Falling In

I ns i de:TV,Tebow,andt echni col or .

09.27.12 vol. xliv, no. 4 The Indy is already behind on sleep.

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ANNA PAPP AND MIRANDA SHUGARS

FORUM 3 Law Abiding Citizen 4 C ulture C lash NEWS 5 P res /P ress 6 O f the S tudents , B y the S tudents , F or the S tudents 7 C ontrol Y ourself !

ARTS 8 L e temps de l ' amour 8 Y ou T rend 9 L a V ie E n P! nk 10 L it U p 10 M indy and C o .

SPORTS 11 P olitical P layers As Harvard College's weekly undergraduate newsmagazine, the Harvard Independent provides in-depth, critical coverage of issues and events of interest to the Harvard College community. The Independent has no political affiliation, instead offering diverse commentary on news, arts, sports, and student life.

For publication information and general inquiries, contact Co-Presidents Whitney Lee and Gary Gerbrandt (president@harvardindependent.com). Letters to the Editor and comments regarding the content of the publication should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Meghan Brooks (editorinchief@harvardindependent.com).

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The Harvard Independent is published weekly during the academic year, except during vacations, by The Harvard Independent, Inc., Student Organization Center at Hilles, Box 201, 59 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Copyright © 2012 by The Harvard Independent. All rights reserved

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Gary Gerbrandt '14 Whitney Lee '14 Meghan Brooks '14 Miranda Shugars '14 Christine Wolfe '14 Carlos Schmidt '15 Sayantan Deb '14 Curtis Lahaie '15 Michael Altman '14 Angela Song '14 Will Simmons '14

Senior Staff Writer Will Simmons '14 Staff Writers Clare Duncan '14 Travis Hallett '14 Yuqi Hou '15 Cindy Hsu '14 Mohammed Hussain '15 Marina Molarsky-Beck '15 Sarah Rosenthal '15 Kalyn Saulsberry '14 Graphics, Photography, and Design Staff Maria Barragan-Santana '14 Alex Chen '16 Travis Hallett '14 Nina Kosaric '14 Anna Papp '16 Guest Design John McCallum '16 Orlea Miller '16 Tarik Moon '15

Picks of the Week Marie Antoinette Where: Loeb Drama Center When: 9/27 - 11:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., 9/28 - 7:30pm, 9/29 - 2:00 p.m.

What: A co-production of the A.R.T and the Yale Repertory Theater, this tragicomedy is apt in the time of Occupy. Featuring Brooke Bloom as Marie, this play is as much a recounting of the infamous French Revolution icon, as it is a reminder of how little has changed. Written by David Adjmi, whose previous work became an Off-Broadway phenomenon last year, the show premiered on the 6th of this month. This is the last weekend of its residency, so make sure to catch it! $25.

Artist Talk: Sharon Harper Where: Carpenter Center Room B-04 When: Thursday, September 27 at 4:00 p.m.

What: One of the great privileges of attending Harvard is having access to primary accounts of what being an artist really entails. This week, Sharon Harper, who works with photography and video, explores our relationship with the world around us, and how technology affects that relationship. Free.

Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival When: Saturday, September 29, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Where: Columbus Ave between Mass Ave and Burke St, Boston What: The twelfth edition of Boston’s most popular outdoor festival will occur rain or shine this Saturday. Covering six blocks of Boston’s iconic South End, the festival features all kinds of music from Latin, to blues, to yes, Jazz. Join tens of thousands to participate in the revelry, and take this weekend to get out of the Harvard bubble.

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09.27.12 • The Harvard Independent

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Shepherd or Sheep?

By FRANK TAMBERINO

G

lancing

at

the

back

of

the Harvard Leadership Magazine, I saw in bold, aggressive letters: “YOU HAVE GAINED ACCESS TO THE BEST EDUCATION IN THE WORLD.” This access instills in me a great deal of happiness and pride. But it also carries with it something else — I now bear a heavy responsibility, the meaning of which is rather illusory. We are all here to learn, to be educated. But how should we use this education?

Over the summer, I read Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power.

For me, the book was a revelation, a breath of fresh air in the world of self-help marketing schemes and promises of quick and easy success.

Greene exposes the most basic human interest, the desire for power, in a beautifully crafted light. Even if one isn’t the Machiavellian type, it must admitted that upon reading the book one gets the feeling that there is something sacred about its contents.

I mean that quite literally, as the book has become something almost biblical in prison libraries across the world. While all of us studious little library trolls have relished the beauty of learning since we could read Dr. Seuss, Greene would argue that for just as long, our lives have been affected by the quest for power, a quest that is as ancient as it is ubiquitous.

Don’t think that I’m talking about getting rich. Well, I am, but not exclusively. The power that Robert Greene writes of is not the ability to attain wealth. It is the ability to get whatever you want out of the world at any time, to influence everyone and anyone around you to do your will, to arrange them like chess pieces in your mind. Yes, this does sound cold and conniving. Surely there must be a nobler goal for which to aim.

Greene’s answer is a flat, unwavering “no.” According to him, “If the world is like a giant scheming court and we are trapped inside it, there is no use

The Harvard Independent • 09.27.12

Knowledge is power.

in trying to opt out of the game.” Too much of society has been permeated by the lust for power to just cover your eyes and ignore it. I did, however, give it the ole’ college try.

I shelved the 48 Laws, seeking an escape from its brutal honesty.

I could not, however, silence its cries for glorious conquest. The laws resurfaced, and in the most unlikely of places: my homework. I was reading a four thousand year old text for a philosophy class when I was startled to find a whisper in the corner of my mind pointing out connections to the Laws. The ancient Egyptian, Ptahhotep, demands that “Your silence will be more profitable than babbling” (Law 4: Always Say Less Than Necessary), that you “Do not attempt to upstage an important official” (Law 19: Know Who You’re Dealing with — do not offend the wrong person), and that you “Bow respectfully to him who is superior to you” (Law 1: Never Outshine the Master). In the ancient text, The Teaching for King Merikare, the author points out that “it is expedient to work for the future” (Law 29: Plan All the Way to the End) and, in regards to competition, “Obliterate his name, and destroy his supporters, banish all memory of him and of the partisans who respect him” (Law 15: Crush your Enemy Totally). Next is a reading of the Books of Samuel where David defeats Goliath, then very deliberately decapitates him and carries around his head (Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation — Guard it with your Life and Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles).

All right, let’s try a different class.

Polybius’ account of the rise of the Roman Empire? The whisper was now a howl. Instead of destroying their enemies, the Romans forced them to fight for Rome, absorbing their armies (Law 7: Get Others to do the Work for You but Always Take the Credit). Their government was a

difficult machine to describe, with the senate constituting an aristocracy, the consuls representing a monarchy, and the power of the people advocating for a democracy (Law 48: Assume Formlessness). Children were raised to believe that Rome was the greatest empire in the world and deserved a superior position to all others (Law 34: Be Royal in your Fashion: Act like a King to be Treated like One). By the end of my first week of reading at Harvard, I found it difficult to believe that copies of The 48 Laws of Power weren’t thrown to the Roman senate in the dozens.

I am confronted with a reassessment of my love for learning. I am faced with so many questions. Is Robert Greene’s book just another link in a chain that stretches back through time, tracing the history of the wisdom tradition? Is learning merely a tool, and if so, for what exactly? If knowledge is power, what does that say about the student — what does it say about us?

For a while, I was prepared to burn the 48 Laws. I didn’t want to think about life as a game. It made me feel isolated and afraid. I especially didn’t like the idea that it had any place in my education. Then I noticed something. Law 25: Recreate Yourself.

This law demands that you “do not accept the roles that society foists on you.” I wondered if one of these roles could be that of the power-player. Is this a nod to those who chose to step out of the game of power and achieve an enlightened perspective on things?

Can we not adjust and evolve based on the knowledge that the world is governed by the human conquest for power? How should we reemerge with this knowledge in mind? Robert Greene’s answer is a philosophy he calls “radical realism.” Greene explains that this philosophy is “the idea of really, deeply understanding what life is about, how people operate in this world. And not only being realistic and understanding it, but

accepting it in a very deep way that this is what the world is like and actually loving it and embracing it and working with reality”.

It seems that this is all there is to do: work with reality. Once you learn to do this, Greene claims, “You understand the laws of power.

You understand what people are up to, and they can’t necessarily hurt you. In accepting this reality and in dealing with it and studying human nature and this aspect of what I call Machiavellian intelligence, suddenly with that attitude, with that mentality, you have all kinds of power and freedom.” Perhaps this is what access to such a supreme education gives us: perspective. It allows us not to join the masses in this congested push for power and success, but rather to view the world from a different level based on our understanding of how things work.

Through my exploration of Robert Greene’s work and my limited experience at Harvard, I have discovered more questions than answers. I am now asking myself this: am I meant to be a participant or an observer? I have always enjoyed sitting on the periphery of things, thinking about what motivates people to be who they are and fulfill whatever role they have. Greene’s comments have encouraged my tendency towards this behavior, but his laws can also make me feel rather unambitious. If the world is a game and I have access to the rules through my education, shouldn’t I reach in and try to get what I want? When is it appropriate to silently observe and when is it appropriate to partake? At a place like Harvard, a world throbbing with energy and opportunity, these questions are vital to our education and what we chose to do with it.

Frank Tamberino ’16 (franktamberino@ college) might be the next Plato, or at least the next Robert Greene.

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Forum

Charges incurred while roaming in Lebanon.

By CLARE DUNCAN

I

Beirut and look up towards the general skyline, you’ll see the former Holiday Inn. The 30-story building is riddled with bullets, bullet holes, cannon holes, and shells. It is a notso-ancient relic of Lebanon’s terrible civil war, a testament to the sudden destruction that befell the entire country when the war began in 1975 — just one year after the hotel opened. The building became a target the moment fighting began, all of its stunning grandeur quickly decimated.

Though it witnessed fifteen years of conflict, it still stands today, looming in stark contrast to the new opulent five-star hotels close by. The building itself is empty and dead, so much so that there aren’t even ghosts to haunt it. It just sits there, wind, rain, and sun streaming through the holes in its façade. It is a shell of whatever it once was — completely gutted, broken, and ruined.

As my friends and I walked past the hotel, we passed a military guard near the entrance. The military uses the ground floor for storage, and the soldier standing by the little security gate carried a very large and rather terrifying gun. My friend said hello, and the guard returned the greeting with a smile. We stopped to talk to him, something that became a bit of a trope throughout my travels. We found out the guard was twenty years old — our age. He was born a couple of years after the civil war ended, which meant that the monument he guarded was not his memory; it belonged to his parents and grandparents and maybe his older siblings. He, however, came of age as rebuilding ended and a period of (relative) stability set in. His Beirut was one of the street called the Corniche that ran along the Mediterranean, the nightclubs frequented by college students, the slightly-yuppie environment of the Hamra district. This was the person who eagerly talked with us and complimented our Arabic, an openness and geniality in marked contrast to the gun on his shoulder.

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f you stand in downtown

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This disconcerting contrast between the vestiges of chaos and the vitality of the “Paris of the East” was visible everywhere in Beirut. On the Corniche, just a couple of streets away from the Holiday Inn, girls dressed in short skirts strolled along the waterfront as couples walked to fancy restaurants and planned to order wine with dinner. The Islamic call to prayer, so penetrating in the conservative city of Jordan where I lived during that summer, was barely audible above the bright din of traffic and chatter that was Beirut. College students discussed last night’s score at a nightclub as they casually passed by a police guard on a street corner.

Nearby would be another guard, this time military, sitting in a white plastic chair with a very large gun strung across his shoulder. All of this was set against a backdrop of restaurants, hotels, shops, cafés, and the occasional shelled building.

Such a bifurcated picture has its immediate roots in the civil war (1975 – 1990), but societal tensions stretch back to colonial times and color the political situation even today.

The war, which killed an estimated 120,000 people, injured hundreds of thousands of others, and displaced a million more, affected every possible facet of life in Lebanon for fifteen years. Though often portrayed in Western media as a sectarian conflict, it was nowhere near as clear-cut as Christian vs. Muslim or Sunni vs. Shi’a, but rather encompassed a variety of political factors, including the increasing numbers of Palestinian refugees and guerilla operations led by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) based in Lebanon.

Israel invaded in an effort to stop the PLO, and Syrian military forces were stationed in the country for over a decade. Only after fifteen years of US and UN pleas for ceasefires and interventions was a peace agreement finally signed.

Factionalism and sectarianism, noticeably present during the civil war, have had a long history in

Seasons of Migration to the East Lebanon, thanks to French policies enacted during Francophone rule of the Levant. When the French Mandate was established in 1923, France implemented a “divide and conquer” policy to control their new territory: they privileged minority religious communities over the Sunni Muslim majority in order to diminish the relative weight of Sunni antiFrench sentiment and thus prevent a popular uprising. This meant that Christians and Shi’is were beholden to and dependent upon the French for various economic, political, and social favors. If they had wanted to disown their French benefactors and join in a Sunni anti-French movement, they would not have been able to — Sunnis deeply resented religious minorities because of their perceived complicity with the illegitimate foreign rulers. The French plan of sowing dissension among Lebanon’s religious constituencies had worked.

When the last French troops finally left the country in 1946, an uneasy peace — or rather a lack of conflict — emerged between religious groups, supported by the new Arab nationalism and its supra-sectarian spirit. Since the 1940s, a political system has been in place in which the President of the country is a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of the House a Shi’i Muslim. Each religious group is allotted a certain number of seats in Parliament based on their percentage of the population. Despite this compromise, there are still some underlying sectarian tensions, which the civil war only worsened.

This is the situation the friendly young military guard has inherited: a history of brutal war and difficult

rebuilding, sectarianism and favoritism, and a political system that has somehow managed to survive despite its seemingly shaky foundation. This history combines with a new glaze of Western culture and political values to create the strange double-vision Beirut I saw that trip. The historical concerns, however, aren’t just historical. They have real implications today, given the proximity of the violence in Syria.

There is an ever-present fear among many Lebanese that the violence will spill over into Lebanon and reignite conflict, upsetting the delicate balance that was achieved after French rule and again after the civil war.

As I observed all of this combined in the physical experience of Beirut, it brought several thoughts to mind: What does it mean when this duality is so present in daily life? When reminders of your parents’ terrible civil war continually confront you while you’re having dinner on the Corniche? How does this affect your national conscience? How does this affect how you live — and does it? I do not pretend to have answers to these questions. I am not Lebanese; I have not lived through a civil war; I have not experienced real religious tension; I do not live close to a country racked by violence. I did not have the chance to ask the military guard about any of this, but perhaps someday, when I return, I’ll be able to take another step towards understanding that beautiful, complicated, captivating country.

Clare Duncan ’14 (cduncan@college) took the title for this article from a line-item charge description on her phone bill after she returned home from the Middle East.

09.27.12 • The Harvard Independent

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Crimson Drew Faust holds her own and against Stephen Colbert.

Colbert

By WHITNEY GAO

D

Gilpin Faust and Stephen Colbert. President of Harvard University and the host of The Colbert Report. Acclaimed historian and comedian extraordinaire.

In plain terms, two of the greatest global personalities you would never imagine under the same roof — much less engaged in witty, and surprisingly intellectual, banter — came together for the sake of education, remembrance, and a few bad jokes. On Monday, September 17, 2012, over a million viewers were treated to this exciting clash of spheres as academia met satire.

Before the interview began, the show commenced with a fierce liberal lashing of the GOP, of which the most memorable was a highlight of Rick Santorum claiming that “[the GOP] will never have the elite, smart people on our side.” Following this was a comically skewed, annotated list of certain not-so-bright moments of notable conservatives.

Next came a portion on Rosh Hashanah, which Colbert lovingly calls “Rosh Hashananah.” An extremely brief history of the holiday was provided before Colbert so graciously gave all of his Jewish acquaintances the chance to make amends and apologize to him for any transgressions committed against him. (1-800-OOPS-JEW is the number in case any of our readers are feeling exceptionally remorseful).

After dabbling in the religious controversy Americans have stirred up with the Islamic community, which was, to say the least, awkward, Colbert finally moved to his guest of honor of the night, the one and only Drew Faust. He begins by introducing both her and the new documentary based on her book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. Colbert emphasizes the fact that she’s “one of those smart people” Santorum believes will never be attracted to the Republican Party.

When he jokingly asked if she and Harvard are prejudiced against conservatives, against “stupid people,” rew

The Harvard Independent • 09.27.12

Faust answers in the most elegant and diplomatic fashion, stating, “it’s never dumb to get an education.”

Next, the two discussed the specifics of Faust’s This Republic of Suffering . She explained that the American Civil War brought unprecedented levels of death that reshaped the relationship between citizens and their government. The Civil War changed the way people approached death, especially the way the government approached the death of its citizens. The absolute numbers of Americans who died in the war (approximately 750,000) would be proportionate to 7 million of today’s Americans dying.

Seven million.

That’s an astounding number, and one of the greatest points that Faust drives home is the inconceivable impact this had on society at the time. Before the Civil War, there was no formal record of citizen deaths through military warfare. Now, the government is held accountable to

give citizens who died due respect for their sacrifice for their country.

Coincidentally, this is where military cemeteries first began — just one of the many ways the Civil War completely reshaped our country.

But what was nearly as shocking is the reverence Colbert affords Faust.

For a man who may be known for his flaming disregard for propriety as much as his ability to induce raucous laughter, Colbert was surprisingly civil, closer to admiration than impudence for the majority of the interview. This, more than the facts Faust presented, was one of the greatest impressions left at the end of the interview.

Colbert allowed Faust to speak substantially on the subject of her book and on her passionate views of the Civil War without interruption, without disdain, and without sarcastic mockery. His style during Faust’s appearance contradicted that shown during some of his former interviews, such as that with historian Eric Foner,

who appeared on the show in March 2010 to discuss the legitimacy of the Texas School Board’s decision to selectively edit textbooks. At least, he kept his satiric comedy to a minimum.

The greatest part of the interview was actually spent on exploring the topic of the new documentary and of Faust’s book, not on the interviewee nervously laughing off Colbert’s quasiattacks meant as jokes or, even worse, struggling to come up with wittier replies.

Faust handled herself with grace and impressive composure and calm against Colbert’s usual dominance in guest interviews. It’s always awkward to see an intellectual on The Colbert Report, so out of their element that it’s intensely uncomfortable. But Drew Faust proves herself to be the exception, not the rule. Props to you, Drew.

Whitney Gao ’16 (whitneygao@college) wishes Stephen Colbert — and Drew Faust —would talk to her.

Illustraion by Anna Papp

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5

News

Seeking Council Campaigns from Cambridge to Colorado.

By ALBERT MURZAKHANOV

W

hether someone is running

for President of the United States or for a spot on the Undergraduate Council, strategic campaign slogans — those that somehow manage to plant an enduring seed in your brain — are a vital part of a campaign. While President Obama and Senator Romney were arranging their plans and articulating their arguments for the presidential election, Harvard undergraduates formulated creative posters, videos, emails, and Facebook posts in an attempt to grab a seat on the Undergraduate Council.

The Harvard Undergraduate Council (UC) is a student-run committee responsible for representing student interests, funding student

“We have to advertise and place those advertisements in strategic areas; it’s important to focus on visual posters and write quick but effective slogans.”

Freshmen running for the UC face a particularly difficult obstacle in creating a powerful campaign because the majority of the student body has not heard of them. Unlike upperclassmen, freshmen can’t rely strictly on dorm pride because a “Yard” is composed of more than one dorm and a dorm is divided further into entryways. “Instead of focusing on one House, I had to target all of Oak Yard and insert myself into the community even though I wasn’t part of the dorm or the entryway, and I had to

that would – through fair elections – select undergraduates to be voices of their communities. By doing so, it seems, in many ways, analogous to our government. Although the UC is governed by its Constitution and Bylaws, it would be misleading to call it a small-scale replica of real world politics. The UC is a committee, one in which candidates do not have the opportunity to get their voice across to the electorate in

a formal debate or speech. Despite this lack of communicative lines, the candidates running for the UC have been able to embrace this unique-toHarvard system and form successful campaigns.

Albert Murzakhanov ’16 (amurzakhanov@ college) volunteers to moderate the first UC debate, because 200 freshmen yelling at each other over Annenberg hours sounds like a good idea.

“Obama for America” “There is no HArVArd without Ava” “Keep America American” “Rebecca and Rory, End of Story” organizations, and fostering an active role for students on campus.

“We, the undergraduates of Harvard College, are an important part of the University community, and are therefore entitled to an active role in deciding its policies and priorities,” states the preamble of the UC’s 2012 Constitution and Bylaws. Like the US government, the UC strives to be the voice of the people it represents.

However, unlike the United States government, the UC doesn’t give candidates a formal opportunity to give speeches or engage in debate.

How, then does a UC candidate get his or her views and plans across, and more importantly, how can voters make a truly educated decision in electing candidates with whom they are probably completely unfamiliar (and who can’t simply be looked up on Google)? UC candidate Ava Nasro ‘16 — who later went on to win an Oak Yard seat — proposed several ideas.

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find the delicate balance between getting my name out there and avoiding annoying other people,” said Nasro.

Because psychology suggests that most people are inclined to vote for a candidate familiar or similar to them, becoming elected as a freshman marks a truly successful campaign.

The UC elected forty-three new members last week. Each candidate proposed an individual interpretation of being a part of this cohesive organization while bringing forth innovative ideas and suggestions to the community he or she represents.

“I questioned what the specific complaints of each dorm or entryway were so that I would be able to serve the entire Yard,” stated Nasro when asked what she believes may have caused those not in her entryway to support her.

The UC underscores the importance of a functioning and involved council 09.27.12• The Harvard Independent

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Freshmen and Self Control From free time to buffets.

C

By MILLY WANG

— it’s synonymous with independence and freedom in many freshmen’s heads.

This may be the first time that they are living apart from their parents, figuring out how to budget their money, and learning to manage their time. Heading off to college means living on your own, getting to do whatever you want without constant supervision, and being able to make your own decisions. But this all takes some adjustment. The simultaneously most thrilling and most nervewracking aspect of independence is being able to do just what you want.

How much self-discipline do freshmen really have?

From the buffet at Annenberg to only a few hours of classes each day, for many, college life is very different from high school life. Here, there is more food, more free time, and more work. A freshmen’s typical day generally revolves around food, work, and sleep, with a couple of extracurricular activities sprinkled here and there.

For some, the buffet in Annenberg poses the threat of eating more than one usually would. “It’s a problem.

I’m definitely eating more because the ollege

The Harvard Independent • 09.27.12

food is just there, “ says Cary Williams ‘16. Compared to living at home, where there is a limit to the amount of food for each meal, the limitless portions at Annenberg in conjunction with frozen yogurt available with every meal and the multitude of other sweets and desserts undoubtedly contributes to the age-old problem of the freshman fifteen.

But for others — including those who don’t enjoy the options served at Annenberg — the freshman fifteen doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. “I’m eating less meals a day here — I often just eat one meal a day, but sometimes two. I feel like I’ve lost weight,” says D.J. Badillo ‘16. And many more are still trying to tentatively find their balance in the new college environment with different food options. “It’s hard to quantify,” says Jennifer Kizza ‘16.

“I eat less at Annenberg, but I find that I’m going to restaurants in the area more. I eat more servings than I did back at home, but I don’t snack as much.”

When it comes to adjusting to the college workload, however, Harvard has no lack of help to give to students. The Bureau of Study Council runs workshops on topics

Photo courtesy of Angela Song.

including procrastination, note taking, perfectionism, and reading strategies.

Generally, many freshmen appear to be coping well and adjusting rather quickly to the college workload. “I’m actually procrastinating less than senior year. I’m more on top of things,” says Laura Ottinger ‘16. Those who take part in time-consuming extracurricular activities find that the time they spend at these activities actually helps them manage their time better. “Since I also do a sport, it really helps because I get back from practice and I know that I need to get the work done with the time that I have,” says Christi Scott ‘16.

Although not every freshman on campus takes part in sports, many still take the time to exercise. Despite the worry that some parents may have about their child lounging around their room all day, many freshmen

are finding ways to stay fit. “I’m getting about the same amount of physical exercise — around an hour a day. Here, I work out, back home, I danced,” says Sarah Haemisegger ‘16. Others go for jogs every morning, take part in field intramurals, or play Frisbee out on the lawn.

Regardless of whether it’s food, homework, or exercise, freshmen seem to be adapting quite well to the new college climate. Although there are currently no statistics on dietary habits or how freshmen spend their time available at the Bureau of Study Council or University Health Services, the class of 2016 seems to be off to a good start.

Milly Wang ’16 (keqimillywang@college) wants all of the freshman parents to know that they can rest easy knowing that their children are doing well on their own.

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7

Summer Fades,

YouTube

A belated review of Moonrise Kingdom, with justification.

A more efficient way to avoid homework.

By MEGHAN BROOKS

By SAYANTAN DEB

So Do Wes Anderson Shots

S

aturday was balmy for mid-September, and as

I walked to the T for an out-of-character matinee at the Kendall Square Cinema (R.I.P., Harvard Square Theatre), I tilted my face towards the sun and blinking, acknowledged my last day of summer.

I was off to see Moonrise Kingdom, hipster director Wes Anderson’s May release about a boy and a girl in summertime on an island off the coast of 1960s New England. The indie Kendall Square Cinema carries older releases the way it carries organic sweet potato tots, but my choice of Moonrise Kingdom was deliberate.

After a summer spent on campus in the warm painted lawn chairs and dense green grass of the Yard, the fall forecast of Sundays with schoolbooks in Widener was unpalatable. I enlisted Moonrise Kingdom, then, as a final taste of summer.

The first thing anyone should say about Moonrise Kingdom is yellow. The film is yellow from its credits written in a curlicued lemon cursive across faded polaroid-palette landscapes, to the Naples yellow traveling suitcase, to the mustard brown Khaki Scout uniforms and tents that dot the parched grass of the summer camp from which our hero, the orphaned and “emotionally disturbed” Sam Shakusky, escapes. As Anderson’s playful and particular lens moves with Sam and his equally troubled young love, Suzy Bishop, over bright forests, breezy fields, and rocky beaches across the island of New Penzance to the accompaniment of a half-classical, half-American blues soundtrack with a French new wave twist, it becomes clear that the film’s high saturation is more than confirmation of the director’s signature color aesthetic. Rather, the muted yellow melding with the sixties costuming and props is the cue for the nostalgia that sets the movie’s emotional tone. This is not, however, just nostalgia for a decade often fetishized (though Anderson does not resist the temptation to indulge). It is also nostalgia for childhood, for lost love, for curiosity, and for the certain kind of wholesome American summer no one’s ever actually had but everyone misses.

The film proper opens with quintessentially “Andersonian” symmetrical shots of the rooms in the Bishop’s red cliffside lighthouse, “Summer’s End.” Bedrooms, stairwells, and cozy nooks livened with pops of retro color are framed as puppet theaters, the doorframes acting as box walls and the rooms becoming the stage. Members of the Bishop family move from stage to stage to the sound of a children’s Leonard Bernstein record, and as the sequence’s final shot frames a playroom with Suzy reading on a window ledge and her three brothers listening to the record player on the floor, nostalgia for lazy summertime childhood is established. By our introduction to Camp Ivanhoe, a neat double row of pitched tents, lanyards, casual weaponry, and precariously perched tree houses, Anderson plantis false memories of boyhood at a wilderness summer camp in our brains. The Khaki 8

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Scouts are cast as a group of comically serious twelveyear old boys neatly regimented by the wonderfully earnest Scout Master Ward (a scout master first and a math teacher second!), played by Edward Norton.

Leading the Scouts on a search party around the island in his adult-size scout shorts, yellow neckerchief, and park ranger’s hat, Norton is the film’s own stand-in for our desire to stay in childhood summers.

His character is the adult who contributes most to the “precious” nostalgia the movie employs, to use the adjective often derisively applied to Anderson’s films.

In Moonrise Kingdom, however, the “preciousness” of emotional sincerity and an idiosyncratic aesthetic is perfectly justified by the film’s adept balance of humor and sadness. The humor ranges from laugh-out-loud moments of absurdity, to the bureaucratic obliviousness of Tilda Swinton as Social Services and the gumchomping assholery of Jason Schwartzman’s Camp Lebanon canteen master, to the subtle wit of Anderson’s shot framing. There is humor in the character’s sadness as well; Bill Murray makes Mr. Bishop’s mid-life crisis endearingly ludicrous and poignant, and Bruce Willis is surprisingly amusing as the also lovelorn island police chief whose affair with the tightly-wound Ms. Bishop is ending.

Moonrise Kingdom’s real pull, however, comes from its two child leads. Slate Magazine’s Forrest Wickman contextualizes the movie in terms of a Peanuts special, with the awkward Sam (Jared Gilman) as a stand-in for the preternaturally serious Charlie Brown, and Suzy (Kara Hayward) traipsing about the island in an outfit identical to the Little Red-Haired Girl’s. The honesty with which these friendless twelve-year olds fall in love is disarmingly intense, but also sweet, and the pivotal scene on the beach filmed in highly saturated and too-close slow motion is at once more innocent, more joyful, more dangerous, and more heartwrenching than any other moment in the film. Gilman and Hayward’s chemistry is mostly silent, but as they move from awkward pen pals to deeply attached allies in adventure, their silence shows their mutual, strangely adult and innocent confidence in each other, and the heart aches to remember a similar feeling.Although Moonrise Kingdom has particular aesthetic elements designed to tug on every nostalgic string in our bodies, it is not a mere mood piece but rather a fully developed fable of childhood summers. It invokes nostalgia as a conduit to real emotion, and the characters that emerge from its visual and narrative absurdity are emotionally real as well. I went to the movies last Saturday hoping it would be a compact thirty-first of August, a chance to soak in enough warmth to last through the first snows of Reading Period. Thus far, I’m pleased to report that it’s worked.

Meghan Brooks ’16 (meghanbrooks@college) is finally a Wes Anderson convert.

what's trending on

1. Live While We're Young – One Direction: Now this one is quite self explanatory. 1D has a new single WITH a music video, and let’s just say Directioners have been waiting a long time for this, and there are a lot of them. Not to mention, when Directioners start watching the video, they don’t watching just once. As a closet 1D fan, I have personally watched this video at least 5 times, which is really nothing when compared to their 28 million views.

2. The SIMPSONS – Homer votes 2012: It’s election season, and how could Homer not vote? Probably the funniest piece of political satire I have seen this season (including the SNL skits), the clip shows how most of America votes. Homer is the everyman, and we see what goes through his head when he votes (*HINT* It’s not about the issues). The clip is quite aptly apolitical, but it’s a much needed reminder of what should really matter come November.

3. Waiting for an iPhone5…for no reason: I felt a little bad about laughing while watching this one. Only a little bad. The clip shows an interviewer chatting up a lady in line to get the new iPhone. The reason she didn’t order it online? Because she believes the Internet is out to get her. So what exactly will she do with her new smart phone – text, and message, and call. Oh, and she also believes that when she does have Internet on her new “Apple5” phone, it will definitely not scam her. Like I said, I felt kind of terrible laughing at this video, but again (I cannot stress this enough), only kind of.

4. iPhone5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3 Drop Test: Both phones are dropped from the pocket, from 4 feet up, and from head level. This is supposed to be very close to a “real situation.” But the entire three minutes, I was wondering why I was watching phones being dropped. I was also wondering why the millions watching the video were not wondering why they were watching phones being dropped. If you were curious, the iPhone won.

5. Les Misérables - Extended First Look: This one was actually really interesting. Tom Hooper’s interpretation of this iconic musical has been long anticipated. In fact, this just might be the reason I am looking forward to Christmas…just kidding…only slightly. In this video, we find out that all of the songs for this movie were sung live, while filming. During the age of playback even in live shows, this comes as a wonderful surprise. I was also amazed at how talented the cast was. When Anne Hathaway started to sing “I Dreamed a Dream,” I had goosebumps, and now I am even more excited, if that was possible.

Sayantan Deb ’14 (sayantandeb@college) has a LOT of homework he has been avoiding, but hey, LIVE WHILE WE ARE YOUNG. 09.27.12 • The Harvard Independent

Pink's latest, The Truth About Love, is her first as a spouse and mother, but her head is still shaved.

By TRAVIS HALLETT

I

Pink over ten years ago when “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” was on repeat on whatever radio station my school bus played.

Everyone seemed to be all shaken up about the badass and negative lyrics that were at the time unheard of from the likes of Britney and Christina.

Pink had bigger issues than a broken heart (is that possible?) and she let us know —“Tired of being compared to damn Britney Spears.” That name drop was controversial but she just kept rolling her eyes.

On TV she was abrasive and mean.

At the Kids’ Choice Awards, an acceptance speech unabashedly told the world she was disgusted to be receiving the award. It was laughed off, but she wasn’t joking. As with so many young, talented, female artists, no one was talking about her talent and no one seemed to feel the punch in the gut by the coupling of her strong voice and lyrics. Today, she’s 33, married, and has a beautiful 16-month-old daughter. She grew up some over the past decade, but her music is more than ever a venue for that anger. Now, however, she’s mature enough to sing The Truth About Love.

I imagine it would be difficult to raise a child, be a spouse, and have a career like Pink’s, especially when the reality hits that marriage isn’t easy.

On her show, Ellen mentioned that Pink was happily married before being corrected: “I’m married.” And that’s the first conclusion we can draw from this album. It’s mature, serious, and tremendous because Pink is — she can blow you away without even trying.

My album on iTunes is heavily marked by EXPLICIT warnings.

But isn’t that only appropriate? Few true Pink fans would be disappointed here. There are the aural-assaulting rock numbers everyone is used to, so natural it sounds as if she wakes up in the morning screaming with a microphone in her fist. That’s how the album warms up, the first three tracks being “Are We All We Are,” “Blow Me (One Last Kiss),” and “Try.” Later on, “Slut Like You” serves many purposes but is a heavy-hitter like the aforementioned three. first heard of

The Harvard Independent • 09.27.12

“How Come You’re Not Here” and “Walk of Shame,” though both equally worthy, do not pack in the same punch as the previous three. These rock numbers are what Pink is best at delivering, and they are really a treat.

She also treads new territory, though, with the album’s three duets.

A power ballad about a couple falling out of love, “Just Give Me a Reason” features Nate Ruess, the newly emerging lead singer of the band Fun. I might get in trouble by pointing out the distinct Freddie Mercury ghostliness of his voice, but really, that can only be a good thing.

I’m not sure that anyone else could have pulled off what he and Pink have done here. It’s shockingly beautiful.

The second duet, “True Love,” with Lily Rose Cooper, would otherwise go unmentioned, but it is interesting to note that Pink could have done it by herself. For some reason, her heart isn’t in this one. However, the third, “Here Comes the Weekend,” with Eminem of all people, is intriguing. It’s big and impossible to keep your head still to, and the rock beat continues while Em raps on and on. His whiny singing voice would have served better here, but his rapping is acceptable.

If you weren’t paying attention before, now it’s time. The Truth About Love’s uncharacteristically slow songs are very personal, significant, and important. “Beam Me Up,” “Where Did the Beat Go?” “The Great Escape,” and “Chaos & Piss” illustrate the life of a real woman with more than just petty problems to sing about.

With such raw power behind her voice normally, here, there’s a small window of vulnerability. Maybe she hasn’t come to the solution yet; maybe there are problems that have yet to be solved, but her stories need to be told. In the end, though, the message is optimistic. It’s comforting to know we aren’t alone. To quote an earlier chapter of her life, never feel less than “f’in perfect.” In her own lyrics, “How do I feel this good sober?”

So with some classic Pink, grownup Pink, mature and immature Pink, what’s the consensus at the end of the 58 minutes of The Truth About Love?

Some might complain about the lack of coherent style, but in something so personal, how can life be boiled down

to just a continuous thread? There are many problems, many worries, many of which are contradictory. Rolling Stone sniffed at Pink’s “pepper[ing her album] with gratuitous curse words,” but I don’t know why they had grandpa reviewing a modern album.

At any rate, even comments about her continued “bad girl” status are made by those who had her “m!ssundaztood”, are who are still uncomfortable with a woman who refuses to play victim to tragic love. Hence, “Slut Like You.” This is not a simple woman, and her music isn’t either. The initial negative critical reactions are exactly what they were then years ago, but only in that sense has her music remained

unchanged. Her life has moved into a new era with her husband Cary and daughter Willow, but that doesn’t mean everything’s okay. Love’s complicated, but luckily, everyone can enjoy this album regardless of where we stand in our own lives.

Those Britney comparisons she’s so damn tired of have finally turned in her favor. The Truth About Love is on iTunes for $10.99 and is worth every penny.

Travis Hallett ’14 (travishallett@college) also wants to let you know that the Truth About Love Tour comes to the TD Garden on March 28.

“A HIGH ADRENALINE DRAMA

...OVERFLOWING WITH GUTSY DETERMINATION, HEARTBREAKING DISAPPOINTMENT AND A PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE.” Janet Walker, HAUTE-LIFESTYLE.COM

“BACKWARDS IS A WARM FILM. IT WORKS!” Gary Goldstein, LOS ANGELES TIMES

BACKWARDSTHEMOVIE.COM FACEBOOK.COM/BACKWARDSTHEFILM

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS START FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

AMC LOEWS WEST NEWTON CINEMA BOSTON COMMON 19 1296 Washington St, Rt 16 175 Tremont St 888-AMC-4FUN 617/964-6060 CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES OR CALL FOR SHOWTIMES

IN PERSON FRIDAY 9/28! Q&A with Producer, Writer, Actress at BOSTON COMMON 19 after the 7:00 show.

HARVARD INDEPENDENT

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How many conservators does it A behind-the-scenes look at art conservation.

By SARAH ROSENTHAL

A

rt conservators frequently use

advanced chemistry and the most careful painting techniques to restore a work that’s fading away, but occasionally all it takes is changing a light bulb.

In her lecture “Colored Electric Light: Documenting the Work of Dan Flavin”, part of Saturday, September 22nd’s symposium Material and Immaterial Aspects of Color…, conservator Francesca Esmay of the New York Guggenheim discussed the issues that arise with the replacement of fluorescent lights in Dan Flavin’s art. Although representing a problem particular to 20th century art of the industrial readymade, the lecture actually gets to the heart of the dilemmas conservators of all types of art face regularly.

The main question accompanying the upkeep of Flavin’s works addresses changes in technology: is it permissible to use the fluorescent lights now readily available, or must the same models which Flavin used, now out of production, be custom-ordered?

One might say that if it is possible to acquire the same exact bulbs, it should be done.

However, crucial to and understanding of Flavin’s work is the knowledge that he strove to use only what was available on the market; he did not custom order anything for the sake of achieving his desired look.

With this in consideration, should today’s market-available bulbs be adopted at once, as a perpetuation of Flavin’s own action? For works of art that have a strong conceptual base supporting the object of consideration, a knowledge of the changes that take place over time can actually shape a discussion of art historical merit as well as an exploration of the original conception of the piece.

Decisions such as these, which have the power to completely change the conceptual reception of a piece of work are analogous to the ones conservators of architecture confront regularly. In this way, matters of art conservation, seemingly trivial to everyday life, actually determine society’s engagement with the past and gauge our ability to make changes for the future. All relatively old works of architecture need restoration at some point, but in many cases this work is more about adapting a building to its contemporary environment than about preserving the architect’s original

New Kids on The Block The Indy reviews The Mindy Project and Partners.

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By SAYANTAN DEB

F

TV season has begun, and we have previewed the shows that should be on your radar. Our preview list, however, was rather long, and we know that you might not have time to catch them all.

More importantly, interesting concepts on paper are not always executed well. Series premieres, however, give a much better indication of how the show will progress, and this week saw the premieres of Fox’s new sitcom The Mindy Project (Tuesdays, 9:30/8:30c) and CBS’s new comedy Partners (Mondays 8:30/7:30c).

The Mindy Project premiered with a lot of expectations. The star of the show, Mindy Kaling, has been a well-known name in the comedy circuit. Especially after her stint in The Office, Kaling had an incredibly high standard to live up to.

The concept of the show is simple, and to be frank, nothing new. Kaling plays Mindy Lahiri, an OB/GYN who is also a hopeless romantic. The show starts off recounting Mindy’s love of romantic comedies, Meg Ryan, and a fellow doctor, played by Bill Hader. The beginning is a big yawn, especially as when we see Mindy grow up in front of the TV. An introvert with big

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all

take

idea. In cases of much art conservation, as with Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper, the concern is the preservation of the artist’s original work and the erasure of later attempts to recreate the original appearance of the piece.

A lesson to be gleaned here, though, is not simply that the conservation of art and architecture are difficult and crucial to the perception and understanding of art, but also that issues of preservation thoroughly permeate society. The paradox of Theseus’ Ship comes up frequently in discussions of the changes that accumulate over time, but how does it apply to the changes that come from the deliberate replacement of ideas or beliefs? Perhaps objects of art or architecture or the people we encounter change daily in trace ways, but it never really matters if the original version has eventually been entirely replaced, because that version existed within a context that is itself gone and irrelevant.

Sarah Rosenthal ’15 (srosenthal@college) will consider this new perspective in the works she studies, and is working on conservation in every sense of the word.

glasses watching romantic comedies – now where have we seen that before? Hader is also completely miscast as the former lover.

He never quite gets out of his SNL mold, not enough to justify Mindy’s irrationality over their breakup anyway. However, halfway through the show, we meet the much more interesting “grown up” Mindy. She is still the hopeless romantic, but is definitely not sweet. Between the public intoxication and the unapologetic one-night-stands, Kaling develops Mindy to be a very interesting character that goes beyond the stereotypes. The icing on the cake, however, is when we realize that Mindy is much more than the 30-something woman in search of love. Mindy’s career doesn’t take backseat in this comedy. In fact, the men in her life play just as big a role as her patients. She is a tad too saccharine as the benevolent doctor who takes in patients without insurance, but she dials it right back down when she quips, “I need more white patients.” The best part of the show is watching Mindy operate, and the immediate switch from the romantic to the doctor. The Mindy Project works because of Mindy Kaling, but to be sustainable, the show needs to find supporting characters who will enhance Kaling’s presence.

On paper, Partners sounds interesting.

The story of two couples, one gay and one straight, but more importantly the story of

a friendship between a gay and a straight man; the show seems a lot like Will and Grace. This isn’t surprising because it comes from the same creators. However, the show looked promising because, for once, here was a sitcom that wasn’t filled with characters looking for love. However, the show does little to go beyond the expected. Michael Urie and Sophia Bush are commendable in their roles. In fact, Urie tries hard to make his character more than an extension of Jack from W&G, but unfortunately, he has little to work with in terms of the screenplay. David Krumholtz tries so hard to drive home the point that he is straight that it comes off annoying. Brandon Routh also seems uncomfortable. It is really hard to believe that this show is from the same people who gave us probably the funniest show of the last decade. It’s true that the show had immense expectations to live up to, but even compared to the rather mediocre sitcoms, this show is underwhelming. At one point, one of the supporting characters says, “Gay gay gay, joke joke joke, I’m going to cut you.” I am sure she wasn’t trying to be ironic, but that’s exactly what we feel.

Sayantan Deb ’14 (sayantandeb@college) is thankful he doesn’t have two new shows to add to his already immense list of sitcoms to keep up with.

09.27.12 • The Harvard Independent

Sports

indy

AMENDING THE PLAYBOOK

Why some athletes aim towards futures in the public sector.

S

HE SPRINTS IN FROM behind the pack. No one expected her to overtake the heavy favorite, a powerhouse with millions of supporters and years of experience. As soon as she passes by, she is the new it. Some call her a cheater, a scoundrel, a fluke.

Others call her a prodigy, a genius, a winner. Many call her a dark horse.

But who is she? She could be an athlete — perhaps a sprinter who just won a race or a ball club that upset a heavy favorite in the standings.

But she could also be a politician, upsetting the incumbent or leader in the polls, en route to a position such as Senator, Representative, or even President. The worlds of sports and politics, while dealing with completely different matters, are intertwined with similar vocabulary: the dark horse candidate, stepping up to the plate on an issue, running the country like a marathon rather than a race, and so on. From this relationship — for good or for bad — we have seen the reign of athletes in politics.

In a recent interview by Rich Cimini of ESPN New York, quarterbacking evangelist Tim Tebow addressed the idea of a political career after he

The Harvard Independent • 09.27.12

By SEAN FRAZZETTE retires from the NFL: “I haven’t ruled it out. Whatever avenue I feel like I can make a difference in, I’d love to do. I haven’t ruled out anything like that. It won’t be anytime soon in my future, but it’ll be something I’ll at least look at and consider one day.”

With this simple statement in mind, the names of many other athletes jump to the forefront of one’s mind: Kevin Johnson, Bill Bradley, Steve Largent, Gerald Ford, and on and on. But a question resonates within my mind: Why? Why would someone like Tim Tebow, who last year was voted the most popular athlete in the United States, want to attempt a life as a politician? Athletes receive praise from the American people who idolize their jerseys and dream of their abilities. Meanwhile, a 2011 Gallup poll showed that sixty-three percent of Americans view the Federal Government in a negative light. So why have we seen great college and professional athletes pursue careers in politics?

Life is full of gray areas. But in sports, there is a final score or a finish line. In politics, there is a final result on Election Day. One profession passes touchdowns and locks down on

defense while the other passes legislation and provides for our common defense. Although the goals of each are clearly different, there are striking similarities that provide a lens into why politics might be such an appetizing career for athletes.

Over the years, Harvard has produced three widely known athletes turned politicians: brothers John F. Kennedy and Edward “Ted” Kennedy, as well as Teddy Roosevelt. The Kennedys were both solid football players for the Crimson. Coach Henry Lamar called John “the most adept pass catcher” on the team and the Green Bay Packers offered Ted a try out, although he declined in favor of law school. Teddy Roosevelt, meanwhile, was never a varsity athlete at Harvard, although he was a highly respected boxer at the club level. Regardless, these three prominent politicians entered Harvard as athletes and left as future world leaders.

Beyond Harvard, many famous athletes have pursued political careers. Bill Bradley has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, has won two NBA championships and Olympic Gold, and also served three terms as a US Senator from New Jersey. Jack Kemp was a college football star at Occidental, as well as a solid player in the CFL for years before serving in the elder President Bush’s cabinet, as well as the House for eighteen years. Judy Martz participated in the 1964 Winter Olympics before serving a term as Montana’s Governor. Recently, Manny Pacquiao, considered one of the best boxers of this generation, became a Representative in the Philippine’s House. The truth is, sports and politics have had a strong connection for years. In fact, eight United States Presidents also have a history as varsity college athletes.

Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and the aforementioned Kennedy all played football in college, while Wilson, Carter, and George H.W. Bush all played baseball. Indeed, President Obama even made national news for putting a basketball court in the White House early in his presidency.

The list goes on, but the question remains: Why is there

this entanglement? The similar concepts of winners and losers offer one explanation. When an athlete retires, he or she is most likely prone to pursuing a career that mirrors his or her first love. Athletes know how to win…or at least they enjoy it.

Therefore it would be only natural for one to pursue a career path where winning means everything. Also, as faces for a college team or professional franchise, these men and women are recognizable to the average American.

Athletes are popular role models for children and those who succeed are respected for their achievements. This status boosts their ability to appeal to the American people and ask for their vote.

But if winning is the reason and national fame is the catalyst to success, still I ask, why politics? Why would athletes place themselves in the middle of a partisan battleground, where no matter how much they try to help the country, millions of Americans will still despise their name? The question cannot be definitively answered, though the answer may be found in an attempt to make a difference, as Tim Tebow aims to do. Athletes have the mentality to make a difference. They want to score the game-winner, to change history in their own way. The public realm is the most direct way to achieve such a goal. By passing a law or initiating a movement, athletes find a way to keep their competitive nature while also personally affecting an outcome.

In this solace, these men and women have found a way to never move past their first love. When an athlete begins to age and can no longer run certain plays, he needs to amend his playing style into one suitable for his current state. With a change in playing style comes a change in the playbook.

Eventually, the player will no longer be able to adapt to the game and must move on completely.

Many athletes have found their new playbook and arena — it just comes in the shape of one thousand page bills and big white houses.

Sean Frazzette ’16 (sfrazzette@college) thinks Tebow should stick to the turf before hitting the hill.

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captured & shot TARIK MOON