd. The subject matter is similar, but on a much grander scale, with deeper bass and more pain.

The first song “ Professional” sets the stage for KissLand  "So you're somebody now/ but what's a somebody in a nobody town?" asks Tesfaye with assertion, letting you know from the start that he still holds the power. The track swings between smooth R&B sounds and odd voice in the background and ends with creepy guitar strings in the background.

It is a very laidback track with increased tension as the beat switches half way in and then you know, The Weeknd has returned.

“The Town” is a sensible follow up, with similar atmospheric changes in the tempo where The Weeknd sings about how much his hometown of Toronto, Canada has changed since his rise to fame has allowed him to do shows around the world, for the past year.

The next song “Adaptation” is one of standout tracks on the album, where it’s obvious his lyrics have improved with lines like “I think I lost the only piece that held it all in place/

Now my madness is the only love I let myself embrace. ”

His musical influences of Prince, R. Kelly and Michael Jackson can be identified on this song, especially when it comes to harmonies and cadences. He rambles on about a girl he has lost, which may have been his one true love. Not once does he deny his wrong doings, but he also sees no point in running a race that has already been lost. What other choice does he have, but to adapt?

“Love in the Sky” features a strong, guitar focused beat, with hard hitting lyrics about even harder drug use. He feels as if the world doesn’t understand him and his only way out is to dream.

This is followed by “Belong to the World,” which is filled with memorable hooks. It is a record that is likely being pushed as the single by his label, Universal Records, who slowly try to push The Weeknd towards commercial success.

Commercial success comes up again in the next song ”Live For,” which features one of the most successful modern day artists, Drake. Drake’s guest verse is a welcomed break from The Weeknd’s over indulgence of life and its generosity. It is here where we catch wind of The Weeknd’s first braggadocios lyrics about money. The high-life is finally his and the only way he can express himself is to explain the reality of his situation, nothing more nothing less.

“Wanderlust” is the sore thumb of the album. A beat laden with quick paced drums trying to emulate an 80’s disco track. Paired with falsetto vocals it sounds like a “Thriller” left over. Its unlike anything you’ve heard from The Weeknd before, with an unmistakable pop/rock influence. A welcomed surprise of sorts as he channels his inner Michael Jackson.

The title track, “KissLand” is next, a story about how much his life has changed in the past year: "I went from staring at the same four walls for 21 years to seeing the whole world in 12 months." The only downside is that he barely remembers how his new condo looks because he hasn’t had a chance to enjoy it yet.

“Pretty” gets confessional again with a beat that seems to force its grips onto you before slowly letting go enough for you to breath and decipher the intricacies of the instrumentals. In this song he revisits an old fling, with his only quip being "You will never feel this beautiful."

The last song is “Tears in the Rain” where The Weeknd feels it all slipping away and fully acknowledge what he has lost. But with this new level of notoriety comes love, that will satisfy him.

Well, for now at least.The last words uttered are ‘it’s so sad it had to be this, she forgot the good things about me/she let it slip away. ‘

KissLand is an album about The Weeknd trying to discover himself. And with money and fame now being tossed his way, it’s harder than ever to be loyal to his true person. He has yet to satisfy himself. However, the rogue and unapologetic journey he travels makes for entertaining, truthful and raw music .All I can ask is that this journey never ends.

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King of Food in Queens

The smell of gyros fills the air as you trot into one of the most famous Greek restaurants in New York. The sight of the giant chunk of tantalizing lamb on the rotisserie only makes your mouth water more, as you grab a seat on one of the cracked leather stools.

Fontana Famous Pizza & Gyro has been around since the late 80′s and although times may have changed, the quality of all the food has remained constant.

“I’ve only been working here for about four years now,” said one of the servers,” but it felt like I was joining a family here, whether it’s the employees or the regular customers, everyone just gives off a great vibe.

Fontana’s is located on 200-02 Northern Blvd in Bayside, Queens, and is known as the go-to gyro place among the five boroughs, and the authentic menu is the reason why. One of the few chefs prides himself on keeping the cuisine simple and easy. “Why change? a quote that was always told to me ‘Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change’, I’m still not sure how to understand that quote ,but I’m pretty sure change wouldn’t be welcomed here.”, he said as he laughed.

The official meaning of a gyro is simply a pita, filled with meat and salad, but a Fontana’s gyro is so much more, both in taste and experience. The fluffy pita roll is stuffed with steamy, perfectly salted lamb meat, and topped with fresh iceberg lettuce, bright white onions and the reddest of tomatoes. And of course what’s a gyro without tzatziki sauce, which is a mixture of Greek yogurt and cucumbers. All yours for just $7.00. On any given day, a trip to Fontana’s will find one shouting an order at one of the red shirts behind the counter over the joyfully loud conversations often held by Greek natives, which surprisingly isn’t annoying as you here a burst of laughter fill the restaurant, wishing you spoke just enough Greek to get the joke. Though they are happy they are able to share a bit of their culture albeit just the food, with people of so many other ethnicities.

“I think it’s great, other people enjoying the food that we’ve been eating for centuries, even if it’s just the basics like gyros and souvlaki,” explained Charles S., one of the regular customers at Fontana’s. The only bone he has to pick is how people pronounce the famous Greek sandwich; “It’s pronounced ‘yeer-oh,’ not ‘gye-row,’” he exclaimed while waving his hands back and forth as if to strengthen his point.

Queens, is widely known as one of the most diverse places in the world– while strolling down a single block, several countries and cultures can be shared and represented. Just a bus ride away from this Greek staple is one of the newly popular hobbies in the area, Hookah. Layla Hookah is located at 181-34 Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows, Queens, and is one of the most popular hookah bars in Queens. Upon entering the large corner side property, you are immersed in another world and more specifically another culture, as the loud music changes your entire attitude. What makes it different from most hookah lounges is that it doubles as a restaurant. “That’s why I love this place; sometimes I don’t even come in here to smoke, just to grab a 10-piece wing and some fries, than I’m out,” said Stephen Tsakas. The steak is cooked perfectly, and the banana-nutella crepe may just be the best you’ve ever had, not too shabby for a Hookah place.

Hookah is a Middle Eastern tradition; it is a single or multi-stemmed instrument for smoking flavored tobacco, called shisha, in which the smoke is passed through a water basin (often glass based) before inhalation. In recent years, it has become popular in the United States, as a means for young 20-somethings to sit around and hang out– somewhat of a social event.
“I do it because it’s fun. I love doing tricks with the smoke, and it’s nice to just chill with some friends for a few hours outside of the house, and it’s a pretty cheap date,” added Stephen.
A 90 minute session is at least $12, for the flavor of your choice which includes pineapple, vanilla, strawberry, watermelon, and countless others. After choosing a flavor, you are presented with a unique instrument (the hookah itself), along with a mouthpiece, to enjoy the fruity smoke as it billows out of your mouth.

Young women, similar to bartenders walk around endlessly making sure everyone’s coal is burning smoothly and drinks are constantly refreshed, keeping the customers happy as they enjoy this experience with their friends and families. As the smoke from the hookah hose becomes more and more thin, the fun soon mellows out and comes to an end. Though the smoke disappears into thin air, the memories are yours forever, and not to mention the fruity smell of your clothing.

(featured image source:Flickr.com)

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Bags for Big Men on Campus

Before you know it, school will be back in session and that Superman backpack is getting old and won’t work out too well in college. Backpacks are one of the few essentials of school that allows you to show a bit of personality everyday. Here are a couple of bags that are sure to make you the cool kid on campus.

Herchel

(Source: selectism.com)

Who doesn’t love the Herchel bag, the cotton canvas and leather accents make for a stylish and more importantly durable bag. The reasonable prices doesn’t hurt either. These bags are popular among college kids, as they even carry tablet and laptop sleeves. With the recent Stussy collaboration, it’s clear that Herchel is making the right moves.

NorthFace

(Source: Jimmyjazz.com)

Plan on going hiking or camping in the jungle for a while? Well it doesn’t really matter, as NorthFace has become a staple in middle schools and high schools, and you can’t go far without seeing kids with them strapped to their back. All of the cool kids have them; don’t you want to be a cool kid? (P.S. – the Hotshot is the coolest.)

Jansport

(Source: Amazon.com)

Jansport backpacks have been around since 1975. Feel old eh? It was probably the bag that you had in elementary school, and if you were lucky you even had the suede bottom. The brand with the infamous burgundy logo and navy background is known for being durable and is a classic brand. Pick one up to be a part of history.

J. Crew Abingdon Messenger

(Source: jcrew.com)

J. Crew is relatively new is the retail world, having its first brick and mortar built in South Street Seaport in 1989.Since, J. Crew has opened a total of 300 stores and is now one of the top specialty retailers. If you’re looking for a more mature look, or plan on taking your bag to the office. A messenger might be the right choice and look for you.

Givenchy

(Source: Bergdorfgoodman.com)

Is money not an option? Or do you just like having high end accessories? Either way, when your personal assistant is holding your MacBook , or it isn’t in your Maybach, this would be a great option for you. This Doberman print canvas is similar to the other animal inspired pieces Givenchy has released. After all, a dog is a man’s best friend, right?

Speedo

(Source:kiefer.com)

Speedo, ya know, that embarrassing mankini that your dad wears? They also make some pretty solid backpacks, that won’t break the bank. You may not be able to win gold medals like Phelps and Lochte, but you can sport some of the products that they endorse. And it’s pretty obvious, who can make a better water resistant bag, than a company who has made millions off of bathing suits.

(Feature image source: onabags.com)

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