Back in September 2011, New Jersey City University was faced with a terrible tragedy, the Grossnickle hall, a four-story building that opened in 1962, caught fire by faulty wiring. This accident left 16 people injured and the University without a building that housed classroom, art studios, lounges, and faculty offices for the departments of Art, Economics, English, and Mathematics. After a couple of months of researching the university selected who they thought was the best candidate to design and modernized their campus, they chose Frank Gehry. Frank Gehry, Canadian-American, and a Prize-winning architect who’s building has become a tourist attraction. To most people, Gehry’s style seems to be unnatural or unfinished, but his style is not similar to anyone else. He goes beyond the modern style to make his work an unexpected art form.

Frank Gehry proposed to reinvent the school and make it the envy of all other universities. Back in December, Gehry presented his design to the staff and student showing them and telling them about the new features of their coming structure. He proposed that this would become the new platform for the educational world. The structure would be seven stories high and have 100 more rooms, giving the campus more space for extra classroom and administration space. Not only did Frank Gehry building include more space but it is also greener and eco-friendly. The building will include solar panel roofs and energy saving equipment.

New Jersey City University believed that by selecting Frank Gehry as the architect for their new building he would be make the structure a wonderful and peaceful place to study and teach. People have said, “New Jersey City University has created the most exciting school in New Jersey or even the country”; Construction started on February and is scheduled to be complete before spring of 2013 for the start of classes.

Kyle Preston's Final Project

Late last Wednesday afternoon, three hikers went on a camping trip to the Two Hundred And One Acre Woods in Bayonne, NJ and came across something extremely horrifying. Like something out of a horror movie. One of the hikers reported being so scared that he thought he’d “never see the light of day again”. The report goes that the hikers walked further into the woods along the ravine and as the sun got lower, they got lost. Then the clouds started rolling in and rain came down heavy. The hikers were way too far out into the woods to reach their truck, but made a run for it anyway. As they hustled to the truck, one of the hikers noticed a cave off the ravine and suggested to go inside and wait the rain out until they could continue their hike to the camping spot. They decided it was a good idea. Boy, were they wrong. As they started to unload all their equipment and gear, they heard something further into the cave. They couldn’t tell exactly what it was because it was so faint and the sound of the rain was drowning everything else out, but they knew they heard something. The eldest of the hikers, Julian Hill stated, “I didn’t know exactly what I heard, but I knew it wasn’t natural or animalistic. I’ve been hiking and camping my whole life since I was a kid, so I know every sound I hear in nature.” He decided to take his flashlight and gun and lead the other two deeper into the cave behind him. The other hiker, Marina Castillo said, “With every few feet that we got closer to the sound and further from the rain, my heart pounded harder and faster. My mind started racing and making up different scenarios. ‘What if it’s an animal feeding? A fox? A cougar? A wolf? A bear?’ My mind was all over the place.”  As they got further and further, they could hear whimpering and whispering coming from around the corner of the cave’s tunnel. This was the moment of truth. Todd Bethlehem recalled the moment right before their horrific discovery, “Julian looked at both Marina and me, took a deep breath, raised his gun, and turned the corner. But I don’t think even he was prepared for what we saw.” As they turned the corner and laid their eyes on what they saw, Julian dropped his gun and his flashlight and stood in absolute fear.

Three teenagers covered in blood, ripping away at a barely alive man as if he were the last meal on Earth. Marina recalled her moment of discovery, “My eyes couldn’t believe it. They still can’t believe it. At least if it were an animal, I would’ve been able to coop with it better. I’d seen things like that in movies before, but never could I ever imagine…” As the flashlight shed light on the horrific scene, the three teenagers (who have now been identified as three missing kids from a Staten Island case years ago) turned away from there meal and chased after the three terrified hikers. “The amount of adrenaline and fear that I had at the time could never be measured. I had never been so scared that I’d never see the light of day again. But I just kept running…” stated by Todd. Even though they all made it out the cave in one piece (no pun intended), they kept running. They didn’t stop until they found their car, rushed to get inside, drive off, and get as far away as possible with the three cannibals behind them. Julian‘s last quote was, “Everyone in the car was quiet, but I could still hear all our heavy breathing. And even though I could still feel the pounding of my heart and the terror inside of it, for some reason, all I could think of in my head repeatedly was ‘It stopped raining’…” Two of the three teenage cannibals have since been picked up and taken in for questioning and evaluation. The victim’s body was found and announced dead and was torn apart so badly that he couldn’t be identified. Investigators are still searching for his identity and the third cannibal. For the time being, Two Hundred And One Acre Woods will be closed off for investigation and safety purposes until further notice.

Guillermo's report on the "amazing" iPad7

Gehry designed building set to replace Grossnickle

A rendition of the building project set to begin shortly

Given that the average NJCU student takes about six years to graduate on average, it’s only fair to imagine one might become familiar with the 46 acre campus and its many buildings. But returning alumni coming back for a visit in 2016 might be shocked to discover that sitting on the right side of the Guarini library will be an unfamiliar building, for those of you that have yet to memorize the school's current layout: we are referring to Grossnickle Hall. Grossnickle Hall a four story Arts and Science building was opened in 1962, it features the Courtney Art Gallery, student exhibition areas, art studios, classrooms, lounges, laboratories, and an auditorium which seats 180 people, but that is all about to change in the coming years.  New Jersey City University is proud to announce that in the years to come it will receive a boost in both infrastructure and architectural design.

Beginning in mid 2013 Grossnickel Hall is set to be torn down and replaced by a new building which will take its place, and who might be so daring as to handle such a task? None other than Canadian-American Pritzker Prize winning architect Frank Gehry. Gehry, a legend in the world of architecture, has designed such iconic buildings as the Guggenheim Museum, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Gehry, whose buildings typically go over budget, assures us that there is no cause for alarm as he is being gracious enough to lend his brilliance to New Jersey City University free of charge. "I have been blessed in my life that my architecture has brought me both financial opportunities I never could have dreamed of and fame on both the national and international level. I plan on retiring within the next few years in order to begin a life of Philanthropy.  When I saw just how storm ravaged New Jersey was, I knew here would be a wonderful place to start". The storm Gehry is referring to of course, is Hurricane Sandy. The Nor'easter devastated New Jersey taking out iconic rides along the Seaside Heights’ boardwalk as well as residential homes in many other areas.  Areas that were not damaged in the North still suffered severe power outages, displacing many New Jersey residents.

Governor Christie photographed here visiting the campus

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie photographed visiting the campus estimated that the recovery cost could climb as high as 29.4 billion dollars. The building at first glance only appears to be two stories tall, which belies its actual ten story structure; the construction is slated to begin mid 2013 and will be completed by 2016. With an estimated price tag of 14.2 million, one might become alarmed as to how those involved tend to cover the financial aspect, but there is no cause for alarm according to Christie. "In addition to the nearly thirty billion dollars in aid being given to New Jersey by organizations like FEMA, we are also being given an additional ten million to further New Jersey construction efforts beyond necessities. I would like everyone to understand that there will be no increase in terms of gas prices and a very miniscule increase in property taxes. I can assure New Jersey residents that the change will be so insignificant that it would go undetected by the naked eye. On behalf of the state of New Jersey I would like to extend my thanks to Mr. Gehry for his selfless act of Philanthropy and generosity. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be able to say that one of his buildings will grace the campus of a New Jersey University ". The hike which Christie proposes would raise property taxes on New Jersey home owners by a mere five dollars per household. Doing so would raise an extra 1.1 million a year, which would close the remaining 4.2 million dollar deficit in a matter of years. When asked if he thought NJCU might incur jealousy at being selected over other New Jersey Universities, "Well I certainly never had any buildings like this when I went to Seton Hall", joked Christie.  The project is set to be headed by construction giant Spiniello.  Spiniello, which has also been involved in rebuilding other storm hit areas of New Jersey, has its headquarters in Livingston New Jersey and was established in 1922.  Calls to the company CEO went unreturned but a spokesperson for the company later stated, “As a leader in the field of construction and infrastructure rehabilitation, Spiniello’s legacy is deeply rooted in quality, commitment and service.  As a result, our reputation for completing projects on time and on budget is known around the world”.  The Gothic Times requests that students email writer Mario Mantilla at mmantilla@njcu.edu in order to take part in the poll of whether or not the student was aware of who Frank Gehry was prior to reading this article.  The results of the poll will be published in a future edition of the Gothic Times, and students are encouraged to email any comments or concerns they might have.

Gehry (Left) going over his design with our current University President (center) and Mr. Gehry's personal assistant (right)

The Jets are Robots!!!

New York Jets Are Robots

By Jason Carey ESPNNewYork.com

Monday night’s loss to the Tennesee Titans put the New York Jets’ playoff hopes officially away for the season, but the big news out of New York this morning is the shocking developments that blow Bounty Gate out of the water. According to Rich Cimini, another ESPN analyst, the news broke this morning that three confirmed players are actually cyborgs!

The Jets All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis did a photoshoot today with his revealed cybernetic parts. Revis, who was injured earlier in the year admitted that his legs were removed and replaced by cybernetic legs in order to settle the contract dispute he was having with the Jets. He said that it was the idea of owner Woody Johnson that if Revis underwent the procedure, he would be the highest paid NFL player in history no matter what. Revis decided to end his third holdout with the operation.

But it doesn’t end there. At practice today, Mark Sanchez was demoted officially as the quarterback of the Jets for second year player Greg McElroy. Sanchez revealed to reporters that his arm had been transformed to a cybernetic arm after his rookie year at the demand of owner Woody Johnson. Sanchez then said “Woody told me I had to do it to give myself a stronger arm. He said he’d come after my parents if I didn’t. But during my third year, my arm began to malfunction, and this year it completely rusted to the point that it couldn’t be fixed.”

 

The plot thickens even more. As it started to rain, suddenly backup quarterback Tim Tebow began running without his shirt on in the middle of the practice and it was revealed he, too was actually mostly cybernetic. It was clear his arm and part of his face were cybernetic to the point that his good looks were beginning to finally be questioned. When asked to comment about this drastic development Tim simply responded “I’m very excited to play for the New York Jets. It’s just a really exciting time for me. I know I didn’t get to play much, but I’m just so excited! I love Jesus. God is good”. When we approached head coach Rex Ryan, he simply had a face of disgust. Ryan said “I was unaware that some of our key players were actually robots. But, it does explain a little bit about Tim. I always did have a feeling Darrelle was part machine because of his talent, but I didn’t ever think it would turn out to be true in the end. As for Mark, it sure explains why his play dropped off so much recently.

 

When we approached Woody Johnson, the Jets owner, he was sporting a new look, with a devious goatee. He also had suspicious horns sticking out of his hat. When asked to comment about the team and his new look, Johnson simply said “I knew I had to make some improvements in the team and I felt this was the most logical thing to do. As for my new look, I thought the goatee made me look smart. As for the horns, well I had to make a deal with someone in order to get this whole thing done and he told me I had to look like him from now on in terms of the horns.” (insert woody Johnson picture)

 

Willmar Rubiano Final Project

 President Obama and Mitt Romney sparring in a fundraiser UFC tournament.

Obama & Romney stretching
before the "Main Event"

          President Obama was all smiles when he entered the octagon. He was escorted into the ring by the first lady Michelle Obama. Both wearing black t-shirts with the now iconic pink ribbon on the front. Obama stretched a little and jogged around the ring a few times while greeting the crowd all while the Secret Service watch the crowd from the base of the ring.

            Romney entered the ring to a mixed crowd of cheers and jeers. Romney wore an American flag draped around him looking like Apollo Creed. Ann Romney followed after Mitt wearing an all pink sweat suit.

The Obama's & Romney's training for
"The Cure"

Mitt Romney told The Gothic Times, “I’ve always admired the strength of a woman, especially those brave women who’ve battled this terrible disease.”

            Ann Romney has been an advocate and champion for "The Cure" since her grandmother died in 1988 after a seven-year battle with the disease. Ann Romney said, "There have been so many people I know who know at least one person who’s faced this disease."

Secret Service men keeping
 close vigilance

       Obama and Romney met at the middle of the ring after the bell rung. Both men circled each other around the ring. President Obama threw the first jab as the crowd went crazy. People were chanting, "USA! USA!” The two politicians bounced around and pitter-pattered around the ring never making contact. Even though they only danced around the ring for 5 minutes the crowd seemed to love watching the spectacle. The whole time the crowd went crazy! Half the crowd yelling “Romney! Romney!” and the other half screamed “Baarack! Baarack!” 

     Susan G. Komen said the event helped raise a record $30M that day alone. 

Fast Food Lover Turns Into a Giant Fly

         A young man from Jersey City has just become the victim of a science experiment gone wrong. It all started when the man, who loves fast food, went to a McDonalds, and there he ran into a scientist, who asked him to take part in the experiment. The scientist claimed that he had found a way to give humans the ability to fly. The young man agreed to be the scientist's first test subject. The scientist gave him a bottle filled with a strange black liquid. He told him to drink it, and then the next morning it will start to take effect. He warned him to read the warning on the bottle before drinking it, and then he left. The man, excited about being able to fly, did not read the warning label and drank the liquid. He got a cheeseburger from McDonalds, and then he went home and fell asleep.

         We caught up with the scientist after he left McDonalds to ask about his groundbreaking discovery. “I'm really excited about this. If the experiment is successful, it will completely change the way people live. I just hope the test subject read the warning. He can't eat anything for a while after drinking the liquid, especially not fast food. It could cause some unknown side effects.”

        When the man woke up the next morning and looked in the mirror, he was shocked to find out that he had grown a pair of wings. Excited to try them out, he flew to McDonalds. When he walked inside, everyone screamed and ran outside. The man was confused, so he looked in the mirror and found out that he had changed even more while flying without noticing, and now he was starting to look life a fly. 

The next day, the transformation was completed, and the man was now a giant fly, hovering over McDonalds. We caught up with the scientist once again to get his thoughts on what has happened. “What happened to him is really unfortunate. This is still a major scientific discovery, but not the one I had hoped for.” We were never able to get the young man's name, as he is unable to communicate with us in his current state. The strange story of this man teaches us all a valuable lesson. If something has a warning label on it, you should probably read it. 

Conan

Breaking News. Teenage cannibals discovered in Bayonne NJ.

On December 19, Bayonne police arrested two teenagers at G.Thomas DiDomenico Park, Paul Rodriguez, 19, and Frank Smith, 18. The Bayonne police have suspected that what caused the two teenagers from Jersey City, NJ, to viciously assault a woman in broad daylight is due to an extremely dangerous street drug known as “bath salts.”

Crime Scene of incident. G.Thomas Dimenico Park, 16st, Bayonne NJ.

A Bayonne police officer shot Paul Rodriguez on Wednesday morning in the leg after repeated pleas for him to stop consuming the victims face.  Paul Rodriguez could not respond to the officer’s demands.  The officer shot Anthony two more times to finally stop him.  He was taking to Bayonne Hospital nearby and is in critical condition; he will be taking to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation. Frank Smith was not injured for he stopped immediately at the officer’s command. He is currently being evaluated at a psychiatric hospital before he is sent to prison.

Attackers mug shot's from prior arrest.

According to the police report, little remained of the victim’s face, with 70 percent of it eaten away rendering him almost unrecognizable.  One source says all that remained was blood and the victim’s mouth. ABF News identified the victim as Brienne Smith.

Victim's face after accident.

Police have not officially connected this behavior to the bath salts, but drug expert Brian Strongarm says they were exhibiting the classic signs of someone high on uncontrolled hallucinogens.

John White, president of the Bayonne police, says the similarities between this and other recent cases involving bath salts are striking.

“Other cases were similar except the cannibalistic behavior. Some have taken their clothes off and suddenly having super human strength” says White. “These people on bath salt become violent and by the time police approach them they are a walking dead person.” According to White, one of the recent cases in Bayonne involving bath salts, which is becoming popular in the party scene due to its cheap price, involved someone trying to bite another person, but security were able to stop the incident before the attack happened.

According to ABF News, the victim was 21 year-old from Bayonne, NJ.  She is a student at New Jersey City University. The attack happened two blocks away from where the victim lives.

Police are still trying to figure out if there was a connection between the victim and attackers since all three students attend New Jersey City University and are majoring in Media Arts.

Frank and Paul were both arrested together last year for smoking marijuana in public. Frank’s girlfriend, who did not want to give her name, described Frank as having violent tendencies, but is shocked by the attack.

Dr. Paul Smith, an emergency physician at the Bayonne Hospital where the victim is being treated, says instances of virtually uncontrollable patients being brought in exhibiting signs of psychosis due to this new drug have spiked during last year.

New Drug Funkmaster Causes Bizarre Side Effects

                                                           Vincent Genova/Getty Images

         Brian Kelly was just trying to fit in. Funkmaster was the latest drug to hit New York's club scene, and all his friends were doing it. What started out as a fun little hobby quickly took a turn for the worse; Brian was about to embark on a dangerous ride through the darkest depths of funk that nearly cost him his life.
        “I used to wake up in a good mood every day because my alarm clock would play my favorite song, How to Save a Life by The Fray,” explains Brian, “but one morning, it just, I don't know, it just didn't feel right.” Brian's taste for music changed around the same time he started abusing Funkmaster. He would “get his funk on” twice a day, sometimes taking 3 or 4 pills at once, and gradually some strange side effects started to develop. Brian could no longer control the volume of his voice, his legs would shake violently at random moments, and he would yell “gettupoffadatthing!”
          “He would come in five times a week and buy every Bootsy Collins record I had,” said Tom Jenkins, owner of Tommy's Vintage Records, “it was great for business.” Brian had not listened to The Fray in over six months, his addiction was not slowing down and the side effects grew worse. Neighbors reported groovy bass lines emanating from Brian's apartment at all hours of the night. Friends and family noticed his hair was significantly darker and his mouth was growing at a rapid rate. Brian was slowly turning into James Brown, but he was to high to notice.

        Courtesy of S. Plainfield Police Department

          He was spiraling out of control, no longer able to meet his funk needs. His addiction came to a head one night at Tommy's. “I only had three copies of Stretchin' out in Bootsy's Rubber Band. He wanted four. He needed four,” said Jenkins. Brian, high on at least six funkmasters, blacked out and began knocking over shelves and smashing the storefront windows. Police arrived to find him curled up in the corner of the store; he was crying and slapping a broom like it was a bass. Brian recalls the night that almost cost him is life,”I woke up in a jail cell shaking. I didn't know why I was there, I didn't know how long I'd been there. All I knew was I really needed to listen to I Feel Good by James Brown. But I didn't feel good. I didn't feel good at all.” That night in jail was rock bottom, he knew he needed help. Immediately after his release from prison, Brian checked in to rehab.

                                                             Photo from Facebook

     It has been two years since he last took funkmaster, but the side effects are still with him. Reversing the effects of years of abuse is no small challenge, but Brian has had some success with turning his skin tone lighter after consulting with Michael Jackson's former doctor. He now regularly attends meetings where he can help others overcome their dependency on the drug that almost ruined his life. “Helping others makes me feel nice, like sugar and spice. So nice. So nice,” said Brian. After his most recent meeting was over; he rushed to the parking lot, his new girlfriend was waiting for him with the car running. Brian Kelly had tickets to see The Fray. As he jumped in the passenger seat he turned his head and said, with a smile, "I feel good. So good. I knew that I would."

WARHOL LEGACY

 

What is buzzing in the media and the art world today is Don Warhol, who is Andy Warhol and Donatella Versace's son.  Andy Warhol was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art.  His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became a renowned and sometimes controversial artist.  

Warhol's art encompassed many forms of media, including hand drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, silk screening, sculpture, film, and music. He was also a pioneer in computer-generated art using Amiga computers that were introduced in 1984, two years before his death. He was notable as a gay man who lived openly as such before the gay liberation movement.  After finding out about Don Warhol, it was all for show.  

Just a month ago Donatella Versace's phone was hacked.  The man who hacked her phone actually spread her personal information in the internet.  She is seen with a mysterious man in alot of pictures and also sends him monthly checks to a small town in Mexico called Apango.  NBC news actually investigated this mysterious man to the location where the checks were being sent to which is a manscaping business.  As entering the shop, a familiar art piece was hanging with Donatella Versace's famous logo made into pop art.  Meeting the man he actually resembled a man who is very famous in the art world, Andy Warhol.  

Don Warhol's Manscaping business.  Don Warhol(middle) is seen interacting with his customers.  In the back, we see the infamous painting Andy Warhol made for Donatella Versace.

This controversial painting, which is now valued at about 62.3 million dollars, was made around late 1950s when Andy Warhol and Donatella Versace did not breakthrough the fashion and art world just yet.  They actually lived in a ramshackle home in Beckley, West Virginia.  Donatella Versace, known to have been born and grown in Italy, was actually born in Seaside Heights, NJ. Andy Warhol, who was known to have died in 1987 actually died four years ago in Apango, Mexico.  

Donatella Versace who was very passionate about her fashion career did not want Andy to tell the world about their relationship which would ruin her career.  Loving her wife so much he actually faked his death to spare her career and spend more time with his newborn son, Don Warhol.   

The fact that Donatella Versace and Andy Warhol hid their past life for more than 60 years and both made their new identity amazes people today, making them true artists.  Before their name change their real names was actually Cornelius and Bertha Fuctnor. 

Charlie Rose interview with Don Warhol.  Don Warhol(left) explains to Charle Rose (right) about his parent's decision in keeping him a secret and about his father's sexuality.

All this information was told in an interview with Charie Rose.  Don Warhol, who kept the last name Warhol, was tired of the media bashing his mother so he actually did an interview with Charlie Rose to explain why his parents hid him and their real lives from the media.  "My parents did not want me to be corrupt growing up like other rich children", says Don Warhol.  "I also loved my father and mother so much that I chose to live a simple lifestyle."

He explains how Andy Warhol taught him valuable lessons growing up and teaching him the mistakes he made in the art world.  He told Charlie how his father was sick and tired of living a false life that he just wanted to run away with him when he was just a newborn.  His mother tried to visit them twice a week and called daily.  Andy tells Don not to blame his mother for her choice of not going with them and sticking with her false life.  

The effect of revealing his true identity, Don is now living in Springville, Utah because of the drug violence and war going on in Mexico.  Also because he owns a 62.3 million dollar painting which is one of the rarest paintings today.  He actually put up a new manscaping business in Utah, which is his true passion.