Investigators announced Thursday that a $15,000 award is being offered for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for setting five fires on multiple floors of Morgan Hall earlier this week.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering $5,000 in conjunction with L.F. Driscoll Company which is offering $10,000.
Check back with temple-news.com shortly for more information.
With Valentine’s Day mere hours away, I can’t help but be filled with this burning, uncontrollable passion. You know; fury.
Valentine’s Day is easily the most unrealistic holiday. We plaster everything with hearts, yet we don’t care enough about the person to at least make sure they’re anatomically correct. If you love a person, you’ll include ventricles. Bonus points if they’re functional.
We bath everything in red and pink, and are expected to just ignore what a mixed message that sends. Wikipedia itself, the number one source of information for anyone who’s too busy to do any real research, describes the color as “danger, sacrifice, passion, fire, beauty, blood, anger, socialism and communism.”
So the next time you hand a bouquet of red roses to your significant other, think about how what you’re really giving is a flag to all around that he or she is a dangerous person looking to commit an act of passionate sacrifice into fire to obtain some beautiful blood to appease their angry socialist and communist gods. And do you know what type of flag that will be? A red one.
As for pink, the mighty Wikipedia says that “most variations of pink lie somewhere between red, white and magenta colors.” It’s indecisive, and that’s not what love is supposed to be.
Love also isn’t supposed to be about mass-produced consumerist culture either. It’s supposed to be about sincerity and showing who you truly are. No matter how many Golden Girls re-run marathons they run, Hallmark will never be able to tap into that sassy, yet sagely voice that is uniquely yours.
But if you go on a spiel about how you morally object to this accursed holiday, all you’ll get are people staring at you and continuing to demand some Tums crafted into a heart and carved with some vaguely romantic message. If Valentine’s Day has become a social obligation, what options do you really have?
JULIANA COPPA TTN
I’ve always opted to make my own cards. It gives me full customization abilities and makes me feel like still having a protractor in my life past the fourth grade is forgivable. Yes, a protractor. I take angles seriously.
For those of you who don’t have a supply of glitter large enough to survive the wackiest Mardi Gras-related apocalypse imaginable, I’d recommend faking it until you are making it. Any implications hidden in that last sentence were solely the product of a compulsive need to rhyme.
For your convenience, here is a selection of very unique Valentine’s Day cards that people will think you took the time to craft. Use them at your leisure.
JULIANA COPPA TTN
When it comes to gifts, I recommend using the same tactic. Poems, song lyrics and articles of some kind all make great individual gifts. It doesn’t need to stop there, either. Forgot Godiva, make your own chocolate. Master botany. What could possibly go wrong there?
Together, we can defeat the excessive capitalist influence and turn the symbolism of Valentine’s Day into something that really represents what the holiday should be about. We can make it what it always should have been. Well, you guys can. I’ve procrastinated too long and if I don’t get a card and some chocolate soon, my girlfriend is going to kill me.
Zack Scott can be reached at zack.scott@temple.edu or on Twitter @ZackScott11.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees has approved a proposal by Temple Education Support Services to prepare and submit a bid for a 50-year lease and construction of a building in Tokyo. The move was submitted by TESS’ Board of Directors for the “Japan Akasaka Building Project” last week.
Two sexual assaults were reported on Main Campus in the past two weeks.
The first case consisted of a sexual assault that was reported Feb. 4, stemming from an incident that occurred in Temple Towers the prior weekend, said Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone.
The case involves two Temple students: an 18-year-old female victim and an 18-year-old male. No charges have been filed yet and the case has been referred to the Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit, Leone said.
The second case involves a sexual assault that stemmed from an off-campus incident over the weekend. Temple police have not apprehended a suspect in the case, and are working with the Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit to pursue further leads. The victim, a male Temple student, allegedly met the offender, another male whose affiliation is unknown, at a party and went back to the student’s residence.
A description has been released of the suspect: a black male, believed to be of college age, husky build, dark complexion, approximately 5 feet, 10 inches and 180 pounds wearing a red cap.
Philadelphia Police are searching for three suspects who allegedly attempted to take a woman’s cell phone on Monday, according to police.
On Feb. 4, at approximately 1:10 p.m., a 21-year-old woman was on the 1800 block of West Berks Street when three suspects approached her from behind, grabbed her and tried to take her cell phone, police said. After an unsuccessful attempt to grab the cell phone, police said the suspects fled west on Berks Street.
The first suspect is described by police as a 16 to 19-year-old black male of light complexion and stocky build. He was last seen wearing a black jacket over gray, a hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. The other two suspects are described as black males in their late teens.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS, 215-686-3093 or text tips to 773847.
Eleven poets stepped up to the stage, one by one, in front of five judges and more than 100 spectators to perform spoken word at a small and intimate setting, only illuminated by a disco ball hanging on the ceiling.
The Philadelphia Poetry Slam is an ongoing event occurring every First Friday at PhilaMOCA, a gallery space located on 531 North 12th Street, from Oct. 2012 to May 2013.
Organized by Jacob Winterstein and Alyesha Wise, the poetry slam’s main intent is to give the writers a platform to display their work and improve their writing, hopefully opening more doors and opportunities to come.
Winterstein and Wise met as competitors back in 2008 at the Fuze’s Grand Poetry Slam. Wise finished first and Winterstein, a Temple graduate, finished right behind her. After forming a close bond through poetry, they decided to create a stage that will bring poetry to a wider audience in Philadelphia.
The night began with a quick writing workshop at 7:30 p.m. Sign-ups were at 8:30 p.m. followed by the main event beginning promptly at 9 p.m.
The slam is divided into three sections, with each writer getting three minutes each to perform. At the end of each performance, the judges, who are random members of the audience, hold up their scorecards ranging from numbers one through ten. Since the judges are not professional, the poets must appeal to their tastes.
Various boos amongst the crowd were made when one poet was given a four instead of a higher score, which the audience though was unfair. The score, Winterstein said, isn’t as important as being given instant feedback on your work. The odds may not always work on your favor, but the poetry competition is always a good outlet to for writers to work on their craft.
Eleven members compete in the first round, followed by the five best for the second. The last round concludes with the top three from the preceding round.
When asked what he loved most about poetry, Winterstein replied “I love the simplicity. There’s no instruments or research involved. Just words. It speaks to everyone”.
Slam poetry relies heavily on powerful vocal delivery and thematic presentation. This means that music or any other stage prop used to dramatize the performance is forbidden; just words and the rhythm of the poet’s voice are used.
An attendee, who called himself El Poeta, did not perform but basked in the scenery while selling his own line of jewelry during breaks near the entrance.
“Variety – I like to hear all the subjects the poets talk about,” he said.
Health, racism, women’s rights and love were just a few of the topics written by the poets among others.
The winner of the competition was given the title of the “Philadelphia Poetry Slam Champion” and a chance to compete in the Grand Slam Finals in May.
The next Philadelphia Poetry Slam will take place on Friday, March 1 at PhilaMOCA.
Naveed Ahsan can be reached at naveed.ahsan@temple.edu.
A sexual assault was reported Monday morning, stemming from an incident that occurred in Temple Towers during the weekend, said Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone.
The case involves two Temple students, an 18-year-old female victim and an 18-year-old man. No charges have been filed yet and the case has been referred to the Philadelphia Police’s Special Victim’s Unit, Leone said.
Leone said that along with being referred to the Special Victim’s Unit, the case has also been referred to the Student Code of Conduct through the university. He said alcohol was involved.
Check back with temple-news.com for more information as it becomes available.
Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to announce Friday that he will propose flat funding for Temple and the other state and state-related universities in Pennsylvania as part of his 2013-2014 budget proposal which he will announce Tuesday, according to PennLive.
PennLive reports that Corbett has invited representatives from the 14 state universities and four state-related universities in Pennsylvania to join him at a news conference at the capitol in Harrisburg at 1 p.m.
If Temple were to be flat funded for the 2013-2014 fiscal year, its state appropriation would remain at $139.9 million. Corbett requested a 30 percent cut to Temple’s appropriation for the 2012-2013 budget, but the state ultimately kept the university’s appropriation on par with what it received in the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
In his first budget proposal as governor, Corbett proposed to cut Temple, and the other three state-related universities’ appropriations in half for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Eventually, the cut was altered to a 19 percent appropriation reduction, bringing its state funding from $172.7 million in 2010-2011, to $139.9 million, which it stands at today.
For a full recap of today’s announcement click here.
Sacramento Kings starting guard Tyreke Evans walks into Pearson Hall for practice in the afternoon, Jan. 31.
Pearson Hall has seen a wide range in the style and quality of basketball so far this year, but this afternoon brought with it a slightly different spectacle.
The Sacramento Kings arrived at Pearson Hall a little before 1 p.m. to prepare for the upcoming meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow night. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
“I said ‘what’s up Demarcus [Cousins]’ and he replied with a swift no reply,” said senior marketing major Myles Federico. “Jimmer [Fredette] replied with a polite head nod.”
No word yet on whether Khalif Wyatt plans on challenging Tyreke Evans to a game of H.O.R.S.E.
A sexual assault was reported Wednesday stemming from an incident that occurred last week said Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone.
Leone said the sexual assault happened at approximately 11:50 p.m. on Jan. 24, in White Hall, which normally houses freshmen. The victim, a 19-year-old woman and the suspect, a 19-year-old man, were both students and knew each other, Leone said.
The case has been referred to the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit and will be referred to the Student Code of Conduct, Leone said. No charges have been filed as of Thursday afternoon.
Check back with temple-news.com for more information as it becomes available.
