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On March 26, George Ciccariello-Maher, a Drexel University associate professor of political science, tweeted: “Some guy gave up his first-class seat for a uniformed soldier. People are thanking him. I’m trying not to vomit or yell about Mosul.”

The tweet received quick criticism on Twitter and drew attention of many news outlets. Notably, CNN, Fox News and USA Today covered the story.

In a statement following the tweet, Ciccariello-Maher explained the tweet in depth and claimed that his personal views were in no way affiliated with Drexel.

“I respect anyone who makes difficult and dangerous decisions out of economic necessity — whether they are public school teachers, construction workers, economic migrants or young soldiers,” Ciccariello-Maher wrote in his statement.

“What I don’t respect is a brutal invasion and occupation of Iraq … that has given the world ISIS and a war that has wrought carnage like that seen in Mosul and elsewhere,” he continued.

In the days following the statement, Fox News host Tucker Carlson brought Ciccariello-Maher onto his show for a twelve minute segment. One line of argument brought up online — and echoed by Carlson — is that Ciccariello-Maher is blaming the individual soldier in the tweet.

“Absolutely not. I think U.S. troops need real support; they don’t need symbolic gestures. What they need is not a first class seat. What they need is health care support, psychological support, women in uniform need not to be subjected to an epidemic of sexual assault and more than anything they don’t need to be deployed,” Ciccariello-Maher responded.

On Fox and Friends, Fox contributor and former Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill responded to Ciccariello-Maher’s call for real support.

“Well they do have real support. [Giving up a first-class seat] is support. Someone saying I support the troops, but I’m against this and this is not supporting the troops … support for the troops is buying them a beer at the airport, paying for their meal, [and] giving them a first-class seat. That’s real support for the troops,” O’Neill said.

In Ciccariello-Maher’s tweet and accompanying response, he cited recent U.S. airstrikes in Mosul that were reported to have killed up to 200 civilians. Airwars, a nonprofit that documents civilian fatalities from coalition airstrikes, noted that in December there were an alleged 465 such casualties from the U.S.-led coalition, while in March there were an alleged 1,744 such events. This number is nearly three times higher than any others since operations first began in August 2014.

During the controversy following this and former tweets, the question of Ciccariello-Maher’s in-class behavior and teaching ability were called into question by bloggers and twitter users alike. But what is it actually like to take a class with the professor?

“Most of his class was centered around class led discussion and dialogue on the different readings. He was always open to students interpretations and readings,” Austin Binns, a junior majoring in political science, said. “As a former ROTC cadet I can say with a certainty that he was respectful to me and considered my opinions as equally as my fellow classmates,” he continued.

Drexel’s ROTC program has not put out an official statement, but Lt. Col. Lawrence Camacho, a professor of military science and chair of the military science department, did respond to the tweet when asked for comment.

“I cannot speak for the Army or for Drexel. But what I can say is that I appreciate the many citizens who support and respect the many sacrifices that our military and fellow veterans continue to endure for this great country of ours. Furthermore, Drexel continues to be very supportive of our ROTC program and veteran students, and I appreciate that,” Camacho wrote.

Drexel did put out an official response in the days following the incident.

“The recent social media comments by George Ciccariello-Maher, Associate Professor of Politics and Global Studies at Drexel, were made outside the classroom, are his own opinion and do not represent the University’s views. Drexel is committed to and vigorously supports our ROTC students, student veterans and alumni who have served in the military. Our support for student veterans has helped us create an inclusive campus culture that honors service and Drexel’s deep connection to American military history,” the statement read.

Ciccariello-Maher’s full statement can be viewed in The Triangle’s article “Drexel professor issues statement following ‘first-class seat’ tweet.”

Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Drexel University alumnus, Chuck Barris, a former Triangle columnist and the host of “The Gong Show,” died March 18 at age 87 in Palisades, New York.

Barris graduated from Drexel in 1953, and was hired by NBC two years later. He then worked for ABC as an aide to Dick Clark before transitioning into the role of director of ABC’s West Coast daytime programming.

Barris created “The Gong Show” in 1976, after having created both “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game” in the 1960s. “The Gong Show” involved various performers being evaluated by a panel of celebrity judges. The judges would ring a gong to have particularly insufferable performers removed from the stage.

In 1984, Barris published an autobiography titled “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” in which he claimed to have worked as an assassin for the CIA in addition to his work in television. A film version of this alleged account was released in 2003 with the same name. Before his death, Barris published several other books, including a 2010 memoir of his only daughter, who died of a drug overdose in 1998.

One of Barris’ 1953 columns for The Triangle can be found in the online archives at http://sets.library.drexel.edu/triangle/record/49746.

CCTV America: Youtube

On March 26, George Ciccariello-Maher, a Drexel University associate professor of political science, tweeted: “Some guy gave up his first-class seat for a uniformed soldier. People are thanking him. I’m trying not to vomit or yell about Mosul.”

Below is Ciccariello-Maher’s full, unedited statement regarding the tweet:

“Two days after U.S. airstrikes incinerated an estimated 200 civilians in the Iraqi city of Mosul, I sent a personal tweet in reaction to what I considered a smug and self-congratulatory gesture by a first-class passenger toward a uniformed soldier. Maybe predictably, my tweet has since been fed into and misrepresented by the outrage machine that is right-wing media. Needless to say, my personal views expressed off-campus have absolutely nothing to do with those of my employer, Drexel University.

I respect anyone who makes difficult and dangerous decisions out of economic necessity — whether they are public school teachers, construction workers, economic migrants or young soldiers. What I don’t respect is a brutal invasion and occupation of Iraq that has not made our world any safer — a war that has taken advantage of economically disadvantaged Americans, a war that has given the world ISIS and a war that has wrought carnage like that seen in Mosul and elsewhere.

The best way to support troops is not with symbolic gestures and first-class seats, but by bringing them home safely, by ensuring that women in uniform are not subjected to what is an epidemic of sexual assault and by providing dignified medical and psychological care. Those who today claim to demand respect for the troops show little in the way of respect for how they are treated in and out of the military.”

Roselyne Grieve The Triangle

On Feb. 21, Philadelphia-based advocacy project Witnesses to Hunger opened a photography exhibition at the pay-what-you-wish EAT Cafe, located at 3820 Lancaster Ave.

Witnesses to Hunger aims to raise awareness for Philadelphia families living below the poverty line. As part of the program, parents and caretakers of young children take photographs that illustrate the hardships that they face in their daily lives due to their low-income status. A range of these photographs and their accompanying stories are currently on display at the cafe.

Currently, 26 percent of Philadelphia residents live below the poverty line, and 13 percent live below the deep poverty line — the highest rates of any large city in America, and despite all the efforts of local politicians, we have been unable to lower these numbers. According to event speaker Michelle Taylor, “what we think we know about how to fix poverty — we don’t.” Therefore, this organization is trying a different approach.

To promote the event, several members of the organization spoke at the exhibition opening, which was fully catered by the cafe staff. Witnesses to Hunger program manager Michelle Taylor, community advocate and 2016 Democratic National Convention delegate Malcolm Kenyatta, “Tuesdays with Toomey” speaker Myra Young, Women’s March on Philadelphia speaker Angela Sutton and EAT Cafe manager Donnell Jones-Craven were all in attendance.

The talks focused on a wide range of issues that affect low-income, predominantly black neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

Speakers also discussed the interaction between poverty and racism at length. Within this topic, talks touched on the fact that those below the poverty line are the least likely to vote or be politically involved, the lack of clean drinking water in West Philadelphia High School and that the city government does not install streetlights or hire street cleaners in many low income black neighborhoods.

“When areas at the bottom thrive, the community thrives, Philadelphia thrives,” Kenyatta said.

In order to help achieve these goals, Taylor’s talk encouraged Philadelphia residents to take action by calling their representatives, telling them not to cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. She also encouraged political and civic engagement as well as volunteering and philanthropy.

“People treat elected officials like they’re rock stars, like they’re untouchable. But they’re not,” Taylor said.

Finally, Jones-Craven’s talk brought the conversation back to the location itself, the pay-what-you-wish EAT Cafe.

“Everyone deserves access to healthy, hearty food with dignity,” their mission statement reads.

All cafe employees are paid the same rate, whether cook, server or dishwasher. Currently, the only other Philadelphia restaurant with this policy is Shake Shack. EAT Cafe and Witnesses to Hunger both aim to help the same groups of local residents, and this partnership is the first of many exhibitions that the restaurant plans to hold.

The Witnesses to Hunger exhibition will be open at EAT Cafe Wednesday through Saturday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. until March 20. The establishment will be serving their full menu at these times.

Photo courtesy Office of International Programs

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, the Office of International Programs and the Office of the Provost organized a faculty-student forum Feb. 8 in the A. J. Drexel Picture Gallery.

Faculty speakers included Anil Kalhan (law), Erin Graham (political science), Richard Frankel (law), Rachel Reynolds (anthropology), Alden Young (Africana studies), Ana Diez Roux (public health), Banu Onaral (biomedical engineering) and Bahram Nabet (electrical engineering).

Provost Brian Blake gave an opening statement, and then Senior Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Julie Mostov took the role of moderator for both the panel and audience questions.

The first faculty speaker was Anil Kalhan, who gave background information on the executive order, which included a staggered effect on seven Muslim-majority countries. He explained the background for the order, which aimed to halt immigration from the seven countries for 90 days, refugee admissions to the United States for 120 days and admissions for Syrian refugees indefinitely.

Erin Graham shared her expertise next. Graham provided background on the nature of executive orders and the power they represent. She explained that these orders are official directives to executive agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of the Interior.

She explained that while these orders do have the force of law, they are subject to checks by Congress, who can nullify them. But since this action would likely be vetoed by the President — barring the two-thirds majority needed in both houses of Congress to override such a veto — these issues are often battled in the court, just as with this executive order.

Graham then continued by pointing out flaws in the arguments used to justify the order, pointing out that of the 94 US deaths attributed to Jihadist terrorism in the past 15 years, none of them were at the hands of a person from any of the countries on the list.

“Refugees are subject to a vetting process … only the most vulnerable are approved,” Graham said.

“It’s about one percent,” she continued.

The next two speakers, Peter Frankel and Rachel Reynolds, spoke about the hectic rollout of the order and the role that immigrants play in society and higher education, respectively.

Speaking as an expert on Sudanese developmental and economic history was Alden Young. Sudan is one of the nations named in the order, but Young explained that this shows discontinuity with the easing relations between the United States and Sudan.

In the final days of his presidency, Barack Obama signed an order that rolled back sanctions prohibiting firms from trading in Sudan. The administration attributed the move to cooperative counterterrorism efforts and actions that decreased internal violence.

The sanctions were originally put in place in 1993 as a response to Sudanese hosting and backing of terrorist groups such as al-Qaida.

The final three speakers, Ana Diez Roux, Banu Onaral and Bahram Nabet, respectively explained the impact that negative sentiment towards a group can have on public health, the effect the order will have on Drexel’s global initiatives and the importance of diversity in the scientific community.

The forum ended with a question-and-answer session during which a microphone was passed through the crowd. About half of the audience members asked questions and the other half shared their feelings on the order.

More information about the order’s effect and Drexel’s response to it is available on the International Students & Scholars Services webpage.

Photo courtesy Drexel University

Drexel University President John A. Fry put out a statement expressing support for students and faculty affected by the now-defunct travel ban.

But what exactly does support mean? And how does it translate into action?

In response to the implementation of the original order — and with a new order expected soon — administrators have been assessing the lengths to which they can go in the interest of protecting students and faculty.

“We actually hired an external legal firm … we’ve been meeting regularly, weekly, and talking about the developments, and then they gave us some advice about what might happen in the worst-case scenario. And some of that is about how immigration might affect campus, and some of what we would be legally obligated to do,” Blake explained.

He continued to describe that the university has been looking at the spectrum of cooperations and what their legal obligations are in these worst case scenarios.

“We are looking at that spectrum to understand it, and at the end of the day we want to go to the legal limits of the law to protect our students, and that’s the cleanest way to put it,” Blake stated.

As for specifics about Drexel’s response, Blake said that action plans are still being developed.

“In the meetings what we’ve been working on is trying to put together a rubric of worst-case scenarios … what’s going to be our statement and our position when and if this occurs,” Blake said.

One of the important distinctions made is in regard to a university distinguishing itself as a safe haven or a sanctuary campus. Many universities decided to designate themselves in these terms, pledging not to alert federal authorities to students and faculty who violate immigration laws.

Drexel officials have elected not to call the university a sanctuary campus.

“[Declaring Drexel a sanctuary campus] may have some appeal, but the concept has no basis in law and the University has no authority to bar enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws on its campus,” Fry said in an email to students in December 2016.

“And by making it clear that we respect the rule of law, the University is more likely to receive a good hearing in the event that [the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals  program] comes under review again,” he continued.

DACA is a program providing immigrants who unlawfully entered before the age of 16 temporary exemption from deportation and eligibility for a work permit.

By June 2016, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services had approved approximately 750,000 of the 850,000 applications it received for DACA status.

Blake reiterated this viewpoint on the idea of sanctuary campuses, but he also explained that most institutions do the same things, regardless of sanctuary declaration.

“Saying that you’re a safe haven, it’s really just a way of reaffirming support for the students, but if you look at the details of all the places,” Blake said. “We’re all doing the same things, so whether you said it or not, you’re doing the same thing.”

The Trump administration is expected to produce another executive order soon to replace the judicially challenged ban.

Madaila offered solid open for Busty and the Bass, mesmerizing the audience with their extended jams. (Photo: Walker Alexander, The Triangle)

With all the great funk music coming out, it’s refreshing when a band can capture all the groove of great funk while creating a truly unique sound. Busty and the Bass, a nine-piece funk band from Montreal, showed Philadelphia that they can do exactly that while headlining at World Cafe Live on Feb. 8.

The group, which has already put out three releases, takes a funky core sound and layers on styles ranging from rap to electronic dance, giving each song a unique feel. And throughout each set, it proved that it can tackle each style on it’s own, too.

The first opener for Busty was Madaila, an upbeat, Vermont-based rock group. They brought falsetto-driven vocals and a myriad of danceable songs to the first set of the night.

During a few songs, most notably “Secrets,” the five-piece band dropped the vocals and went into a trance-like breakdown, producing a wall-of-sound, hectic jam session of epic proportions. As they played a structured song, they would devolve into a raw, psychedelic outro that seemed to say, “Grab my hand, we’re going somewhere you’ve not been before.” It was amazing.

It’s a credit to the band that, despite their short 35-minute set, they allowed themselves plenty of time to sit on solos and tease out as much energy as they could before moving on. I made sure to grab a sticker from the merch stand before leaving.

The second opener was an rhythm and blues vocalist named Michael Blume and his backing band. Blume juxtaposed songs about his personal experiences as a gay man with political commentary. His song “How High” detailed his thoughts on learning the dynamics of a relationship, as his homosexuality didn’t expose him to a traditional relationship structure.

The general sound was very similar to that of Frank Ocean, with keys and vocals driving the performance.

It seemed like the commentary in his lyrics and between songs was an integral part of his music and his live persona. At one point he commented on the result of the presidential election, saying, “One step we can take as we pursue justice is to be there for each other and say, ‘I got you.’”

He then started playing a song titled “I Got You.”

He did a great job flowing from between-song commentary and the songs themselves.

When looking at the performance from a purely sound point of view, Blume didn’t bring anything particularly new to the table, and there were only a few musical ideas during the set that turned my head. These moments were either due to the good connection between Blume and the rhythm section or Blume’s ability to go on impressive vocal runs.

However, there’s still value in a performance where the sound isn’t particularly fresh or impressive but engages the crowd and conveys an interesting message. Blume did this.

Finally, Busty and the Bass graced the stage at around 10 p.m. They started off with two tunes from their most recent EP, “Lift” “Miss Judge” and “Stages (Don’t Know Why)” included both traditional and rap vocals, gave the crowd a good introduction to the band’s sound.

After no time at all, they began to play songs from their upcoming album. In total, they ended up playing four new songs: the recently released single “Up Top,” the unreleased “Melodies and Memories” and two additional songs they didn’t mention the names of. They were all fun and funky, which is what Busty does best.

Busty’s rapper, Evan Crofton, shone in several songs, including “Say Who,” which highlighted his consistent flow. During the set, his delivery came across as fiery, which is a stark contrast to the laid back delivery employed in their studio work. The band backed him up with a complex arrangement that, during the tune, never took the leadership role from Crofton.

The horn section did everything right. The two-trumpet, one-trombone combination brought a back-of-beat style to new heights. The entire band did a phenomenal job at this, giving them a great in-the-pocket feel. They could play a line loud and strong, but the stylistic consistency still made it laid back.

Busty wasn’t afraid to play covers either. They played an entirely unexpected medley of songs from Anderson Paak’s 2016 album, “Malibu,” including “The Season / Carry Me,” “Am I Wrong” and “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance.” For an encore, they played a familiar cover of Macy Gray’s “I Try,” which was also included on “Lift.

Busty and the Bass bust out new and old songs at their show upstairs at World Cafe Live, Feb. 8. (Photo: Walker Alexander, The Triangle)

Anete Lusina Unsplash

The complex emotions that make up love are all based in science. An exploration of love in terms of physiological changes provides insight into the phenomenon, but it also shows how love is related to other emotions and even mental illness.

Research done at Rutgers University by faculty member Helen Fisher has answered many of the previously unanswered questions about the physiological basis for the emotions related to relationships and romantic love.

The brain is the information center of the human body. Most of the information accumulated by the five senses is processed there, so it makes sense that the key to understanding love would be in this region.

Fisher’s lab, focusing on love in the brain, found that two areas were integral to the feeling of love. The first area is the ventral tegmental area, which is important to coordinating the body’s reward system. It does this by generating dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that, when released, is associated with pleasure and energy.

But this area is associated with more than just love. Fisher’s work also points out that the VTA is activated during the use of drugs such as cocaine.

One of the main conclusions of her work is that love is a natural addiction. In fact, the results show that the rejection resulting from a romantic break up can be similar to withdrawal from drugs like cocaine.

“We are addicted to another person when we are in love, but it’s a very good addiction when the relationship is a good one,” Fisher’s website, The Anatomy of Love, reads.

The VTA is not the only region of the brain active in the generation of love. Another region called the caudate is also integral to feeling romantic love. It is also part of the brain’s reward system, acting as a integrating center for many regions of the brain.

In Fisher’s research, she speculates that the caudate takes information from many different regions of brain and builds the association of those memories, thoughts and feelings with romantic love.

If love is a feeling generated by the reward systems of the brain, then what is it rewarding? The answer to this question ventures into the field of evolution. Love, like most other behaviors and anatomical structures, improves the ability of the human species to generate offspring and survive. It is an adaptation forged by natural selection.

Fisher’s work suggests that, in evolutionary terms, love can be thought of as a drive. It is a motivation to find a preferred mating partner.

More information can be found about Fisher’s work on her personal website or The Anatomy of Love.

Michael Vadon: Wikipedia

In the days following President Trump’s inauguration, he’s made quite a few high-profile and questionable — though expected — moves including the Dodd-Frank rollbacks and the now-defunct immigration ban.

But perhaps the moves that best indicate what’s in store for the next four years are the moves affecting labor, either directly or indirectly. We have an administration more focused on image than the welfare of the American people.

Trump, ever the salesman, touts these moves as actions that will create thousands of well-paying, long-term American jobs. However, the reality of the numbers doesn’t match the representation. In late November, United Technologies made the decision to end a plan that would have moved more than 2000 factory jobs from Indiana to Mexico in response to a mix of Trump transition team tariff threats and tax incentives.

“But I will tell you that United Technologies and Carrier stepped it up and now they’re keeping — actually the number’s over 1,100 people, which is so great,” Trump said during a Dec. 1 speech when he announced the deal.

As many might guess, this number wasn’t correct.

Many news outlets were quick to point out that the number of saved jobs was closer to 800. Trump had included 300 jobs that were already slated to stay in the United States. Can we expect 4 years of not being able to trust announcements from the president and then watching Sean Spicer — whose job I certainly don’t envy — try to spin truth from Trump’s easily demonstrable exaggerations?

This however, was not the end of the Trump-Carrier saga. Not only did the number of saved jobs shrink to 730 in the following week, but Carrier announced it would be terminating existing jobs in the future.

The original plan called for a $16 million investment in the plant. And while this investment may sound good at face value, the truth is that it will destroy even more jobs at the plant per United Technologies chief executive Greg Hayes.

“We’re going to … automate to drive the cost down so that we can continue to be competitive,” Hayes said in an interview with CNN. “What that ultimately means is there will be fewer jobs,” he continued.

So, Trump forced this company to stay in the United States on the threat of tariffs as high as 35 percent and announced a figure of saved jobs that was 150 percent of the actual number, of which many will be terminated in the future due to the shortcomings of the deal.

And while articles like this may talk about the discrepancies between Trump’s boastings and reality, the plain and simple fact is that every single job is a person trying to put food on the dinner table, send their children to college and save enough to retire before they die.

“Now I can put my daughter through college without having to look for another job,” Robin Maynard, a 24-year veteran of the Carrier factory, said. This relief was short-lived for many Carrier employees, as they found out they were not on lucky 37 percent of United Technologies employees keeping their jobs.

This reminds me of a quote from Rick Perlstein in reaction to a Trump statement during the first presidential debate in August 2015.

Trump said: “I had the good sense … seven years ago I left Atlantic City before it totally cratered, and I made a lot of money in Atlantic City, and I’m very proud of it. I want to tell you that. Very, very proud of it.”

“In our case, the basis instincts involve this cliche of running the country like a business. And one of the things that fascinated me so much … he said he got out Atlantic City … before it cratered,” Perlstein said about the statement in an Open Source podcast titled “Trump This!”

“You know, if you’re talking about a city with flesh-and-blood people, when something craters there are bodies underneath … we don’t run a country like we run a business because running a country is about maximizing the good for lots of folks,” he continued.

It makes sense that a businessman who made his fortune in branding would stretch the limits of truth. The difference between real estate and politics is that now people’s livelihoods are on the line. This current administration is purely focused on image, and when they’re criticized they claim “fake news.” Now more than ever, the American people must look at the White House press releases with a critical eye.

Drexel University men’s and women’s swimming and diving had a busy weekend, including a men’s swimming victory and a women’s swimming loss to Lehigh University Jan. 28, and good performances from both diving teams at the Penn State Invitational Jan. 29.

The swimming teams traveled to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Friday to face Lehigh’s squad. The men fared well, and the final score came in at 144 to 118.

A key performance came from freshman Jason Arthur, who set two pool records: one in the 200-yard backstroke and another in the 200-yard individual medley with times of 1:48.10 and 1:34.70, respectively. Sophomore Patrick Cobb won the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:35.49, which is a Drexel record for this event at a dual meet.

The women, however, did not fair as well against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, losing 166 to 122. However, the team did manage to set three pool records during the meet. Senior Rachel Bernhardt set pool records in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard breaststroke with times of 1:02:71 and 2:17.31, respectively. Also swimming well was freshman Alexa Kutch, who won the 100-yard backstroke and set a pool record with a time of 56.36.

Both men’s and women’s diving participated in the two-day Penn State Invitational over the weekend.

On Saturday, freshman Anthony Musciano placed sixth in the men’s 1-meter finals with a score of 264.35. Seniors Madison Kramer and Jaclyn Goulet achieved second and seventh place finishes in the women’s 3-meter finals, respectively, with scores of 294.15 and 214.15.

On Sunday, junior Simon Carne was able to pick up a sixth-place finish in the men’s 3-meter finals with a score of 273.05, while Madison Kramer finished at the top of the field for the women’s 1-meter final with a first-place score of 290.50. Senior Jaclyn Goulet finished sixth with a score of 221.80.

For the second time this month, the Dragons swept the CAA weekly awards. On Jan. 31, senior Rachel Bernhardt and freshman Jason Arthur won conference swimmer of the week and senior Madison Kramer and junior Simon Carne were diver of the week. The announcements brings the Dragon’s total awards number to 18 this season.

Both men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will travel to Christiansburg, Virginia, Feb. 4 for the Virginia Tech Invitational.