New York University News

As a fan of Minnesota ice hockey, I've become somewhat of an outsider in Manhattan, where I attend New York University.

Rising above the dingy back streets of the Albanian capital, the silhouette, instantly recognizable, shines out like a promise: the Statue of Liberty, symbol of America, land of opportunity - and also the logo of the University of New York, Tirana , where students pay more than $32,500 for what a sign in the lobby describes as "the only real ... (more)

ELIZABETH - Union County College has named three new members to its board of governors at a recent swearing-in ceremony on the college's Elizabeth campus.

There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived from renewable energy sources.

PLAINFIELD - Tomorrow evening, the Plainfield Board of Education invites parents and students to hear Pedro Noguera present a discussion on "Creating the Opportunity to Learn." Noguera is an urban sociologist and the Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University, executive director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education and ... (more)

A collection of caped canines and their irate owners barked loudly Saturday about a proposal that would shut down a popular Greenwich Village dog run.

There was not an empty seat in the Eastview Middle School auditorium as the Beta Alpha Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

It dominates the canvases he was commissioned to paint for New York's Four Seasons restaurant in the late 1950s, and his struggle to create those works is the focus of the highly anticipated play Red , which begins previews Tuesday at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.

NEW YORK - Demonstrators are rallying in Greenwich Village today to protest against New York University's 20-year expansion plan .

Flux Theatre Ensemble presents the World Premiere of Erin Browne 's MENDERS through February 11 at The Gym at Judson .

In his State of the Union address, President Obama proposed several measures to lower college tuition.

ELYRIA - Timothy Johnson has done everything in cinema: photography, lighting, sound, stop-motion animation, short-film direction - the list goes on.But Friday was the first time he had ever had the opportunity to present a feature film that he's worked on - a Sundance-Film Festival inclusion, no less - in his hometown.Elyria native ... (more)

Going Solo By Eric Klinenberg Living in families, though traditional and almost universal on this evolving planet, is experiencing an unplanned but effective attack, according to a new book.

ccording to a new study to be published in the prestigious "New York University Law Review," the 21st century has seen an alarming drop in the international prestige of the United States Constitution. Fewer and fewer foreign judges cite American precedent ("*Sigh* The cat lady down the street is on vacation, so I guess I'll have to turn to the Americans for an opinion..."), and only a miniscule number of new or revised constitutions use our treasured 1787 document as a model. Even Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has been quoted as saying she wouldn't use the U.S. Constitution as a foundation if given the task of crafting another nation's statement of principles. She prefers other documents, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (a "trophy constitution" born in 1982). According to one co-worker, Ginsberg was not exactly opposed to recommending the cheap route of using a "Mad Libs" template for constitutions. Hand-wringing constitutional scholars have called in the big guns for perspective and solace. ("Ms. Aniston, how did you handle it when people got sick of 'the Rachel' haircut?") The general public, however, does not seem particularly upset over the declining fortunes of the supreme law of the land. This is because the average person thinks that "separation of powers" means "Oh, yeah, Superman can't use flight and invulnerability and super breath at the same time, can he?" And poor overstressed John Doe is constantly getting the preamble to the Constitution mixed up with the lofty ideals of the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and "Lather, rinse, repeat." It is argued that "strict constructionists" in the U.S. have done much to alienate more liberal drafters in other countries. Enthusiasm is dampened by American legal decisions such as "Shucks! We were going to let you visit Planned Parenthood, but you forgot to wear a powdered wig and knee breeches. Tough luck! Try again — or end it all with this musket." On the other hand, foreigners could do just fine with our existing constitution if they had the ingenuity of some of our activist judges. ("See, if you stand on one foot and lean toward Scranton while squinting through a kaleidoscope and bathing the document in ultraviolet light, you can find penumbras that declare doughnuts cannot be consumed by the police without a lawyer present.") The U.S. has fine-tuned the Constitution 27 times (including the original 10 Bill of Rights amendments) while leaving the core document alone. Other nations tend to do a complete reboot, like a restart of a Hollywood franchise. ("Right to privacy, yup. Rights for the disabled, check. But we don't want Shatner within a mile of it!") On average, nations completely change their constitution every 19 years! President Thomas Jefferson agreed with that mindset, insisting that the Constitution should be molded to fit each generation. This, of course, would have resulted in "insuring domestic tranquility" by regulating whom one could sit under the apple tree with, and by seeking to "form a more perfect union of polyester fibers." Stick with those time-tested American values. Demand a speedy public trial. Resist the establishment of a state religion. Don't make me clean up hairballs again! (Oh, no! The international influence is coming over here!)

Newswise - Top-heavy structures are more likely to maintain their balance while hovering in the air than are those that bear a lower center of gravity, researchers at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Physics have found.

Government spending and regulations will kill off any chances of stocks turning as bullish as many high-level market watchers are predicting, says David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff.

The number of homegrown terrorism plots hatched by Muslim-Americans has declined over the last three years and remain relatively rare despite public fears, according to a study by a University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill sociology professor.

Age: 39. Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y. Education: A graduate of New York University with a degree in English literature.

Craig Smith is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer and can be reached at 412-380-5646 or via e-mail. Background: More than 1,000 of her poems have been published in anthologies, journals and magazines.

Some 485 jobs have been created by three US firms as Taoiseach Enda Kenny used a trip to New York to urge American business chiefs to think, buy and invest in Ireland.