Staff bios, listed here in alphabetical order.



Josh Baker (contributor) is a fifth year Rutgers student majoring in Sociology and Philosophy. He enjoys arguing with conservatives, expanding his vocabulary, downloading music illegally, and sipping finely made cocktails. His column “Zeitgeist” appears in the Daily Targum every other Wednesday.



Dan Bracaglia (photography editor; staff photographer) is a Rutgers Senior, majoring in journalism. Until recently, he was the Editor in Chief of the Daily Targum, until “the operation of that machine became so odious” to him that he was forced to move on. He enjoys writing, as well as photography and music.



Sayani Das Chaudhuri (columnist) is a Rutgers graduate, class of 2009. Currently, she resides in Boulder, Colorado, where she is a primary school teacher. She enjoys preparing and consuming high quality food and drink. Her column “Manchurian Chicken”, which takes its name from her personal gastronomically-themed blog, seeks to engender an appreciation of affordable, delicious foods, and is published twice a month.



Alexander Draine (columnist) is a class of 2009 Rutgers alum. He graduated with honors in Economics while minoring in Math, Physics, and Poli-Sci. He is a registered democrat, born and bred in Princeton, New Jersey. He has been described both as an “evil genius” and a “bumbaclat mothafucka”. Do not be surprised if you see this megalomaniac running the treasury department in future. His column, “Draine on Society” runs twice a month.



Alex Giannattasio (editor in chief) graduated from Rutgers in 2009 with a Bachelors degree in Philosophy and History. Currently, all his attention is focused towards paying his rent on time and getting the Johnsonville Press off the ground. He prefers whiskey to vodka and classic rock to contemporary music.



Alejandra Gómez (staff writer) was born in Colombia and raised by marimba-playing crabs in the South American pacific coast. She is a senior at Rutgers University majoring in Philosophy and almost made it through the music program but decided to stop taking Fund’s and started eating jellybeans. A devoted follower of musicism, the arts, and gin, Alejandra is currently taking too many classes and working on her thesis on Aesthetics. After graduation she intends to rejoin the crab community and play her guitar under the sun for the rest of her life while drinking delicious cocktails in fresh coconuts.



Chris Grubowski (cartoonist) is almost as funny as his cartoons. “Toilet Humor” runs several times a month, whenever Chris can get it out.



Matia Guardabascio (managing editor; creativity editor) is a senior at Rutgers University majoring in both English and French literature. She is proudly from Boston and proudly sports her love for the Red Sox around New Brunswick. She speaks French and is currently working on her senior thesis on the French writers and thinkers, Emile Zola and Albert Camus. She enjoys the company of her friends and family and has many areas of interests. Matia enjoys books, walks, random encounters, wine, writing, invigorating conversations, artistic collaborations and traveling.



Grace Hong (copy editor) is a Rutgers College graduate with law school ambitions. She is also an avid fan of baking, photography, and the internet. You can find her on tumblr, twitter, facebook, and well, myspace, too. You can also send her questions/comments on formspring.



Dave Imbriaco (columnist) is a senior at Rutgers University majoring in history and religion. He enjoys good food, excessive amounts of coffee and video games (often at the same time), putting himself in physically dangerous situations and following current events. Unable to confine himself to a particular area like a 6 year old with ADHD, he is interested in a variety of topics ranging from politics, religion, music and the general state of humanity to other things he only has a vague understanding of. He is also the Personals Editor of the the Rutgers humor publication, The Medium and is working on an honors thesis on Islamic democracy. His column, “A Timid Observer”, runs twice a month. Most recently, Dave has undertaken a multimedia project with Brendan Kaplan, geared towards achieving political reconciliation between right and left wing political viewpoints.



Ben Kharakh (staff writer) is like a post modern-journalist. I say “like” because there’s no such “thing” as a post modern-journalist. Only people who act like journalists. It’s a role people play. I happen to be a journalist who knows he’s a journalist who knows that he’s a journalist who knows that he’s a journalist who, well, you get the point. Really, I’m just trying to understand the world, what about it makes me laugh, and to have a good time.



Brendan Kaplan (staff writer; tech support) is a Rutgers College student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Political Science. He spent his childhood split between home in Princeton, NJ and freedom in Missoula, MT. His hope is to one day open a therapeutic community that uses performing arts to help troubled youth, believing that most manifestations of social disenfranchisement are appropriate reactions to inappropriate situations, rather than vice a versa. Recently, Brendan has undertaken a multimedia project with Dave Imbriaco, geared towards achieving political reconciliation between right and left wing political viewpoints.



Carl Peter Klapper (columnist), the author of “Popular Capitalism”, as well as the poem cycles “The Washington Poems” and “Sonnets for the Spanish”, is a poet, economist and mathematician who is unknown almost everywhere. Born into a family with decidedly mixed backgrounds and professions, his musical and academic talents were recognized early, as were his hyperactivity and strange mannerisms. After finishing an occasionally accelerated primary and secondary education, he attended Grinnell College, where he received his BA in Mathematics. While there, Mr. Klapper managed to wreak havoc on American politics by suggesting resource taxation to John B. Anderson, for which then Representative Anderson called him “a very wise young man”, but which eventually ended Anderson’s Presidential aspirations. After his graduation, Mr. Klapper was an industry economist for the federal government and, in his spare time, wrote poetry and letters, some of which were published in The Washington Post, and performed with various musical groups, including a choral performance in New York’s Carnegie Hall. Mr. Klapper then returned to graduate school at Carnegie-Mellon University, where he received his MS in Mathematics. Though he continued to write through the following years and a long career in software development, it has been only recently that Mr. Klapper has begun seeing to the publication of his books and reading some of his works in public. His column, “The Popular Capitalist View“, is published regularly once a month. Mr. Klapper is also an accomplished poet; some of his works can be read here.



Brendan McInerney (photography editor; staff photographer; staff writter) is a Rutgers senior and an accomplished photographer. While most people his age only ever pick up a camera when it’s cool to do so, Brendan shoots for the love of the art. He has been called “the definition of a true hipster” (not those copy cats). In the past, he has worked with the Daily Targum as writer and photographer. In addition to photography and journalism, he enjoys traveling and “stealing women from their men.”



Syed Ali Aamir Riaz (staff writer; contributing editor; marketing adviser) Syed Ali Riaz is a graduate of the Syracuse University English Program. He is smart, creative and extremely funny. He is, as of now, unemployed, but is looking for his niche in media. His life goal is to become a screenwriter (Action Movies). Mr. Riaz’s column, “Lion of God” is an exploration of the psyche in its most panoptic form.



Justin Rossi (tech support) graduated from Mason Gross after studying graphic design. Currently, he acts as the Senior Graphic Designer for “The Art of Storytelling Magazine”, a New Jersey based publication focusing on the underground Jersey arts and culture scene.



Michael Stuzynski (consultant; staff writer), original editor in chief and co-founder of the Johnsonville Press, currently resides in Boulder, Colorado, where he attends the Wolfe School of Law. His hobbies include good music, good wine, and telling tales. His column “No Simple High Way” runs on a bi-weekly basis.



Josh Tasker (tech support) is a Rutgers senior ready to graduate. When he picks up his phone, he is an invaluable resource of coding knowledge for the JVP.



Anthony Xerri (columnist)is a Rutgers College Junior, majoring in Philosophy and Psychology. He enjoys listening to music, playing the Guitar, and playing basketball. One day, he hopes to live in a cabin in the mountains out of the reaches of capitalism. He understands the meaning of a good time. His column, “In My Image” and “Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby” run every other week of the month.



Rebecca Zandstein (gourmet grub editor; staff writer) is a stereotypically cheap Jew and a cheese connoisseur who is only willing to splurge on the best of food products. She collects unique kitchen gadgets and house furnishings for her dream house that does not yet exist. Her guilty pleasures range from watching Hannah Montana and iCarly to brachycephalic dogs.



Bios Pending: Marlana Moore (staff writer) Damian Kulikowski (staff writer) John Kropa (staff writer) Andrew Cossard (staff writer) Chris Oliveira (contributor) Kevin Christiano (contributor) Christopher Raymond Campbell (contributor) Francine Lucas (contributor)