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New York City is a place of extremes. It is stunning, but for many, can be overwhelming. In one location, you are able to see the very poor and, quite literally, some of the richest human beings in the world.  Some may think that the tops of buildings is where you realize how tall they really are.  That it isn’t until you can see for miles, and the people look like swarms of insects that one can really grasp a skyscraper's magnitude.  While the view from the top of the Empire State Building is a thrilling sight, it does not stand alone.  The streets of New York are lined with these towers of cement, marble, and steel;  all one really has to do it look up to feel their enormity.

Everyone here is selling something.  If you're not selling, you're buying.  If you're not buying or selling, you're observing both practices through osmosis and routine.  The corporations, the advertisements, the corner stands and transportation stops call out to the consumer.  I wonder if I understand to some degree, why Islamic terrorists believe that every day America sells its soul. 

The trains and I, we've got some beef. Public Transportation: a simple concept, as well as a necessity for a crowded and chaotic city such as this. The population smart enough not to own a car here depend on it to get to work, to go shopping, to eat. All fundamental to live, clearly. Then why may I ask is such an integral part of living in this limitless city so complicated? Red, green, 1, 9, N, R, seriously, let's just call the whole thing off. I might as well walk.

The United States has been long considered the land of opportunity, and right outside of our windows is Lady Liberty, standing watch over the gateway to this new land. I feel that there is opportunity here, and a chance to start a new life. It's a big step to go from the small village of Clinton, N.Y., to the island of Manhattan.

Upon my arrival in the city, some stereotypes about New York turned out to be true. A siren blared in the distance, congestion choked the streets, and sounds in the subway made me believe in the cannibalistic humanoid underdwelling demons (or C.H.U.D.s) of New York. But as any avid Simpsons fan might note, of course the city will seem bad if you just focus on the CHUDs. Instead, I will discuss my first day as an intern at U-Pick Live. If you're not a regular watcher of the show (and to be honest, I would be concerned if you were), U-Pick Live is a children's show on Nickelodeon that runs from 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

The sixth annual Martin Luther King Service Day brought many Hamilton students, faculty and staff and many community members together for one special day of education, tribute and community service.  Organized by Haley Reimbold ’06, the executive director of HAVOC, Marc David, assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs, Jeff McArn, College chaplain, and Nancy Thompson, senior associate dean of students, the volunteer day allowed more than 160 Hamilton students to get involved in the local community and make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

Alex Matthiessen, executive director of environmental group Riverkeeper, will give a lecture, “The Truth about Our Nuclear Neighbor:  Indian Point and the Hudson River,” on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fillius Events Barn. The lecture is part of The Kirkland Project for the Study of Gender, Society and Culture series, “Technology, Science, and Democracy:  What’s at Stake?” 

Professor of Comparative Literature Peter Rabinowitz has been elected president of the Society for the Study of Narrative Literature. The Society for the Study of Narrative Literature is an international nonprofit association of scholars dedicated to the investigation of narrative, its elements, techniques, and forms; its relations to other modes of discourse; its power and influence in cultures past and present.

Assistant Professor of Computer Science Brian Rosmaita has been elected treasurer of the Society for Machines and Mentality. The Society for Machines and Mentality is an international scholarly organization whose purpose is to advance philosophical understanding of issues involving artificial intelligence, philosophy, and cognitive science. The Society is affiliated with the journal Minds and Machines, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and third party presidential candidate in 2000, will give a lecture, "Politics and the Environment: Winners and Losers," on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Hamilton College Chapel. His lecture is part of the Levitt Public Affairs Center's series "The Environment: Public Policy and Social Responsibility."