ARTS PAGE 20
FORUM Seniors: Embrace Brandeis 12
24-HOUR MUSICAL
SPORTS Men’s soccer wins both games 16 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
the
OF
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY SINCE 1949
Justice www.theJusticeOnline.com
Volume LXIII, Number 3
Waltham, Mass.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
KRAUSS STEPS DOWN
ADMISSIONS
Changes adopted in financial aid
■ For the Class of 2015,
the University will fully meet students’ needs until funds are exhausted. By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICE EDITOR
Based on the recommendation of the Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Committee, a new admissions process will be adopted for the Class of 2015, according to University President Jehuda Reinharz. The committee’s recommendation is that Brandeis adopt “the policy that consists of continuing to admit students on a need-blind basis; ... fully meeting that need until all available funds are exhausted; [and] continuing to admit students if necessary on a need-sensitive basis,” Prof. Steven Burg (POL) said at last Thursday’s faculty meeting. Burg told the Justice that the University currently adopts a
need-blind admissions policy, meaning that a student’s financial situation is not taken into account when deciding admission. According to Reinharz, “Needsensitive means that once the money is exhausted, we will have to pay some attention to people’s ability to pay because we will have no choice. Once the budget is exhausted it will be exhausted.” “I think that we will continue to see an increase in applications because, in the changing economic circumstances, … many people can’t really afford to go to school unless they have their financial needs met,” Reinharz said in an interview with the Justice. He also added that if the Office of Admissions can’t meet these needs, the caliber of student the University wishes to admit will not be able to matriculate. The University only applies a need-aware admissions policy— when the decision to admit is partially based on the student’s abili-
See ADMISSIONS, 5 ☛
ACADEMICS
NIH gives grant to Schneider institute
YOSEF SCHAFFEL/the Justice
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES: Provost Marty Krauss (right) speaks with Prof. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS) at a faculty dinner last week.
Krauss announces resignation as provost
■ Researchers at the
Schneider Institute will use the grant to study various effects on veteran soldiers. By FIONA LOCKYER
■ The provost will resume
her former position as a Heller School professor after a one-year sabbatical. By HARRY SHIPPS JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Marty Krauss will step down from that position by June 2011 according to an Aug. 31 e-mail to the Brandeis community from University President Jehuda Reinharz. In an interview with the Justice, Krauss, who received her Ph.D. from Brandeis in 1981 and has previously
been a professor in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and served as the associate dean for academic programs and Faculty for the same school, said that she will not be leaving the University after she steps down as provost but, instead, will be returning to work at the Heller School after taking a one-year sabbatical. In an e-mail to the Justice, Reinharz credited Krauss with “co-chairing our successful re-accreditation in 2006, recruiting new leadership at Heller and [the International Business School], improvements in benefits for contract faculty, and the launch of the Office of Global Affairs.” Krauss said that she considered some of her biggest achievements as provost to include “the work that we did on improving the working condi-
tions and benefits for contract faculty across the University,” creating a new committee to work with the directors of centers and institutes, and co-chairing the University’s successful reaccreditation application in 2006, a process Krauss called a “massive undertaking.” In his e-mail to the community, Reinharz wrote that he and Presidentelect Frederick Lawrence will begin the search for a new provost “in the next few weeks.” In his e-mail to the Justice, Reinharz wrote, “The provost has agreed to serve as late as June 2011 if need be, so there is no immediate pressure to find her replacement. It’s more important to find the right person than to do this quickly.” Both Reinharz and Krauss
JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
The Schneider Institute of Health Policy of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, the National Institute of Health and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, as well as 10 other research institutions, have been given funding to explore the link between substance abuse and military deployment. Brandeis was awarded $379,000 for the first year of research that started July 2010 and a total of $1.76 million for four years, wrote Mary Jo Larson, a health services researcher at the Heller School and principal investigator for the project, in an e-mail to the Justice.
See KRAUSS, 5 ☛
■ JustArts reviews the brand-new Jukebox the Ghost album and has an exclusive contest.
■ Students can purchase produce as part of a farming cooperative.
ARTS 23
FEATURES 9 For tips or info call Let your voice be heard! Submit letters to the editor online (781) 736-6397 at www.thejusticeonline.com
INDEX
EDITORIAL FEATURES
10 7
OPINION POLICE LOG
10 2
SPORTS ARTS
See GRANT, 5 ☛
Israel report released
Indie rocks
Locally grown produce
“The NIH typically funds both unsolicited and solicited research grants, among other things,” wrote Larson. “In this instance, the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the NIH issued a request for applications; they were joined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Cancer Institute, and the Veterans Administration.” Larson will collaborate with Schneider Institute researchers Elizabeth Merrick, Beth Mohr and Grant Ritter. Rachel Sayko Adams, a graduate student at the Heller School, will serve as the project director. According to a Sept. 1 press release on the initiative from PressZoom.com, some institutions that have received this grant will focus on researching when and why veterans ask for help, as well as treatment and therapy strategies, while others will focus on researching ways in which vet-
16 17
■ The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies released its report Aug. 25.
NEWS 3 COPYRIGHT 2010 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Call for home delivery.
2
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
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THE JUSTICE
NEWS POLICE LOG
AP BRIEF
Medical Emergency
Hurricane Earl glances South Shore, eastern coastal states last week CHATHAM, Mass.—A weakening but still dangerous Hurricane Earl steamed toward the gray-shingled cottages and fishing villages of Cape Cod on Friday, disrupting people’s vacations on the unofficial final weekend of the short New England summer. Packing winds of just 80 mph, the storm swirled up the Eastern Seaboard after sideswiping North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where it caused flooding but no injuries and little damage. For the most part, it was expected to swing wide of New York City and much of the rest of the mid-Atlantic region but pass close by Cape Cod, Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard late Friday night, bringing rain and high winds. Vacationers pulled their boats from the water and canceled Labor Day weekend reservations on Nantucket, the well-to-do resort island and old-time whaling port that was expected to get the worst of the storm. Shopkeepers boarded up their windows. Swimmers in New England were warned to stay out of the water—or off the beach altogether—because of the danger of getting swept away by high waves. Airlines canceled dozens of flights into New England, and Amtrak suspended train service between New York and Boston. As of Friday afternoon, no large-scale evacuations were ordered for the Cape Cod area, where fishermen and other hardy year-round residents have been dealing with gusty nor’easters for generations. By midday Friday, Earl had dropped to a Category 1 storm—down from a fearsome Category 4 with 145 mph winds a day earlier. Forecasters said it could weaken to a tropical storm by the time it passed about 50 miles to 75 miles southeast of Nantucket. As Earl lost steam and veered farther east, the National Hurricane Center reduced the New England areas under a hurricane warning to Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, the elite vacation spot that President Barack Obama left just last weekend. The National Weather Service was forecasting winds up to 65 mph on Nantucket with gusts up to 85 mph. On Cape Cod, winds up to 45 mph with gusts of up to 60 mph were expected. The last time the Cape was hit directly by a hurricane was 1991, when Bob brought 75 mph gusts that ripped through the region’s grassy dunes, snapped trees and tore roofs off the weathered gray homes. Earl was expected to remain more than 150 miles off New Jersey and the eastern tip of New York’s Long Island as it made its way north. But it kicked up dangerous riptides up and down the coast. In New Jersey, two young men apparently died earlier this week in the rough surf caused by Earl and the hurricane before it, Danielle. Off the Maine coast, lobstermen on Matinicus Island were cautious after getting fooled by Hurricane Bill, which missed the mainland last year but sent tides and rough seas that destroyed their gear. This time, they moved their gear to the safety of deeper water or pulled their traps out altogether. At Maine’s Acadia National Park, officials closed most of a road where a seven-year-old girl was swept to her death by a 20-foot wave last year while watching the swells from Bill.
Aug. 29—A student in Renfield Hall was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital after University Police received a report that the student had been suffering from an allergic reaction. Sept. 1—University Police received a call from the Usdan Student Center stating that a student had injured his face. The student was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Sept. 1—BEMCo and University Police responded to a report that a female in Gordon Hall hit her head on a fire extinguisher and incurred a head laceration. BEMCo treated the party onscene with a signed refusal for further care. Sept. 1—BEMCo and University Police responded to a report that a male in Shapiro Residence Hall received a head laceration after tripping over a couch. BEMCo treated the party onscene with a signed refusal for
further care. Sept. 4—University Police were notified of an intoxicated party on Loop Road across from Shapiro Residence Hall. An ambulance and BEMCo were notified that the party was a 19-year-old male fading in and out of consciousness. Upon ambulance arrival, the party signed a refusal for further care. Sept. 4—University Police observed a motor vehicle hit two pedestrians via CCTV. University Police and BEMCo responded. BEMCo treated the parties on-scene with a signed refusal for further care, and University Police compiled a report on the incident. Sept. 4—BEMCo responded to a report of a 19-year-old male in Rosenthal South with a possible sprained thumb. BEMCo treated the party on-scene with a signed refusal for further care. Sept. 5—A reporting party stated that an 18-year-old intoxi-
cated female had been vomiting for approximately 20 minutes in Usen Hall. The party was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Sept. 5—BEMCo treated a woman in a Hassenfeld Conference Center bathroom suffering from an allergic reaction after a mosquito bite. BEMCo treated the party on-scene with a signed refusal for further care.
Disturbance Aug. 30—A Ridgewood staff member reported a “mob” of students between Ridgewood B and C. University Police were dispatched and noted eight quiet students upon arrival. No further action was taken. Sept. 3—University Police were dispatched to North Quad after receiving a noise complaint. Students in the area having a water fight were advised to quiet down and complied without incident.
The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. E-mail justeditor@brandeis.edu.
The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Editor in chief office hours are held every Monday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Justice office. Main Line News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing
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—compiled by Fiona Lockyer
First meeting of the year yields new objectives
TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice
Games on the Great Lawn Students joined together on the Great Lawn last Saturday night to enjoy action-packed games of laser tag. Students formed into teams and played against each other using inflatable structures for cover.
Student Union President Daniel Acheampong ’11 announced that his main objectives for the Student Union include involving students and working with the administration in the process of filling new roles on campus. He said he met with President-elect Frederick Lawrence and is working with the administration during the transition process. Student Union Secretary Herbie Rosen ’12 reported that the Student Union will hold information sessions to better involve and inform first-years. Director of Communications Andrea Ortega ’13 announced her mission to optimize the image of the Student Union. She wants to more effectively portray the goals and actions of the Student Union to the general student body. Ortega said she would work closely with the campus media outlets to achieve this goal. Nipun Marwaha ’12 and Ridgewood Senator Beau Bonness ’11 were confirmed as co-chairs of COW-G, the Campus Operation Working Group. They plan to expand the role of COW-G by encouraging students to actively report broken items around campus to COW-G. The Senate approved a new constitution for the Brandeis Aviation Club, which changed its name from the Brandeis Flight Club. The new constitution will make it easier for the club to appropriate funds and increase student involvement in going on flights and taking part in other related activities on campus. The club said it will broaden its membership and is coordinating with Lawrence on a fly-by over the school. The Senate also approved a charter for the Tea Party. The stated purpose of the Tea Party is to bring dialogue and education to campus. Senator for the Class of 2012 Abby Kulawitz said some of her goals are to create leadership development sessions for new club leaders and to start language tables to help students studying foreign languages learn. The senators agreed to explore providing ice machines or other means of getting ice cubes to students.
—Andrew Wingens
ANNOUNCEMENTS Martin Weiner Lecture Series: Physics Colloquium
theJustice
Aug. 29—University Police received a report of an individual attempting to rappel from Tower B to Tower C of the Usen Castle. University Police checked the area but could not find the individual. Aug. 30—University Police stopped a suspicious party from taking photographs through the bushes toward the athletics fields at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The individual’s name and driver’s license were checked for warrants but none were noted. A verbal trespassing warning was issued to the party. Sept. 2—University Police approached a woman near the chapels sleeping on a bench. She was an alumna of the school visiting campus, and no further action was taken.
SENATE LOG
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS An article in News incorrectly stated the position of a Brandeis staff member quoted. Raquel Rosenblatt is Executive Director of Donor Relations, not Director of Alumni Relations. (Aug. 31, p.3) An article in Sports incorrectly listed the record of the Men’s Cross Country team. The team finished 24th out of 32 teams at the 2009 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, not 28th. (Aug. 31, p.12) A photo caption in Sports incorrectly listed the graduation year of Mimi Theodore. She is a member of the Class of 2012, not 2011. (Aug. 31, p. 10) A photo caption in News misspelled the surname of a photographer. The photographer’s name is Yosef Schaffel, not Yosef Schaffell. (Aug. 31, p. 3) A photo caption in News misspelled the surname of a photographer. The photographer’s name is Robyn Spector, not Robyn Spectort. (Aug. 31, p. 5)
Miscellaneous
In 2002, physicists were shocked to learn that a staff scientist at Bell Labs in New Jersey, Jan Hendrik Schön, had faked as many as 17 experiments reported on in Nature, Science and other leading journals of the physics community. Come listen to science reporter Eugenie Samuel Reich’s talk titled “Scandal in Physics: The Affair of Jan Hendrik Schön at Bell Labs.” Today from 4 to 5 p.m. in Abelson-Bass-Yalem.
First Deis Dems meeting of the semester Welcome, all passionate politicos, to the first Brandeis Democrats meeting of the semester. Meet, mingle, and get pumped for the upcoming semester and midterm elections! Tomorrow from 8 to 9 p.m. Shapiro Campus Center 315.
Fenway Park tour and Bleacher Bar lunch The Department of Student Activities is offering a trip to Fenway Park for a tour of the ballpark followed by lunch at the Bleacher Bar. The bus will leave from Theater Lot at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in the Department of Student Activities. Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Trip to Honey Pot Hill Orchards Sign up now for the bus to Honey Pot Hill Orchards for wonderful fall apple picking. $5 refundable deposit required. Visit the Department of Student Activities in Shapiro Campus Center 201 for more information. The bus leaves from Theater Lot. Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.
Three chapels rededication Please join us as we rededicate the three chapels and the Muslim Prayer Space. The
ceremony will begin at the Muslim Prayer Space in the lower level of the Usdan Student Center and will then progress to the Berlin, Bethlehem and Harlan chapels. Refreshments will be served outside the Berlin Chapel at the conclusion of the ceremony. Monday, Sept. 13 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Résumé week: Resumania Your résumé is the first and most frequent representation of your professional self. Drop in to work on your résumé. Work with the Hiatt Career Center to get your résumé Hiatt-approved for 2010 Brandeis and employer events and deadlines, including Teach for America, study abroad, practice interview day with employers, fall career fair, government forum and biotech and health care forum. Ré sumé week starts Monday, Sept. 13 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m and lasts through Friday, Sept. 17.
THE JUSTICE
CURRENT AFFAIRS CONVERSATION
By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE EDITOR
Panel discusses the Middle East ■ The Crown Center for
Middle East Studies held its sixth annual event featuring talks on the Middle East. By TYLER BELANGA JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Profs. Shai Feldman (POL) Nader Habibi (ECON), and Kanan Makiya (NEJS), along with Dr. Naghmeh Sohrabi and Joshua Walker, served as panelists for the Crown Center for Middle East Studies’ annual event, “Round Table: Hot Topics in the Middle East,” which took place last Wednesday, Sept. 1. Although the discussion explored a number of different issues in several countries, including Turkey and Iraq, the focus was often returned to how these issues impact relations with the West. Feldman, who serves as the director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, focused his presentation on the talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas that began last Thursday in Washington. Feldman stressed the importance of President Barack Obama’s administration in reaching peace agreements in the Middle East. He pointed out that while former president George W. Bush was often accused of neglecting and not negotiating in the Middle East, Obama has not been overly successful using his own methods either. He did say, however, “At least Obama has had the courage to try and tackle the process.” After Feldman’s presentation, Dr. Naghmeh Sohrabi, the assistant director for research at the Crown Center, spoke about the internal political and social situation in Iran. Sohrabi attributed the apparent lack of progress in the country to the huge exile of the journalist community in Iran, explaining that, as a result, very little that the government tried to hide makes its way out of the country. Sohrabi’s lecture was followed by Makiya’s, in which he analyzed the stalemate over the formation of a new government in Iraq, and spoke about current events in Iraq. Makiya’s lecture mainly focused on the improving state of affairs in the country since the U.S. invasion, with an emphasis that there is still much to be done. Following Makiya’s talk, Habibi discussed the current economic con-
ditions in the Middle East. He explained that most Middle Eastern economies are becoming more sophisticated, and many are realizing that oil cannot be their sole source of revenue. Additionally, he said, large amounts of money from the Western World are now being invested in countries such as Saudi Arabia. Joshua W. Walker, a postdoctoral junior fellow at the Crown Center and the final panelist, spoke about the relationship between Turkey and the West. After speaking about Turkey’s increasing visibility and importance to the United States’s efforts in the Middle East, Walker called to attention the fact that the Western World often misunderstands the country. “Turkey is not as idealistic as often portrayed. The West does not understand Turkey, and we send mixed signals. Turkey experts are lacking in the United States government,” he said. After Walker’s presentation, Feldman returned to the podium and concluded by asking a number of questions that he said must be answered by the Obama administration in the coming weeks and months. Feldman’s questions included the level of involvement the U.S. can afford to have in the Middle East, whether the administration should introduce resolution plans or border demarcation between Israel and Palestine, and the basis for decisionmaking in the Middle East. Both students and people outside the Brandeis community attended the event. When asked by the Justice who was targeted to attend this event, Benjamin Rostoker, program coordinator for the Crown Center, said that the event was advertised not only to those in the Brandeis community, but also to the “general Boston community; Washington D.C.; Europe; and the Middle East.” “This event appeals not only to those who have specialized knowledge in the Middle East,” said Rostoker, “but also those who have a general interest and would like to learn more.” Many attendees of the event were impressed by the variety of topics covered from a number of different, balanced perspectives. Jonathan Snow (GRAD), a Middle Eastern Politics Ph.D. student at Brandeis, praised the event, saying, “I would come no matter what—what the Crown Center offers is different perspectives, whether you are Iranian, Israeli, or Arab.”
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Lawrence speaks at faculty meeting and greeted new and old faculty members at the first meeting of the semester.
MORGAN FINE/the Justice
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
ADMINISTRATION
■ The president-elect met
ECONOMICS: Prof. Nader Habibi discusses the Middle Eastern economic climate.
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President-elect Frederick Lawrence addressed the faculty at the Sept. 2 faculty meeting, during which he expressed excitement about his new role within the Brandeis community. Lawrence’s address to the faculty at the meeting, the first of the semester, marked the first time he had addressed the faculty since he was confirmed by the Board of Trustees on July 8. In his address, Lawrence said he was “humbled” after listening to the descriptions of the accomplishments of the new faculty that were introduced at the meeting, claiming, “It is an extraordinary group of new people and visitors coming here. For someone coming in from the outside, it is quite breathtaking and impressive.” In an interview with the Justice after the meeting, Lawrence expressed excitement about interacting with the faculty on a more intimate level. “Having met many of them in big settings, I am now looking to meet them on a departmental level and talk about their work and their scholarship, which I am very interested to engage in,” he said. In the address, Lawrence also spoke about his plans to be present on campus in the upcoming months, explaining that he would be present “on and off” for the rest
of September and will then visit again in October, November and December. Lawrence also emphasized to the faculty his excitement to begin his term as president, explaining that the role fused his passions into one job. “I am thrilled to be the next president, it’s true. It is a dream job. There is no other position in the United States of America that can so pull together all the threads of my life,” he said.
“
I am thrilled to be the next president; it’s true. It is a dream job. FREDERICK LAWRENCE
Lawrence additionally thanked both current University President Jehuda Reinharz and Reinharz’s wife, Prof. Shula Reinharz (SOC), for easing the presidential transition and for their “hospitality and graciousness.” Introducing Lawrence before his address, Reinharz also said the transition was going smoothly, saying that “I am pleased that my successor is a good friend of mine.” Reinharz expanded on the smoothness of the transition in an interview with the Justice after the meeting. “We are working extremely well together. We have known each other for a long time. We like each other; it seems to be a smooth tran-
sition, and I’ve given him complete leeway to do whatever he wants to do and get adjusted. It’s worked very well,” he said. When asked about the role Lawrence would play in the upcoming faculty meetings this semester, Reinharz said that he would still monitor the meetings but that Lawrence would attend based on his availability. “I don’t think he’s going to have a role in the next faculty meetings unless there is a specific reason, but he may come; he may attend. He’s curious about what is happening, but it depends on his time limitation; [he] still has to spend time at [George Washington University],” he said. In an interview with the Justice, Lawrence said that several of his visits to campus did happen to overlap with faculty meetings. Lawrence also expressed optimism in his interview about the faculty meeting, praising the cohesiveness of the faculty. “I thought that it was great. It was a great sense of community. One of the most interesting and useful parts is the introduction of new faculty, because you get to see the breadth of what everyone is doing,” he said. Prof. Len Saxe (Heller), who served on the Presidential Search Committee, praised Lawrence’s remarks in an interview with the Justice, claiming that he “expressed a realistic view.” “He didn’t shy away from the challenges ahead of us, but he also exuded optimism and confidence and made clear that he was going to work night and day to make sure that Brandeis fulfills its aspirations,” said Saxe.
RESEARCH
Cohen Center examines attachment to Israel ■ The report asserts that
there has been no decline in commitment to Israel among American Jews. By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE EDITOR
The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies released its report on the American Jewish community’s relationship with the state of Israel Aug. 25, maintaining that overall attachment to the Jewish State is still extremely strong. The report, conducted by Profs. Len Saxe (Heller) Charles Kadushin (SOC) and Theodore Sasson (SOC), as well as Ben Phillips, (GRAD), claims that “a majority of American Jews feel attached to Israel and the overall level of attachment has remained stable for nearly a quarter of a century.” Kadushin referred requests for an interview to Sasson, and Sasson and Phillips could not be reached for comment by press time. According to the report, 63 percent of the people surveyed reported an attachment to Israel, and 75 percent maintained that such an attachment is vital to their Jewish identity. The report explains that the data, “when compared to earlier surveys asking similar questions, indicate overall stability in American Jewish attachment to Israel over the past quarter-century.” The report explains that to collect this data, 50,000 households in the United States who identified as Jewish were surveyed about their
views on Israel between June 15 and June 26. In an interview with the Justice, Saxe explained that the decision to conduct this study occurred last spring, when reports in the media started circulating that the American Jewish community’s attachment to Israel was on a fundamental decline. Saxe cited Peter Beinart’s article, “The Failure of the Jewish Establishment,” which appeared in The New York Review of Books June 10. Beinart claims in his article that younger American Jews are increasingly feeling less connected to Israel, which Beinart asserts is fueling an essential dissipation of the Zionist movement. Saxe said that those working at the center were curious about the legitimacy of Beinart’s claims, explaining that “we had a fair amount of evidence to suggest that that was not the case. But, we’re empirical scientists, so we went out and tried to find out if it was true or not.” The Cohen Center report also contained data regarding information about the Mavi Marmara flotilla, the controversial incident last May in which Israeli soldiers boarded a Turkish ship carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip. According to the report, 72 percent of the people surveyed agreed with the Israel interpretation of the incident, while 9 percent agreed with the Turkish interpretation. The report also suggested that citizens’ political beliefs are irrelevant to their support for Israel. However, Saxe also said that the study was not intended to have po-
litical implications but was rather used as a test study for a broader report on Jewish identity that he said will be released at the end of the year. “The goal is not to do political analysis—we’re not political scientists; we’re social psychologists, and also on the team are sociologists who are interested more broadly on issues of identity and particularly in respect to the Jewish community, … to the relationship between Israel, a homeland, to a diaspora community,” he said. In regards to the relationship between Jewish American citizens’ age and their level of support for Israel, the report claimed that the younger respondents—those under 45—felt less of an attachment to Israel than the older generation but still considered the state fundamental to their Jewish identity. The report also states that attachment to Israel increased with age. “In particular, for young American Jews, attachment is something that grows over time, that you start off being relatively hostile to Israel but your feeling of attachment identification and closeness grows over time,” said Saxe. Saxe also stated that young Americans’ detachment from Israel could be mitigated through education. “Those that are interested in studying closeness and attachment should look to ways of educating people and putting young adults and others in contact with … those who live in the homeland, that there’s not a crisis and this is fundamentally an educational problem,” he said.
THE JUSTICE
KRAUSS:
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
5
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
Provost leaving by this June CONTINUED FROM 1 expressed that the new provost, when selected, will face many of the same challenges that Krauss has had to deal with during her 7 years as provost. Reinharz wrote his e-mail that the new provost “will face the same broad challenge that Marty and the entire senior staff now face— how to maintain excellence in our teaching and research programs in a time of great financial challenge.” Krauss added that Lawrence has created a committee to look at “restructuring ideas and possibly redistribute some of the responsibilities for the institution from the way it is currently administered,” and she said that implementing any changes that result from this committee will be a “significant” challenge for the next provost. In a Sep. 1 e-mail to the Brandeis community, Lawrence wrote that the “Administration Structure Advisory Committee … will assist in evaluating administrative structures and duties that will best serve Brandeis in the years ahead.” Assistant Provost for Graduate Student Affairs Alwina Bennett, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Frances Drolette, Dean of Academic Services Kim Godsoe, Chair of the Faculty Senate Prof. Timothy Hickey (COSI), Dean of the International Business School Bruce Magid, Vice President for Students and Enrollment Keenyn D. McFarlane, Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Elaine Wong and Dean of the Heller School Lisa Lynch will serve on the committee. Lynch will chair the committee, according to the e-mail. Krauss said that while she does not expect a formal advisory role in the incoming administration, she intends to be as helpful to the new president and provost as she can be. “I look forward to working with President Lawrence in a capacity that he wants and with the next provost; I don’t see this as the end of my service to Brandeis,” Krauss said.
YOSEF SCHAFFEL/the Justice
ADMISSIONS CHANGES: Prof. Steven Burg (POL) discusses the changes that will be made in the provision of financial aid for the Class of 2015 at the faculty meeting.
ADMISSIONS: Univ will implement new method of issuing financial aid CONTINUED FROM 1 ty to pay tuition but even more so than for need-sensitive—for waitlisted and international students. Burg explained the current admissions process in an interview with the Justice. He said that Admissions ranks the application pool from top to bottom by various factors, such as test scores and academic qualifications. The admissions office also uses a mathematical formula to predict the financial needs of each student based on information such as a student’s zip code, Burg said. After applicants are ranked, the mathematical formula is applied to estimate each applicant’s financial need, he said. “Given a ranked list of applicants and decisions to admit based
on that list, it is possible to estimate the overall need of the class,” Burg wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. Since the mathematical formula is only an estimate of the applicant pool’s financial needs, the University currently is not always able to fully meet the financial needs of its admitted students upon reviewing their financial aid applications, Burg said. “It can only be an educated estimate on the part of the Admissions office, and we try as best as we can to try and figure out what it is in advance,” Reinharz said in an interview with the Justice. “What we’re currently doing is called ‘gapping,’” Burg said in his interview. “We do not provide as much financial aid as even we cal-
culate applicants need. So what we’re recommending is that we should meet, fully, the calculated need of applicants,” he said. Once University funds are exhausted after fully meeting the financial needs of admitted students, the recommendation is to take into some consideration the amount of financial aid requested if the University wants to admit more students, Burg explained. At the faculty meeting, Burg provided an example of how this recommendation would have been implemented for last year’s class. He said that of the 2,500 students admitted, about 2,300 students would have been admitted on a need-blind admissions policy and the remaining 200 students would have been considered on a need-
sensitive basis. “[The committee is] sensitive to budget issues, but we are trying to formulate the best admissions policy for the institution,” Burg said in an interview with the Justice. He continued, “To make us the most competitive, to get us the best students possible, that’s what we’re about.” Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy could not be reached despite repeated requests for comment. The Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Committee was formed in order to advise the administration on questions related to admissions and financial aid, Burg said. He added that it is not a policymaking committee.
GRANT: Researchers will use the new funding to study veteran soldiers CONTINUED FROM 1 erans can more easily adjust to the return home after wartime. The Schneider Institute will investigate substance abuse and the psychological outcomes of having early problem identification and receiving early health services for psychological injuries and problems, according to an e-mail from Larson. “The [Schneider Institute] aims to provide some objective measures of how frequently problems are identified, care is received, and later problems develop,” she wrote. Parts of the project will be contracted to Kennell and Associates, Inc., a health policy research firm in Falls Church, Va; and the Palo Alto Veterans Administration for its special expertise in veterans’ affairs, according to Larson.
According to Larson, the project will take a unique approach: merging military health records and veterans’ affairs data for those honorably discharged. These are sets of data from two systems that usually do not converge in the military. “We can have more confidence in the long-term outcomes we identify because of using our observations will be more complete,” wrote Larson. The cohort study conducted by the Schneider Institute will rely on secondary materials, which are mainly data that others have collected for a different purpose than that of the study. It does not plan to include data or information from any interviews with armed forces service members due to the difficulty of scheduling interviews with busy veterans. However, Larson wrote that “we do plan to survey
clinical directors at 80 military installations to understand better the patterns of care we detect in the data.” “There are limits to the questions we can answer without directly speaking to soldiers,” she explained in her e-mail, noting that the study will still be “very comprehensive and detailed” because it relies on objective measures like health care utilization. Larson wrote that the findings from the Institute’s research will be used in scientific literature and for presentations. “We will publish these results in peer-reviewed scientific literature and deliver presentations to our health services colleagues,” wrote Larson, who has also been asked to participate in the Heller Tuesday speaker series about military health care.
ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice
The end of summer Even though classes began last week, students enjoyed Labor Day—the last day of the summer season—with a barbeque on the Great Lawn.
Photo:Asher Krell/the Justice
THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
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VERBATIM | Arthur Schopenhauer If we were not all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting that none of us would be able to endure it.
ON THIS DAY...
FUN FACT
In 1963, The Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members.
There are no poisonous snakes in the wild in Maine.
Between borders
PHOTO COURTESY OF DARA ROSENKRANTZ
Students spent time in Israel and on the Mexican border to learn about cultures in conflict By DAFNA FINE JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
For some, the barbed wire creates the illusion of a prison. Swarms of people grow restless, waiting up to two or three hours in the heat. Words of hatred and political divide are spray painted across the wall and scream to come alive. Young soldiers are tired from 12-hour shifts at the border and Students Crossing Boundaries fellows, along with others, prepare their passports for inspection, but they, however, look past the hate and divide and instead try and understand the conflict. Students Crossing Boundaries is a student-run fellowship program that started in 2007 following Jimmy Carter’s controversial visit to Brandeis. In discussing his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Carter challenged Brandeis students to “visit the occupied territories for a few days to determine whether I have exaggerated or incorrectly described the plight of the Palestinians.” In response to his challenge, a group of students, among them SCB Founding Director Justin Kang ’09, e-mailed Carter about the possibility of visiting Israel. A student committee was formed to select the fellows, and 11 Brandeis students were chosen to travel across Israel and the West Bank to experience the Israeli-Palestinian conflict firsthand. The trip, which was funded by Carter and the Maurice J. and Fay B. Karpf Awards, was led by Kang and lasted 10 days over the students’ spring break. Following the trip, Feya Hillel (GRAD), Executive director of SCB, and Adriel Orzoco ’10, the program’s managing director, worked to improve SCB and develop it into a yearlong program. Hillel and Orzoco, a student born to Mexican immigrants, began by expanding the program from Israel to the U.S.-Mexican border. “We chose to expand the program to the U.S.-Mexican border because we wanted fellows to bring depth and a greater understanding of immigration issues, human trafficking, walls, and issues of racism and stereotypes back to Brandeis,” Hillel says. This summer was the second year fellows traveled to both Israeli-Palestinian territories and the U.S.-Mexico Border to better understand conflict in these regions. Nine fellows were chosen from Brandeis from almost 100 applicants. Four spent their summer in the U.S. Mexican Border region, and five in Israel and the West Bank areas. The vision for the fellows was “to not only talk about the conflict but to learn from people and expand their perspectives by living in a different culture and having a true understanding of a name and place. That is something that is greater than books and studies,” Hillel says. “How much do people really understand about the conflict when they post flyers that say ‘fight for peace’ and ‘end the occupation’?” Jordan Klebanow ’13 says, a fellow who began the summer knowing little about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and spent the summer gaining knowledge about the conflict.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHIREL GUEZ
CULTURAL EXCHANGE: Jordan Klebanow ’13 shares stories and laughs with a curious eight-year-old girl during his two month stay in Sderot, Israel. “SCB is big on encouraging us to go in openminded and see both sides. Not to judge, but to observe and really experience it. ... And then maybe you can come to a conclusion,” Klebanow says. The fellows took on a variety of internships that immersed them in the reality of the conflict. Living in El Paso, Texas in the Annunciation House, an emergency shelter that serves the population of the El Paso-Juárez border region, Dara Rosenkrantz ’12 helped provide hospitality to immigrants in the border region. Located north of the border area, the Annunciation House serves as refuge for documented and undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America in need of shelter, food, work and support. While the experience was at times difficult for Rosenkrantz, who lived and worked in the Annunciation House just blocks from the U.S.-Mexican border, living among the people she was working to help made the situation a rewarding one for her. “It was a challenging and extremely intense summer living and working in the same place. The people I worked with were coming from such difficult situations, sometimes it was hard to relate. I grew close to a family that had a really difficult story. They left the house and we brought them dinner,” Rosenkrantz says. Rosenkrantz also spearheaded the planning for a procession in downtown El Paso after a 15-yearold boy was shot and killed by a border patrol agent. “SCB was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I feel really passionate about immigration and border issues now, and I don’t think it will fade,” she says. Rosenkrantz, a Psychology and Hispanic Studies double major, learned about SCB through an e-mail from the Hispanic Studies department. “The suffering of people in other countries, specifically in Latin America, is not independent of the wealth and opportunity I have in the U.S., and because of that I feel the responsibility to do something to help,” Rosenkrantz continues. SCB fellows living in Israel worked with Israelis and Palestinians together in an effort to create peace. Shirel Guez ’12, a fellow who worked for the Interfaith Encounter Association, an organization working to spread peace through interfaith dialogue. “I came back with a stronger understanding. I’m still a Zionist—my views didn’t change, but my respect and understanding did. There are two completely valid sides. ... People just like to
PHOTO COURTESY OF DARA ROSENKRANTZ
HELPING HAND: Dara Rosenkrantz ’12 helped and organized events for immigrants in El Paso, Texas. choose a side, but they don’t really understand what’s going on,” Guez explains. Outside their internships as well, fellows searched for opportunities to experience and interact with both sides of the conflict as much as possible. Klebanow traveled to Hebron, a city in the West Bank that is home to Palestinian and Israeli settlers, to visit the burial site of the biblical Patriarchs, one of the holiest places for both Jews and Muslims. “I told them I was Christian so I could spend time in the mosque, and when I was finished I went into the synagogue where there was an American tour group of young kids running around” Klebanow, who is Jewish, says. “I just kept thinking, ‘Not one of these kids will get to experience the other side, and these kids are only nine feet away from what could be the most powerful moment of their lives.’” Despite an end to the summer and their return home, the fellows’ work fellows is just beginning. “We see our students as fellows for the rest of their
lives. Our idea is wherever they will go and whatever they will do, they will have patience and empathy skills from this experience. We want them to bring their coexistence skills to their life,” Hillel says. As part of the SCB program, fellows are expected to initiate an awareness project on campus to share their experience. “We’re not bringing the conflict to school; we just want to make an impact and show people there shouldn’t be a divide,” Guez says. The plan, according to Hillel, is also to spread SCB to other college campuses in the coming years. “The vision is to have activism in every college in the U.S. We don’t see it as a Brandeis thing,” she says. “One thing is absolutely clear—this summer has been dynamic, frightening, eye- opening, wild, delicious wet, and mind-blowing. I am a stronger, healthier human being for doing what I did and seeing what I saw this summer,” Klebanow says.
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Hanging Out with Marty Krauss Marty Krauss, the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs and a professor of disability research in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, sat down with the Justice to discuss why she has been at Brandeis for 33 years, the University’s awkward student body, her relationship with University President Jehuda Reinharz, her favorite music and a few other things we may not have known about our provost.
Provost Krauss chats about her non-Deis life JustFeatures: Where are you originally from? Marty Krauss: I grew up in Durham, N.C. I lived there until I graduated from high school, and then I went to the University of Michigan for undergraduate work. And then I moved to Boston, and in 1977, I started as a doctoral student at the Heller School here at Brandeis, and I’ve been here ever since. JF: How was it like living in North Carolina? MK: You know, that was in the ’50s and ’60s. It’s not the Deep South, but it’s definitely the south. It was a lovely place to grow up, but I wouldn’t want to live there anymore. JF: Why is that? MK: It’s too sleepy. JF: Since you’ve been here since 1977, do you ever feel like you’ve been a Brandeis student for all these years? MK: Yeah, I think that everybody in academia feels like they’re a perpetual student. As a faculty member, you’re constantly learning and honing your skills, and you never feel like you’re prepared enough. I mean, that’s part of the lifestyle. I mean, that’s the prospect that makes the university so attractive. You’re constantly learning. JF: Why specifically Brandeis for 30 years? MK: I love this place. I’ve been given enormous opportunities here. My work at the Heller School—that was a very creative place for me to work. I was allowed to create my own research interest and teaching areas. You’re basically your own boss, in some ways, as a faculty member. And I also had opportunities to be in the University administration before becoming provost (on board committees and things like that). So I just felt like at Brandeis, if you wanted to do something, you’re likely to do it at Brandeis. So it’s an incredibly exciting place to be. JF: You know the Brandeis stereotypes about the students being a little awkward. Has this always been the case since you’ve been here? MK: I think Brandeis has always had the reputation of being an intellectually curious and intellectually aggressive place. I know the stereotype was that Brandeis wasn’t fun, and I feel that [Senior Vice President for Stufents and Enrollment] Jean Eddy has done a lot to change that stereotype. So, I really don’t know if that’s how it was 30 years ago.
ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice
DEDICATED BRANDEISIAN: Provost Marty Krauss began her time at Brandeis as a student in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
JF: How has Brandeis changed since you’ve been here? MK: Basically, it’s changed a great deal with beautiful new buildings. I remember the budget problems, you know, way back when [in] the ’70s and
’80s. At one point, we didn’t have hot water in the Heller School. They turned off that hot water because they were trying to save money. Now, we have running water on campus. [Also] the physical campus has changed dramatically. I think the sense of community is even stronger because the graduate schools and the faculty of the graduate schools are much more involved now in undergraduate education, much more involved in the life of the University at large, and it feels like a bigger community than the College of Arts and Sciences. I feel like that’s a very positive change. JF: The students here think that Jehuda Reinharz, if only because he is president, is a little intimidating. Have you ever felt that way? MK: No, I really haven’t. I’ve known him since he was the provost, and even before I became provost I had lunch with him once or twice a year, just because he likes to eat lunch with faculty. I’ve always found him warm and engaging. And now that he’s my boss, I’ve always found him easy to talk to, incredibly interested in whatever I was talking or thinking about. So no, I’ve never found him intimidating. JF: Speaking of Jehuda, I saw him driving away on his moped yesterday. Have you ever driven his moped? MK: No, and I’m not happy about it. I’m waiting for my turn. I think there are four mopeds on campus now. JF: Any plans for mopeds in the near future? MK: For me? No, I don’t think so. … I’m thinking of a Segway, but no. JF: What type of music do you like? MK: I listen to NPR a lot, so I don’t listen to a lot of music on the radio. When I do listen to music, it’s usually classical music. JF: We make staff playlists every week at the Justice. If you had a playlist, what would you put on it? MK: I don’t even know what a playlist is! JF: It is a list of songs. MK: Probably the Beatles. I’d put the Beatles in there. I’ve always liked Laura Nero, which you guys probably never heard of. And Joni Mitchell [has] always been a favorite. JF: If you could take any class at Brandeis, what would you take and why? MK: Right now, I would take classes in the Classical Studies department because I went to Greece this summer, and I would really love to study ancient Greece.
JF: Any professors you would love to have a class with? MK: Ann Koloski-Ostrow (CLAS). JF: What were you doing in Greece? MK: My husband and I were vacationing there. We went to the Acropolis, obviously, and then we went on a cruise to the Greek Isles for a week. JF: What kept you motivated everyday in all your professional pursuits at Brandeis? MK: Basically, I wouldn’t say I’m a workaholic, but I love working. I like administration, I like solving problems. I like running projects. JF: When you are not working, do you have any interesting hobbies? MK: I have three kids; … That’s my main hobby. I had them when I started working at the Heller School. I have not had a lot of time; this is a fulltime job. I’m really looking forward to have time to do other things other than work: more reading, more writing, more traveling, more hiking, things like that. JF: Boston’s a big sports city. Are you a sports fan? MK: I’m a big nut. I root for Duke; I’m pretty rabid about that. And I love all the Boston sports. I have a daughter that’s a total nut. JF: Who’s your favorite player? MK: I love Jacoby Ellsbury; he’s just great. And I love Dustin Pedroia. I love the small guys that run fast. JF: Do you go to Fenway Park often? MK: We live 20 minutes away from it, so we walk. My former nanny’s brother is a major league umpire, and she’s like a daughter to me. So when her brother, Bruce Dreckton, is umping in Fenway, she comes up with her family from Delaware. She’s married with two kids, and we go to all the games for free. JF: Besides Red Sox games, for those of us who may not be huge Red Sox fans, what else do you recommend doing in Boston? MK: Sailing on the Charles. It’s a fantastic experience. And I would recommend the North End— it’s a lot of fun. And the Cape. [I] love the Cape. JF: Which do you prefer, being a professor or an administrator? MK: I love both. Both are very different jobs, but I can’t wait to go back to the faculty. I hope I’m still able to be active in the administration, though.
—Pinky Polack and Tess Raser
THE JUSTICE
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JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/Justice File Photo
HOMEGROWN VEGGIES: Previously students only had access to locally grown vegetables at Brandeis through the farmers market, but now they have the option of buying produce through a farming cooperative.
Old MacDonald comes to
Brandeis Students can now purchase produce from a local farm By GABI SANTORO JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Imagine thick, red, fleshy tomatoes; plump, richly dark eggplants; and crisp snap peas, all at your disposal, freshly picked from the farm. Now imagine that this great produce is available right at your fingertips on campus. Once a week, in addition to picking up those books at the library, you can pick up a great, in-season selection of produce from right outside of the Usdan Student Center. This scenario is becoming a reality with the introduction of Community Supported Agriculture to Brandeis University. This fall, the Sustainability Program has arranged an eight-week experimental program with Community Supported Agriculture in which Brandeis students are given the opportunity to have in-season vegetables delivered straight to them weekly on campus from the Warner Farm in Sunderland, Mass. As the first drop-off is Tuesday, it will be running through until the end of October. This is the first year that the program will be at the University, and Brandeis is the only university that is engaging in a specific CSA program with the Warner Farm. CSA, is defined on the Warner Farm’s website as “a farm share program in which individuals buy into the farm by purchasing a share and in turn receive a share of fresh produce every week throughout the season.” Sign-up for this program was easy: Warner Farm simply provided an online form to be filled out. Those interested in signing up could choose between the regular share size, which costs $200 and provides for two to three people a week, and the large size, which costs $280 and provides for four to five people a week. The Warner Farm will be delivering its first load of shares to Brandeis this Tuesday at Usdan from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Around 90 shares have been bought through the program. Considering that each share is for two to five people, interest in local food among members of the Brandeis community is in the hundreds. Unfortunately, sign-up for CSA at Brandeis
ended last Monday, but this does not mean that those who have not signed up have lost their chances of getting local food in the program’s inaugural year. The Sustainability Program is working with Natural Living to install shuttles from campus to the Waltham farmers market on Saturdays for all those interested in participating. Sustainability Coordinator, Janna CohenRosennthal, explains that it became a mission to pursue engaging the Brandeis community in CSA as she is already a member and is in close contact with the Warner Farm. “I met at a conference a farmer from Warner Farm who is actually a student at [University of Massachusetts at] Amherst. ... He gave me his contact information and said that they thought they had room to do a fall-only CSA,” CohenRosenthal says. She emphasizes that CSA at Brandeis is intended for everyone on campus; this includes both undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty. “A lot of people who work at Brandeis or go to school at Brandeis don’t have the time so the idea was to have a convenient location,” she says. Amy Englesberg ’12 can attest to the positive feeling that the Brandeis community shares for the CSA program on campus. “A lot of people have come up to me and said … ‘I got really interested into food issues, and I signed up for CSA. I’m really excited to get all these fresh veggies. It’s really great for me to feel the energy and excitement around this. This is something that people at Brandeis really want,” she explains. Having CSA deliver shares of fresh produce to campus makes it more accessible for those interested in having local food. “It’s really a community-wide effort because we’re really helping that local farmer. We’re helping staff, faculty and students save a lot of time. It’s an easy way to be more sustainable,” she says. She reflects that becoming a CSA member has caused her to include more vegetables in her diet.
RISHIKA ASSOMULL/the Justice
“Maybe it makes you eat more—I found it makes me eat a lot more vegetables,” CohenRosenthal explains. The positive effects of CSA reach a larger scale as well. Nera Lerner ’12, the active treasurer of Students for Environmental Action, brings up that CSA members also gain a lot of knowledge in the process, pointing out that “we [as a community at Brandeis] really rarely step out into the larger community. ... We’re not even at the top of the most sustainable places in Waltham.” Englesberg adds that CSA members can learn the importance of creating a relationship with and knowing the farmers who are growing your food. “With CSA, we know the hands that have touched our food. ... It’s food we can trust,” she notes. Local food additionally means strengthening the community. “What’s really great about CSA is that you’re paying upfront for that season’s worth of food from the farmer. … We’ve kind of transitioned in America from local farming to really huge industrial agriculture. One of the barriers for farmers is that they don’t have the upfront capital needed to run their operation. By subscribing to CSA, you’re paying upfront money and then the farmer has that for the season,” Cohen-Rosenthal says. She adds that this eliminates the fog around buyers of produce and the farmers that provides it for them. “You’re really helping investing in that farm. You’re a shareholder, almost,” she says. While she states that “local does not necessarily mean organic,” Cohen-Rosenthal does say that most local farms try their best to be. “There are a lot of farms who are into organic practices. You can’t really find any that aren’t.” Through her experience on and off campus in promoting sustainable and healthy food, Lerner has found that local farmers often times promote organic food. “Generally farmers will use organic methods even if they don’t pay to get the organic seal on
their foods. ... A lot of farmers are really open to talking about how their produce was grown,” she says. Even just seeing what organic food looks like, ultimately helps students more aware of the food they consume. “A lot of times you go to a local farm and the tomatoes are smaller and strangely shaped, but the fact that they don’t look like all the other tomatoes implies that they’re actually real,” Lerner continues. Local food provides the opportunity to inquire about whether or not the food they are purchasing is organic, and a buyer can actually see what healthy, organic food looks like and discuss it with the farmer. Cohen-Rosenthal explains that local farms struggle with becoming 100-percent certified organic due to fiscal constraints, and further explains that the Warner Farm maintains that “majority of their crops are [organic].” Beyond the way that the food is actually grown, the quality of the produce bought through CSA is maintained since it is local. Cohen-Rosenthal shares that “local food probably tastes better because it hasn’t traveled as long.” CSA produce is not trekked across the country to be delivered to you; the Warner Farm is only a two-hour drive from campus. Sustainability is an expanding goal on campus in various aspects; the CSA program is joined by other initiatives to become more environmentally friendly. The ’DeisBikes program, which started this previous spring semester, provides day rental of used bikes to students free of charge. The community here on campus continues to seek out more ways to lessen the impact that Brandeis has on the environment and looks towards at a positive future. Englesberg is hopeful that the initiation of CSA at Brandeis will bring long-term positive effects to the University. “Maybe if this program expands, Aramark [the food service provider for Brandeis] and the [Brandeis] administration will realize how important it is to the students. Maybe we will see some change in the future.”
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B RIAN FROMM, Editor in Chief REBECCA B LADY, Managing Editor B RIAN N. B LUMENTHAL, Production Editor IAN CUTLER, REBECCA KLEIN, NASHRAH RAHMAN and JILLIAN WAGNER, Associate Editors ALANA ABRAMSON, News Editor TESS RASER, Features Editor HILLEL B UECHLER, Forum Editor J OSH ASEN, Sports Editor B RYAN FLATT, Arts Editor ASHER KRELL and ROBYN SPECTOR, Photography Editors DEBRA FRIEDMANN, Layout Editor EMILY KRAUS, Copy Editor C ODY YUDKOFF, Advertising Editor
Admissions change is favorable At the faculty meeting on Thursday, Aug. 30, the Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Committee announced a change to the University admissions process that has been adopted. While the new process contains minor negative consequences, this editorial board believes that they are greatly outweighed by the benefits offered by the revised process. Under the former process, after applicants were ranked based on a set of academic and other standard admissions criteria, excluding estimated financial need, the Office of Admissions accepted the number of students that it calculated would be sufficient to create the target class size. Admissions then consulted with Student Financial Services in order to allocate available need-based aid among accepted applicants. Under that need-blind system, the University was unable to fully meet the needs of all accepted applicants. In the new system, after the students are ranked, the pool of applicants is cut off at an earlier point than in the former process, the point at which Admissions estimates it can fully meet the needs of all students above the cutoff, with some funds leftover. SFS is then consulted, and all ranked students above the cutoff have their financial needs fully met. Then, ranked students below the cutoff have their rankings recalculated based on the original criteria as well as one new criterion—the level of their financial need. SFS then, in a need-sensitive process, fulfills the financial needs of the lower-ranked students until funds run out, at which point SFS no longer distributes aid packages. The revised admissions process has
Benefits make it worthwhile the prospect of presenting a significant number of accepted applicants a more secure financial incentive to matriculate. This could grant talented applicants, who otherwise may have been unable to fully afford it, the chance to attend this university. Since this system allocates funds in a way that increases the likelihood that more accepted applicants actually end up matriculating and using them, this constitutes a wiser and more beneficial allocation of financial aid funds overall. Additionally, the new system will allow the University to advertise itself as a school that is both need-blind, as it was before, as well as one that completely fulfills the financial needs of most accepted applicants. This change also allows the University to retain its elevated, needblind status, which affords it heightened respect in the academic community. The new system may also prevent some students at the bottom of the accepted ranking list with financial needs from attending this university. We consider this to be an unfortunate consequence, yet as Prof. Steven Burg (POL) pointed out in an interview with the Justice, this change was carefully planned and was not financially motivated. The University saves no money here: It’s just spending the funds it was already committing more wisely. With the University’s current level of funds available for financial aid packages, it is clear to us that the positive outcomes in this case far outweigh the negative and that this calculated change will hopefully better the admissions process overall.
Refine Univ bookstore policies While students will be able to shop classes and determine their schedules for the upcoming semester until Monday, Sep. 13, last Thursday marked the end of the period during which they may return textbooks for a full refund to the campus bookstore. The bookstore’s policy requires all students to return their textbooks the week before the end of the add/drop period. To ensure that students have the most freedom possible to choose classes at the beginning of the semester, students should have the ability to return their textbooks until the end of shopping period. A major incentive for students to buy textbooks from the bookstore rather than from online stores is the assurance that they can return their textbooks easily and more conveniently should they decide to change or drop a class. However, the bookstore’s policy forces students to make decisions about their textbooks before they make decisions about their class schedules. As the bookstore policy currently stands, students are forced to decide whether to gamble and either keep a class that may not be the right fit for them or to keep a textbook and risk losing money. Alternatively, students who decide to order books online have to wait for shipping and also run the risk of being caught with textbooks for a class they may not take.
New approaches needed Additionally, while we commend the University for offering flexible textbook options such as the environmentally friendly e-books, which allow students to access textbook materials on their computers for a given period of time, in order to give students more freedom in choosing their classes, the bookstore should explore offering book rentals. Similar to e-books, a book rental program, such as those used at Ohio State University and the University of Maryland, would allow students to have a physical copy of the textbook, rather than an electronic version, for the entire semester. There could be flat rates for different types of textbooks that would be less expensive than the price of a new book. At the end of each semester, students would be required to return the textbooks to the bookstore so that they could either be sold as a used book or rented in a future semester. As with all textbook purchases, rentals could be exchanged up until the end of the add/drop period. While this editorial board recognizes that these recommended changes might be logistically challenging for the bookstore to implement, they are worth exploring nonetheless as they would offer students more viable options for the shopping period and for textbook use in general.
A. ELI TUKACHINSKY/the Justice
Less time in class does not mean less learning Eitan
COOPER DOWN TO BUSINESS
OP-BOX Quote of the Week “Basically, I wouldn’t say I’m a workaholic, but I love working.” —Provost Marty Krauss, on the motivations for her professional work at the University (See Features, page 8).
Brandeis Talks Back I’m embarrassed to say it, but I shopped 11 courses my first week this semester. I spent numerous hours in several classes that I eventually decided not to take. Much of my free time disappeared, and I found myself with barely enough hours in my schedule to unpack my belongings and set up my room. This made my first week fairly unpleasant, to say the least. But what if college were always like this? What if we always had to spend this much time in class per week? Apparently, in 1961, this was exactly the case. A recent study performed by Philip Babock and Mindy Marks, two economics professors at the University of California, finds that students in our generation spend 10 fewer hours in class every week than did students in 1961. The study claims that the reason students are spending less time in class has to do with “market pressures.” Simply put, the current market empowers students with technology and endless amounts of television and has caused them to desire more time for leisure. Thus, universities have had to accommodate for this trend by cutting down on class time and increasing the budget for student activities. The professors conclude that students in the current generation are simply lazier than students of the past. We do not take academics as seriously, and we view college as a mere vacation. Needless to say, the conclusion is quite troubling. Why have these professors decided that our generation is lazier than their own? If you ask me, the college students of 1961 were just as guilty as we are. While they may have technically spent more time in class, this does not mean that they actually were less lazy than we are. I’m certain that students of the ’60s wrote papers the night before they were due. I’m sure that the culture 50 years ago allowed for plenty of time to blow off steam. An adolescent student’s psyche will always be the same. Kids will be kids. Yes, they may have spent more time in class. But this does not make the institutions of old any better than those of today. This does not mean that our parents and grandparents actually learned more than we did. Nonetheless, it is still valid to explore why our generation is spending less time in the classroom. As Raphael Pope Sussman, editor of the editorial page of The Columbia Daily Spectator notes, one possible reason is that given the current job market, students need more time outside of class to explore career options and develop themselves as people. If we do not have as much time in class, we are more able to pursue other interests, whether they are extra curricular or pre-professional. We go to college to learn. But we also go to college because we need a diploma for any stable job that we want to get after we graduate. Simply put, spending hours in a classroom may make us better people, but it is not the sole goal of higher education. The current model may even be better than that of the 1960s. I know plenty of Brandeisians who pursue myriad interests outside the classroom, all of which would be impossible if they were taking 10 extra hours of class every week. These pursuits are integral parts of the undergraduate education and are essential components to ensure success in life and a career. The classroom does not teach us how to work with people. Most of the time, it only teaches us how to work with ourselves. This is a vital skill to learn in college, but not any more valuable than pursuing interests outside of the classroom. I strongly disagree with Babock and Marks. Personally, having experienced what it is like to have 10 extra hours of class in a week, I know that I would be no more educated if this were the norm. Our generation has inherited an educational system that is very different from that of half a century ago. Like most things, schooling has changed significantly in the past 50 years. Our job is to embrace this change and make the best of it. Take Sussman’s advice. Use those 10 hours a week for something else, something to enrich your life or your career.
What do you think about the scheduling of class days in September?
SARAH MICHAEL ’12 “It’s really nice. I need the Jewish holidays to catch up on my work.”
EMILY DIAMOND ’12 “I think it’s necessary. I’m happy about it.”
DAVID CLEMENTS ’14 “The long weekends allow the transition [to college] to happen more easily and gives us more time to relax and live the college life.”
LEE RUSSO ’13 “It’s fine.” —Compiled by Hillel Buechler. Photos by Robyn Spector/the Justice
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
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University should better assist disabled students Leah
SMITH IN A WORD
For those of you who don’t know, the annual orientation leader game of capture the flag is intensely epic. And it usually results in at least one casualty—a bruise, sprained ankles, blood—you name it. Unfortunately, I happened to be this year’s casualty. While crawling down the hill behind the Faculty Club to make a valiant attempt at Team Massell’s flag, I accidentally stepped the wrong way, rolled my ankle and fractured my fifth metatarsal. Or, in simpler terms, I broke my foot. After the game, I was commended repeatedly by the other orientation leaders for choosing to continue with orientation even with my debilitating injury. Their kind words meant a lot to me, but I quickly found that navigating orientation on crutches was significantly easier than I thought it would be. I had the endless support of everyone in orientation, and the members of the core committee were able to shuttle me across campus in golf carts whenever I needed it. It actually wasn’t until classes started that I began to have major difficulties. On the first day of classes, I stood at the bottom of the hill going up to the Mandel Quad in my new walking boot wondering how on earth I was going to make it all the way up. I knew that Escort Services could provide a van to drive me to class, but I couldn’t get in touch with them in time. It wasn’t until I no longer had access to the orientation golf carts that I realized how inaccessible our campus is to someone who is disabled. Walking up the Rabb steps is a challenge even with two working legs. But when you’re unable to walk without assistance, what was a mild workout suddenly becomes an impossibly daunting task. After that first day, I knew I would probably hurt myself even further if I continued trying to walk to class. I did finally get in touch with the director of Escort Services, but it took far too long. No one seemed to know how to help me, and despite my multiple messages and e-mails,
no one ever got back to me. Let’s pause for a second. What is going on here? Why am I, the one with the broken foot, being forced to jump through hoops so I can get to class? According to the University website, out of the 3,100 undergraduates at Brandeis, approximately 8 percent have a documented disability. That’s about 250 students. If you count students with temporary injuries, that number might increase slightly, but it is still a relatively small amount. But despite the small number of students who require accommodation, we seem to have a problem with providing adequate accessibility on this campus. The root of the problem is the physical layout of the campus. There isn’t much that can be done to change the hilly landscape or the buildings that already exist. But we should still be mindful of the number of older buildings that present a significant accessibility challenge. All of the buildings in the Mandel Quad, for example (with the exception of the new Mandel Center for the Humanities and the Lown Center for Judaic Studies, which have ramps), require the use of stairs to enter them. The quad itself is also inaccessible without the use of stairs. There is a road into the quad, but the University has installed a gate, and the Escort van drivers do not have key card access. The Office of Disabilities Services does have the power to change the locations of classes for the convenience of someone with a disability. However, this can only be done before or at the start of a semester. If someone is injured in the middle of the semester, there is little that can be done. Additionally, the Office of Disabilities Services presents a problem. During all the time I spent on the phone with Public Safety and Escort Services, no one ever told me Beth Rogers-Kay, the director of Disabilities Services, could provide help with my temporary injury. When I found out later that she could have put me directly in touch with the director of Escort Services, I was mildly exasperated. Why wasn’t that information immediately available? And whose responsibility is it to make it available? It seems to me that very few people on campus know what the office does or that it even exists. But even if more people were properly informed about the Office of Disabilities Services, the
RISHIKA ASSOMULL/the Justice
Office is still wildly understaffed. I did attempt to meet with Rogers-Kay to interview her for this article, but I found that she was far too busy to meet with me, even to answer just a few questions. For the approximately 250 students with documented disabilities at Brandeis, not to mention those with temporary injuries, Beth Rogers-Kay is the only person available to meet with, and make accommodations for, all of them. Needless to say, I am both shocked and angry to discover the shortcomings of disabilities services here. We can’t move mountains (or in our
case, hills and stairs) to accommodate those who are physically disabled. But we should be doing more than we currently are. The Office of Disabilities Services should hire more employees so they can quickly and efficiently meet the needs of all students with disabilities. Older buildings should be equipped with ramps and elevators wherever possible. The University has already built a new ramp next to the Mandel Center for the Humanities; this is a good start. Escort Services and Public Safety should know to direct injured students to the Office of
Disabilities Services. These are such simple solutions that could make a world of difference to students. I could be cliché and return to the University’s roots as a social justice university. But I think in this case, our commitment to social justice is irrelevant. Many students with disabilities or with temporary injuries have overcome significant difficulties to be here and to continue attending class. It should be one of the University’s top priorities as an institution, regardless of our mission, to meet their needs and provide all possible accommodations.
No need to make the trip into Boston; learn to love Waltham Rebecca
BLADY MAELSTRÖM
Maybe it’s me, but the campus feels a lot smaller at the start of junior year. The scenery on the walk from the Shapiro Campus Center to Goldfarb Library has begun to blur so that this five-minute trek becomes nothing but a taxing uphill workout. The faces of my fellow classmates, while a welcome reminder of our personal stake in the comfortable Brandeis community, likewise begin to meld into each other every time I walk from the Shiffman Humanities Center to the Goldman-Schwartz Fine Arts building. I love these aspects of day-to-day life at Brandeis, and I wouldn’t change them for the world. We all know that no social scene beats the bottom of the Rabb steps on an early
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afternoon weekday. But we’ve all experienced the Brandeis version of claustrophobia—be it on a social level, an intellectual level or a geographic level. Sometimes a person just needs to get out. Unfortunately, though, getting out isn’t so simple. Brandeis enjoys advertising its campus’ close proximity to Boston. And yes, with a mere nine miles to travel, Brandeis is indeed very close to Boston. Get a ride in a car or a cab and you’re there in no time. But for those who can’t afford the cab and don’t have a car (or don’t feel comfortable driving a car at any given point), accessing Boston is another story. One of the greatest services Brandeis provides, in my opinion, is the Crystal Shuttle that runs every weekend. The shuttle stops at several places on campus in order to accommodate students who live in different areas and then travels into Boston proper, stopping in Harvard Square in Cambridge and at Beacon Street and Massachusetts Avenue. From there, students can access
The Justice welcomes letters to the editor responding to published material. Please submit letters through our Web site at www.thejusticeonline.com. Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted. Letters should not exceed 300 words, and may be edited for space, style, grammar, spelling, libel and clarity, and must relate to material published in the Justice. Letters from off-campus sources should include location. The Justice does not print letters to the editor and op-ed submissions that have been submitted to other publications. Op-ed submissions of general interest to the University community—that do not respond explicitly to articles printed in the Justice—are also welcome and should be limited to 800 words. All submissions are due Friday at 5 p.m.
many destinations in the city. However, shuttles run an hour and a half apart, meaning that missing your shuttle and keeping your plans simply isn’t an option. Shuttles also begin running rather late in the day: For many, beginning a day trip at 3 p.m. on Saturday or at noon on Sunday isn’t ideal. And few would argue that the MBTA provides a good alternative to Brandeis transportation, considering the infrequency of the Commuter Rail on weekends and the fact that the T shuts down at about 1 a.m. I could continue to ramble about the inconvenience of the Crystal Shuttle and the MBTA. I could urge Brandeis to do something about it— or, at the very least, to change the deceiving language on its website to dispel the notion that Boston is in easy reach of Waltham. In fact, I’d definitely like to do both of those things, but instead I’ll channel my complaints into a more constructive suggestion: Learn to love Waltham. Yup, I said it: the words “love” and “Waltham” in the same sentence. If
The opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the masthead on the opposing page represent the opinion of a majority of the voting members of the editorial board; all other articles, columns, comics and advertisements do not necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature on the opposite page, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers. The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. Operated, written, produced and published entirely by students, the Justice includes news, features, arts, opinion and sports articles of interest to approximately 3,000 undergraduates, 800 graduate students, 500 faculty and 1,000 administrative staff. In addition, the Justice is mailed weekly to paid subscribers and distributed throughout Waltham, Mass. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Advertising deadlines: All insertion orders and advertising copy must be received by the Justice no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the date of publication. All advertising copy is subject to approval of the editor in chief and the managing and advertising editors. A publication schedule and rate card is available upon request. Subscription rate: $35 per semester, $55 per year.
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“love” is too strong, consider just appreciating Waltham in its suburban charm. Of course, life in a suburban town like ours doesn’t parallel the historic, cultural and social activity that Boston offers—but then again, you can’t find a lot of things in Boston that you can find here in Waltham. Mayor Jeannette McCarthy (be honest—did you know the name of our city’s mayor before reading this?) articulated this idea well in a post in the Waltham News Tribune last week titled “This is what I love about Waltham.” This naturally piqued my curiosity, so I clicked on the post and learned what exactly the mayor of Waltham loves about my neighborhood. McCarthy identifies several aspects of Waltham she loves: its rich history; its people; its location; its educational facilities; its open space and recreation opportunities; and its museums, culture and fine arts. Reading further into these categories, I learned a lot about the place I’ve been calling home for two years
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS NEWS: Fiona Lockyer FORUM: Eitan Cooper ARTS: Wei-Huan Chen
STAFF Senior Writers: Harry Shipps, Melissa Siegel Senior Illustrators: Rishika Assomull, A. Eli Tukachinsky News: Clare Churchill-Seder, Erin Doniger Features: Sarah Gilson, Deborah Salmon Forum: Hannah Goldberg, Rebecca Kellogg, Ethan Mermelstein, Liz Posner, Leah Smith, Avi Snyder Sports: Jeffrey Boxer, Max Goldstein, Jonathan Steinberg
now. For example, according to the August 2010 issue of Money Magazine, Waltham is the 28th best small city in the United States. Because of the convenience to Route 128 and the Massachusetts Turnpike, Waltham strongly appeals to local and internationally known businesses, especially biotech and high-tech companies and hotels. Waltham has eight brand-new schools, hundreds of acres of naturally beautiful open space and countless museums that I’d never heard of but now would love to visit. The bottom line: Those suffering from the all-too-common Brandeisian claustrophobia have nothing to worry about. There’s plenty to do right here in our own town, and much of it is in walking distance from our dorms. It’s certainly still worthwhile to visit Boston and experience its unique history and culture, but if transportation obstacles get the better of you, it’s not the end of the world. Soon enough, you’ll be putting together your own list of what you love about Waltham.
Arts: Rebecca Brooks, Alex DeSilva, Julia Jerusalmi, Elly Kalfus, Morgan Manley, Amy Melser, Alex Pagan, Bryan Prywes, Sujin Shin, Shelly Shore Photography: Genevieve Armstrong, Amy Bissaillon, Maegan Bautista, Jaxson Dermer, Nathaniel Freedman, Davida Judelson, Rozi Levi, Mansi Luo, Yosef Schaffel, Shaefali Shandilya, Tali Smookler Copy: Danielle Berger, Rebecca Brooks, Jacob Chatinover, Hilary Cheney, Jenn Craig, Camille Dolfen, Ariel Glickman, Patricia Greene, Rachel Herman, Liana Johnson, Daniella Kohlhagen, Kim Dela Cruz, Mailinh Phan-Nguyen, Zane Relethford, Marielle Temkin, Amanda Winn, Liat Zabludovsky Layout: Nadav Havivi, Hilary Heyison, Nan Pang
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
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THE JUSTICE
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Increase emphasis on science education By NICK IFTIMIA JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It’s no secret that the United States ranks lower in academic performance than many other countries, especially in math and science. Yet we spend more on education in terms of absolute dollars than any other industrialized nation. This is a problem. Even if you don’t particularly like science or math, you can’t deny their importance. Success in these fields is crucial for our economy, our health care and our military. Scientific progress will determine which nation becomes the superpower of the 21st century. Whether we like it or not, science permeates virtually every aspect of our lives, even where you’d least expect it. It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that scientific illiteracy threatens to undermine the very fabric of society. According to the National Science Foundation, just under 30 percent of Americans think the Sun revolves around the Earth. You know what this means? The other 70 percent are idiots! Just kidding. In addition, over half of those surveyed agree that humans and dinosaurs once coexisted. If you don’t see something wrong with that statement, then perhaps you took The Flintstones a little too literally. True, we’ve made progress in the past few decades. Supposedly 28 percent of U.S. adults now qualify as being scientifically literate, compared to only 10 percent some twenty years ago. But in many regards, things are getting worse, and we still have a long way to go. The problem isn’t just restricted to the U.S.—Europe, for instance, did worse on the Sun question. What we have here is a worldwide epidemic. You don’t have to be a rocket surgeon—no, that’s not an actual profession—we’re talking about understanding the basics. And that’s where most people fail. Part of the problem, besides our public school system, is the gap between scientists and the public. There just isn’t enough communication, and even available information is often distorted or taken out of context. Most scientists are too busy to be teaching everyone, or they don’t consider it their respon-
HANNA WELLISH/the Justice
sibility. And some of the people who do end up teaching and filtering this information to the general public, despite their best intentions, are simply not qualified. It doesn’t help that the personality which tends to be attracted to science isn’t stereotypically very outspoken. Throwing more money at this is not going to solve the prob-
lem. We need realistic visionaries, hardheaded yet compassionate leaders who will bridge the gap and create clear, practical strategies that will drive scientific and technological advancement. To make matters worse, the public sometimes views scientists as cold or arrogant, which leads to mistrust. It’s not that scientists
don’t take certain ideas seriously because they’re stubborn or closedminded, but rather because those ideas fail to live up to the rigor of the scientific method. In science, rigor is a good thing. That’s why scientific findings are peerreviewed by other experts before they’re published—to maintain quality control and credibility. You
wouldn’t trust a guy who flunked out of high school to operate on your brain, would you? Science—at least science done right—requires a strict standard by which all ideas and discoveries are judged before being accepted and incorporated into the existing framework. Contrary to popular belief, scientists are not part of some elite club. They’re regular (albeit intelligent) hardworking people trying to leave the world a better place. Believe it or not, there isn’t some great conspiracy where all the scientists from every nation come together every night and plot their next step to world domination—that’s only on Tuesdays. They’re not deliberately lying to us or trying to deceive anybody. Popular culture has a skewed perception of science. It views science, at best, as a dry collection of facts, and at worst as a kind of technological faith. Science is neither. Although it does involve a lot of observation, real science is about finding patterns, making connections, coming up with explanations and then testing them. If you started taking random notes on everything around you, that wouldn’t be science. That would be a waste of time. Science is not a big book of knowledge. It is a method— not perfect by any means, but nevertheless the best method we’ve ever developed for discovering truth. Ideally, personal biases, politics and other factors would not get in the way. But that’s not always the case. After all, scientists are human. Yet the beauty of science is that it is self-correcting, because it is rooted in reality. And reality is not a popularity contest. Sooner or later, the truth will come out. There is nothing you have to “believe” in science, because science does not claim to know anything with 100 percent certainty. This “weakness” is actually its greatest strength. Science thrives on the possibility that science is wrong. Scientific dogmas, although they do happen, don’t usually survive very long. Science is a breeding ground for rebels. The importance of science cannot be overstated, and if science teaches us anything, it is to question. Question everything.
Seniors: Appreciate all that Brandeis has to offer By MATT HOPE SPECIAL TO THE JUSTICE
A letter/essay to the future Class of 2011, from a recent Brandeis grad, with meager insights into the quoteunquote “real world”—delivered with maximal humility—realized retrospectively, formatted serially and delivered for your consideration: I would like to submit some advice a bit prematurely, like a plaid-wrapped present in July marked “Do not open until Xmas!” for the graduating class of Brandeis this year. Toward the beginning of fall semester when we lavish all sorts of warnings and encouragements on the fresh-faced, doe-eyed first-years entering our institution, I would like to reverse the trend and give a bit of early advice to the seniors before the market is flooded come graduation. These are a few realizations, organized in list format, that I wish I had known my senior year— which is not to say that I’m reclining in my weathered rocking chair on the porch of hard-earned experience after only a year or so away from Brandeis, but instead I’m just trying to share a few thoughts. I remember the 2008 to 2009 academic year as a very bleak time, and I can recall a few specific conversations with a friend in a secluded corner of the student center, commiserating over coffee and talking about the future. This was at the time when the housing market and econ-
omy were crashing and burning in Armageddon proportions and just as the conflict over the Rose Art Museum began to develop. I had my doubts and disillusionments about Brandeis as an institution, which I won’t delve into specifically, but suffice it to say I felt a bit left-behind or forgotten. I believe this feeling is symptomatic of being up close and personal with the same school for four or more years, and I would like to further point out that seniors (speaking for myself and the people I’ve known) have a tendency to treat Brandeis as a kind of punching bag toward the end of their tenure at the University. Back then, if you asked me pointblank if I liked or did not like the school, I probably would have launched into some discussion about values or brought up some trite, teenage-whining grievances. Given a little distance and perspective (and once again pointing a rhetorical finger towards the rocking-chair porch idea above) I feel I have to bring up a few things about Brandeis that students might be aware of, but that I did not appreciate until they resolved themselves fully in time. A) Brandeis kids are (read: tend to be, on most days, in most ways) very smart, but, thankfully, not too smart for their own good. I’m aware I’m risking reader outrage by leading off with what could be misinterpreted as an insult, but
in fact it’s quite the opposite. From my time at Brandeis, I’ve found the balance between being intelligent and “having-to-appearintelligent” is in a really excellent ratio, and it’s something that I took for granted until I moved away. Currently, I work for an elite school in the Midwest where the everyday niceties, foibles and fun of the institution are utterly crushed by a culture of hyperintelligent competition. Not only is it a boring and lonely place where people agonize over making eye contact, but the overwhelming compulsion to demonstrate smartness prevents any type of intellectual risk-taking and curtails any interactions that are just fundamentally human. At Brandeis, I found in all of my classes that people were willing to put themselves out there, admit that they don’t know everything and be simply curious and interested in the world around them. Without this kind of spirit, I don’t think you can learn meaningfully— perhaps you can learn all sorts of facts, but the very mission of the liberal arts breaks down without the ability to strive for better understanding through doubt and diligence. B) Although the tenuous economy may cause a desire to curl up in a prone position, Brandeis still has name recognition. Now, do the legwork. This bullet point is more of an “It
worked for me; it can work for you” than anything else. Yet time and time again, I hear stories of friends who have found a place in the “real world” based on their own tenacity as well as the name that Brandeis carries. Speaking for myself in science, Brandeis has a fantastic reputation. From what I’ve heard from my friends and other graduates, what people know of the institution also translates to medical school, law school, business and more. I think the important part is to do the legwork of writing letters, getting yourself out there and remaining cautiously optimistic. Truncated version: no silver bullets, but plenty of silver linings. I suppose this advice can only be taken on faith for now, and I understand the limits of that—maybe clip this part out, tuck it under your pillow, and vindicate yourself a few months from now? Truth be told, Class of 2011, I have much more faith in you and your abilities than in tooth fairies. C) A spirit of ingenuity and invention permeates the best of what Brandeis has to offer its students. I can say without hesitancy that the times I enjoyed most at Brandeis were not school-sponsored events or planned-out activities, but rather when a group of kids came together with an idea and invented new traditions on the spot. Any programming run out of Cholmon-deley’s,
for instance (rock and roll, comedy, a cappella, the list goes on), is done on essentially a budget of zero dollars with zero oversight and it works spectacularly. It also moves me to see students coming together for nonclub activities—celebrating an engagement, campaigning and volunteering for a cause, throwing a party for charity. At most colleges, where the culture revolves around frats, sororities and the trappings thereof, I count myself lucky (and inspired) to have witnessed all the new ideas popping up around campus and the support that those crazy ideas received by the general community in my time at Brandeis. As a small bit of advice from an alum, I would encourage the administration to pursue endeavors that empower students to invent as they please—Festival of the Arts is a good, institutionally sponsored example of this. First-years, pay attention to the projects your peers are doing, and seniors, take that spirit of ingenuity out into a “real” world that is sorely in need of it. Twentysomething life can be thoroughly uninventive, and it is my sincere hope to be able to witness the many smart, inspired things that the Class of 2011 and further iterations of Brandeis grads will bring to the table. Happy (early) graduation. Editor’s note: The writer is a member of the Class of 2009.
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
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SPORTS CROSS COUNTRY
MSOCCER: Judges shut out both Women’s squad Rutgers-Camden and Curry dominates meet
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“[Teece] is pure speed and athleticism,” Coven said. “When he has it in an open space and goes for goal, nobody is going to stop him.” Bracken stopped all five shots he faced in the win over Curry. Against Rutgers-Camden, Eisenbies opened the scoring in the 13th minute. The sophomore took a pass from midfielder Steve Keuchkarian ’11 and drilled it in on the right hand side of the net. Teece’s goal against the Raptors came in the 67th minute, and also came on a long solo run. “[Teece’s] goal against RutgersCamden just broke them,” Coven said. Both of the team’s shutouts were credited to Bracken, who won the starting goalkeeper job over last
year’s starter, Matt Lynch ’11. Both Bracken and Lynch have spent time this fall working with goalie coach Tim Murray, a backup on Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, but Coven said that, at least for now, “We felt more comfortable with Bracken.” Teece noted the difficult decision of which goalie to start for the duration of the season. “It’s a bit of a toss-up between the two,” Teece said. “[Bracken] has been around for longer and is very experienced, but each brings something to the table, and each is going to get time based on what we need from the goalie.” Lynch did see playing time in the second half against Curry, and Coven reiterated that he played “very well” in the time he saw. Coven expressed cautious opti-
mism about how the team has looked thus far in the season. While he noted that it was a marked improvement over the team’s performance at the Adidas Kick-Off Classic last season, at which the team earned a 1-1 draw against Rutgers University-Newark and a 20 loss against University of Southern Maine, he said that there were still spots where the team had to improve. “We need to keep moving the ball better through the central mid[field] rather than playing so directly and just launching the ball upfield,” he said. “We also need to work on our composure in the box. Still, we played very well defensively as a team, and a win is a win.” The squad’s home opener is Saturday, where it will take on Clark University at 6 p.m.
VBALL: Team wins three of four matches CONTINUED FROM 16 Before the Springfield Invitational, the Judges kicked off their season Wednesday at home with a 3-1 win over Babson College. Brandeis surged to a 13-8 lead in the first game before losing the set 25-21. Thereafter, the Judges took control, winning the next three games by scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-18. Smith thought that the team thrived after losing the first set of the match. “[We did a great job] of not getting down on ourselves when we made mistakes,” she said. Paige Blasco had a team-leading 16 kills, while Smith contributed to the victory with 14 kills. Defensive specialist Susan Sun ’13, striving to break out this year as an outside hitter, added to the performance with seven kills and 16 digs. With the opening week finished, coach Michelle Kim was happy with how the squad performed. “The newcomers are filling in the roles we’re expecting them to fill in. … The veterans are doing a good job,” Kim said. The Judges continue their season tomorrow against Wellesley College at home at 7 p.m.; they will then host the Brandeis Invitational Friday and Saturday. The team’s first game is Friday against Gordon College at 4 p.m.
■ In its opening meet, the
women’s cross country team defeated Southern Maine University by 33 points. By JONATHAN STEINBERG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
In its first action of the season, the women’s cross country team defeated University of Southern Maine 1548 in the rain at local Weston High School. In cross country, points correspond to the sum of the first five finishing positions for each team. The women were able to a score a perfect 15 points by sweeping the Huskies and taking the first five places. Captain Grayce Selig ’11 placed first in the race, finishing with a time of 14 minutes, 48 seconds. Kate Warwick ’12, who finished second in the race with Hannah Lindholm ’11, Erin Bisceglia ’13 and Ali Kirsch ’14 with a time of 16:23, echoed Selig’s success on the team. “I run with [Selig] almost everyday,” Warwick said. “It’s great to run with her. She’s going to do great things.” The only Southern Maine runner to finish before any Brandeis runner was senior Carly Dion, who clocked in with a time of 16:25, finishing the race sixth. The Judges, however, would also claim seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth finishes in the race. Vicky Sanford ’14 and Amelia Lindkvist ’14 both finished in 16:28, while Monique Girard ’13 finished at 16:29. Marie Lemay ’12 crossed the finish line 9 seconds later with a time of 16:38.
Southern Maine’s other seven runners finished between the 18:12 and 19:46 mark. Warwick was pleased with how the team ran. “[The race] was pretty good,” Warwick said. “We ran as a whole team. For us, places didn’t matter.” Unlike the women, the men’s team did not have a scored meet this week. Instead, they continued to work in an alumni meet on Friday at Weston High School. In this friendly race, alumnus Dan Suher ’08 took first place, with Kerwin Vega ’11 and co-captain and 2009 All-American Paul Norton ’11 finishing second and third. However, the rest of the pack took an apparent wrong turn along the path and ended up off course, and they therefore were disqualified from the race. The men’s first competitive race will take place on Sept. 18 at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Shriner’s Invitational. It is also the women’s next meet as well. “The UMass-Dartmouth invitational is our first real test,” said Norton. “We know the course, and racing against some of our rivals will be a good to test our progress from last season.” Norton also noted that having a deep team of 19 runners would aid them during the season. “You only need five people to score, but the more people you have, the better,” he said. “Last year, we had injuries and sicknesses before races. Now, we have more wiggle room, with plenty of people who we know can step up into an important role at any time and compete.”
WSOCCER: Squad bounces back after opening loss CONTINUED FROM 16
ASHER KRELL/the Justice
IN THE AIR: Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 goes for a spike at home Wednesday.
away the Beavers. Vallone got the Judges on the scoreboard in the 21st minute with an unassisted goal off a free kick. Andrews then scored her first career goal in the 36th minute to put the Judges up by two. In the second half, Vallone scored her second unassisted goal of the game on an arching shot over the goalie’s hand in the 54th minute.
Brandeis rounded out the scoring just over two minutes later when defender Allison Maresca ’12 scored off a corner kick by fellow defender Taryn Martiniello ’11. Last Thursday, the Judges lost 2-1 to MIT in their first game of the season. Pacheco put Brandeis up 1-0 in the 19th minute, but the Engineers scored two goals in the last 20 minutes of the game to win it. Brandeis next hosts Springfield College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
AP BRIEFS
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Cornerback Darrelle Revis ends holdout, signs with New York Jets
Sofia Vallone ’11 ■ The women’s soccer forward scored two goals this week, both of which came in the 4-0 win over Babson College Saturday afternoon. Last season, women’s soccer forward Sofia Vallone ’11 was third on the team with six goals and fourth on the team with three assists. So far this season, she seems to be picking up where she left off. Through three games this season, Vallone has two goals, both of which she scored in the Judges’ Saturday afternoon win over rival Babson College. Vallone will also have to adjust to playing a new position. Since her career started at Brandeis, Vallone has played midfield, but she has made the switch to forward this season. “I’ve been playing forward all my life. I started playing midfield a little bit before I got here because we needed another midfielder, so it’s nice to be back in a position that I normally play.” Vallone has been a key contributor throughout her time at Brandeis. She appeared in every game her rookie season and scored three goals, which was good for fifth on the team. It looked like her sophomore season was going to be her breakout year, as she scored two goals in her team’s first three games. However, she suffered a broken fibula and sprained ankle in the third game and ended up missing the rest of the season. Vallone is now two years removed from that injury and wants to make sure her final season as a Judge is a special one. “I think we definitely have a lot of expectations,” she said. “It’s amazing
Judging numbers
33 0 2 16 5
-point differential in the women’s cross country team’s victory over Southern Maine University Friday.
goals surrendered by the men’s soccer team in the team’s two wins last week.
goals scored by women’s soccer forward Sofia Vallone ’11 in the team’s 4-0 win over Babson College Saturday.
kills for outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11 in the volleyball team’s 3-1 victory over Babson College Wednesday.
women’s cross country runners who finished before the first Southern Maine runner crossed the finish line Friday.
NEW YORK—Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets agreed to a new contract Sunday night, ending the AllPro cornerback’s holdout a week before the season opener. The team announced the agreement in principle early Monday morning but released no contract terms. Revis was flying from his home in South Florida to New Jersey on Monday and meeting with the team, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were supposed to remain confidential, said it’s a short-term deal with guaranteed money—a sticking point in the negotiations—but the exact terms were not immediately available. The contract could be signed as early as Monday, getting Revis back on the field in time for the opener next Monday night against Baltimore at home. Revis, who made no public statements about the negotiations since minicamp in June, used his Twitter account to thank his family and his agents, Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod. “To my family, neil, & john I love u guys I’m comin home baby!!!” Revis wrote. “Revis Island LET’S GO.” Both owner Woody Johnson and coach Rex Ryan met with Revis over the weekend to try to help get a deal done, the person told the AP. Ryan’s inclusion in the meeting was first reported by the Daily News last Sunday night. Ryan was scheduled to have a conference call with reporters last Saturday night to discuss the Jets’ roster cutdown, but a team spokesman said Ryan was unavailable because he was at an “appointment.” That turned out to be a visit with the man whom Ryan has repeatedly called the best cornerback in the NFL. Revis’ holdout began Aug. 1, when the team reported for training camp in Cortland. He was scheduled to make $1 million in the fourth year of his six-year rookie deal but has said he wants to become the league’s highest-paid cornerback. JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/Justice File Photo
how quickly the time has gone but I think this is definitely the year that we can make into the NCAAs. I think we have really strong team chemistry. I think we’re working together a lot as a team, and all in all I’m just really excit-
ed to see where this season’s going. I think we’re a lot stronger than we’ve been the past three years. I definitely think this is our year.” —Melissa Siegel
UAA STANDINGS Men’s Soccer
Women’s Soccer
Not including Monday’s games
Not including Monday’s games
UAA Conference WL T Carnegie 0 0 0 Emory 0 0 0 Rochester 0 0 0 JUDGES 0 0 0 Case 0 0 0 Chicago 0 0 0 Washington 0 0 0 New York 0 0 0
UAA Conference W LT Emory 0 00 Chicago 0 00 Rochester 0 00 Washington 0 0 0 JUDGES 0 00 Case 0 00 Carnegie 0 00 New York 0 00
W 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1
L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Overall T Pct. 0 1.000 0 1.000 0 1.000 0 1.000 0 1.000 0 1.000 1 .750 0 .500
W 3 1 2 2 1 1 1 0
L 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 3
Overall T Pct. 0 1.000 1 .750 0 .667 0 .667 1 .500 1 .500 0 .333 0 .000
TEAM LEADERS MSoccer (points)
WSoccer (points)
Midfielders Luke Teece ’12 and Joe Eisenbies ’13 lead the team with 4 points this season.
Forward Sofia Vallone ’11 leads the team with 4 points this year.
Player Luke Teece Joe Eisenbies Ben Applefield Lee Russo Steve Keuchkarian
Player Sofia Vallone Tiffany Pacheco Ali Maresca Hillary Andrews Two tied with...
Points 4 4 3 2 1
Points 4 2 2 2 1
Volleyball (kills)
Volleyball (digs)
Outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11 and middle blocker Nicole Smith ’11 lead the Judges with 39 kills.
Setter Abby Blasco ’11 leads the team with 42 digs.
Player Paige Blasco Nicole Smith Si-Si Hensley Susan Sun Lauren Berens
Player Abby Blasco Susan Sun Paige Blasco Yael Einhorn Si-Si Hensley
Kills 39 39 27 21 18
Digs 42 39 38 32 32
UPCOMING GAME OF THE WEEK Men’s Soccer vs Clark University Saturday The Judges look to defeat Clark University in the team’s home opener at 6 p.m.
6
goals scored by the men’s soccer team in their two victories over University of RutgersCamden and Curry College last weekend.
15
After two shutouts in the Adidas Kickoff-Classic at Wheaton College, the men’s soccer team will look to continue its winning ways at home when they take on Clark University Saturday at 6 p.m. Last season, the Cougars defeated the Judges at home 2-1. Forward Matt Peabody ’13 scored the only goal for
the team. This season, Clark is 3-0 and has outscored their opponents 14-2. They scored seven goals in their first game and seven in their last two contests. Sophomore midfielder William Van Noppen and senior forward Baran Doenmez each lead the Cougars with three goals.
LSU prevails over shorthanded North Carolina 30-24 ATLANTA—With the NCAA lurking around Chapel Hill and some of its best players sitting in the stands, University of North Carolina found itself in a most improbable position. At the 6-yard line with a few seconds on the clock, a touchdown and an extra point away from actually winning the game. Unc quarterback T.J. Yates took one shot at the end zone, the ball slipping through the hands of tight end Zack Pianalto. Then one last throw to the same guy. Same result. No. 21 Louisiana State University held on for a 30-24 victory Saturday night, but the 18th-ranked Tar Heels almost pulled it out after going down by 20 at halftime. There may be no such thing as a moral victory, but this was about as close as you can get. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder of a group of kids,” North Carolina coach Butch Davis said. “The way they fought to get themselves back into the ballgame. We didn’t play very well in first half. We made so many mistakes in kicking game; we really put ourselves in a hole. But one thing that defines your character and your guts is your ability to compete.” North Carolina was missing most of the potential NFL prospects on its touted defense—at least six starters, including the entire secondary. The offense wasn’t at full strength, either, forced to improvise without leading receiver Greg Little and its top two tailbacks, Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston. Cornerback Patrick Peterson had 257 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown on kickoff and punt returns, leading LSU (1-0) to a 30-10 lead at the break. Not surprising, given the Tar Heels were missing 13 key players because of NCAA investigations over relationships with agents and possible academic violations. But North Carolina made a game of it against all odds, scoring two second-half touchdowns and then getting two shots at the win after recovering an onside kick and a fumble. Yates threw for the last of his career-high 412 yards to reach the LSU six yard-line, with enough time to get off a couple of passes. He went to Pianalto at the back of the end zone. The throw was on the hands but a little behind the senior tight end, who couldn’t hold on with a defender bearing down on him. Two seconds remained; time for one more snap. Yates rolled to his right and spotted Pianalto again, this time lurking right at the goal line. The throw was low; it had to be to avoid the coverage. And again it slipped through his hands. Yates pleaded desperately for an interference call, but the officials simply trotted off the field. The quarterback then bent over and pounded the turf of the Georgia Dome in frustration. He didn’t have anything to be ashamed of, that’s for sure. Neither did his team, which looked as though it was headed for a blowout. “Everything happened so fast,” Yates said. “We were just reacting. The whole sequence was hectic.” Pianalto said either of the last two passes was catchable. “No, there was no interference,” he said. “I just dropped them.” LSU appeared headed for an easy win after scoring 23 straight points over the final 8 minutes, 6 seconds of the first half. But the Tiger nearly let it slip away, which would have been a devastating blow to coach Les Miles and a program that’s trying to show it’s still a powerhouse in the Southeastern Conference. Three years removed from a national championship, LSU has lost eight SEC games over the last two seasons and watched University of Florida and University of Alabama claim the dominant roles. “We won a football game tonight in very sloppy fashion,” Miles said. “If we just play efficient football, this game is not even close. We’ve got to tie up some loose ends right now.”
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FINISHING FIRST The women’s cross country team defeated Southern Maine University at Weston High School on Friday, p. 13.
Waltham, Mass.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
MEN’S SOCCER
IN THE MIDDLE
Team wins both games ■ The men’s soccer team
shut out both the University of Rutgers-Camden and Curry College last weekend. By JEFFREY BOXER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The men’s soccer team kicked off its season with a bang, as they recorded two shutouts in the Adidas KickOff Classic at Wheaton College last weekend. The Judges defeated Curry College 4-0 last Sunday after defeating University of Rutgers-Camden 2-0 the day before. The team was led by midfielder Joe Eisenbies ’13, who netted the game winner in both games. Against Curry, Eisenbies put the Judges ahead for good just 4 minutes, 48 seconds into the game when he collected a pass from midfielder Ben Applefield ’14 and deposited it in the back of the net from just outside the penalty hash mark. Eisenbies had another opportunity in the second half but his shot deflected off the crossbar. While Eisenbies started every game last season, he did not score any goals during his rookie season with the team. “Last year [Eisenbies] was more of a distributor and played a little deeper, but we’ve got him further up this season,” said coach Michael Coven. “He’s been great offensively. Even in practice, he’s just been cracking it.” The Judges grabbed an insurance goal in the 28th minute, when midfielder/forward Lee Russo ’13 collected goalie Taylor Bracken’s ’11 kickoff and beat two Curry defenders on his own. Russo finished the game with a team-high five shots. The team’s third goal came in the 65th minute, as Applefield added a goal to his first-half assist after a long carry down the left-hand side of the field. Midfielder Luke Teece ’12 closed out the team’s scoring with just 3:45 remaining in the game. It was Teece’s second goal in as many days after scoring just once in his first two seasons.
See MSOCCER, 13 ☛
TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice
GOING AFTER THE BALL: Forward Sofia Vallone ’11 battles two William Paterson players for posession at home in the women’s soccer team’s scoreless tie on Sunday.
Judges rebound after away defeat ■ The women’s soccer team
tied one game and won the other after losing its first game of the season. By MELISSA SIEGEL JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER
With less than 30 seconds left in the women’s soccer team’s game against William Paterson University last Sunday, forward Tiffany Pacheco ’11 tried to convert a corner kick before time expired. She was able to get the ball in play, but another player ended up kicking it just wide of the net. It was a fitting end to a game in which the Judges had multiple chances to score but were unable to convert. Instead, the match ended in a 0-0 tie. Brandeis’ record now stands at 1-1-
1 for the season after a 4-0 win over Babson College last Saturday and a 21 loss to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last Thursday. Perhaps the Judges’ best scoring chance against William Paterson came with just over 10 minutes left in the second half, when forward Hilary Andrews’ ’14 shot hit the left side of the post. The Judges also had several scoring opportunities in the first overtime session. Forward Sofia Vallone ’11 hit a shot wide left in the opening seconds of the period, and Pacheco also had several shots go just wide. The Judges outshot William Paterson 4-0 in the first overtime session and 17-8 overall. In fact, together Pacheco and Vallone had more shots—10—than the entire William Patterson team. While the game was played on a windy, sunny day, coach Denise Dallamora did not think it meant
much concering her team’s scoring struggles. “The wind and the sun [were] a little bit of a factor, but I don’t think it was that much of a factor,” Dallamora said. “We just didn’t connect; we had plenty of opportunities.” The Judges were also called offside multiple times in the game. Dallamora said the Pioneers had a specific trap that baited the Judges into going offside so often. “They have an offside trap, and they did it very well, I have to say,” Dallamora said. “I didn’t know they were going to do it, but they executed it well, and it kind of disrupted our offense. … Right before we were going to pass it, they’d take a step forward, and that leaves us in an offside position. We should have done better at dealing with it.” Goalie Francine Kofinas ’13 started the game in net for the Judges, while goalie Leah Sax ’14 came into the
game in the second half and remained in during both overtime sessions. The two have similarly split time in all three games this season. “I guess they’re both equally doing well, so that’s why they’re splitting time right now,” Dallamora said of her two goalies. Both goalies have been helped out so far by a strong Brandeis defense. The defense allowed just eight shots against William Paterson—six of which were in regulation—and five shots against Babson. This is even more impressive considering the defense has been without defender Jessica Schulman ’12, who started all 21 games for the Judges last year. Schulman tore her ACL in the spring and will likely miss the rest of the season, according to Dallamora. Last Saturday, Brandeis defeated rival Babson College 4-0. Brandeis scored two goals in each period to put
See WSOCCER, 13☛
VOLLEYBALL
Squad prevails in three of its four contests ■ The volleyball team, which
won its first three matches of the season, lost to Roger Williams University Sept. 4. By JACOB LURIE and ADAM RABINOWITZ JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
After winning its first three matches of the season, the volleyball team fell to Roger Williams
University 3-0 last Saturday in the team’s third and final match of the Springfield Invitational. The event also featured Westfield State College, Lasell College, Daeman College, Rivier College, University of Minnesota-Morris and Springfield College. The Judges lost the first set to Roger Williams 25-12 and went on to drop the second and third sets by scores of 25-23 and 27-25. In the loss, outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11 led the team with 11 kills
and four aces, while middle blocker Nicole Smith ’11 had nine kills in the match. Setter Abby Blasco ’11 had a team-leading 10 digs. Setter Yael Einhorn ’14 had a team-leading 17 assists. In all four games the Judges played in the week, the team was without middle blocker/right-side hitter Becca Fischer ’13 due to injury. Even without Fischer on the court, Smith thought the team played well over the course of the week.
“We played well with what we [had] available,” Smith said. “We had people playing in positions we don’t normally play in, and I feel we played well given those circumstances.” Despite the loss against Roger Williams, who lost the championship game to host Springfield, Brandeis won its first two games of the tournament. Brandeis started play last Friday evening with a 3-1 win over Westfield State with scores of 25-17, 25-18, 12-25 and 25-16.
Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 led the way for the Judges offensively with nine kills. On the defensive side, Abby Blasco and Einhorn had 18 and 17 digs, respectively. After the victory over Westfield State, the Judges swept Lasell College 3-0 with scores of 25-19, 25-16 and 25-20. Smith had a team-leading 10 kills and four block assists in the sweep over the Lasers, while Einhorn had 26 of the team’s 31 assists.
See VBALL, 13 ☛
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ARTS
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24- 7 6 Hour Musical beats the clock p. 20
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Photos and design: Robyn Spector/the Justice.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
●
THE JUSTICE
POP CULTURE
INSIDE ON CAMPUS
18-20
■ Marian Anderson 19 JustArts sat down with Prof. Allan Keiler (MUS) to discuss his biography of Marian Anderson, singer and civil rights reformer, and his participation in creating a new television documentary about her life.
20 ■ 24-hour musical The annual 24-hour musical took on Shrekh in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater last Sunday night. Everyone involved worked for 24 straight hours to put together the musical based on our favorite ogre.
OFF CAMPUS
21-24
21 ■ Disco Biscuits interview The popular jam band’s bassist, Marc Brownstein, reveals, among other things, why fans will dress up in a banana suit for the band’s unbeatable live concerts. 22 ■ Ten Tables review The Cambridge restaurant is worth the splurge for those who want an intimate and unforgettable dining experience. 22 ■ JustBeer In a new column to the Justice, two unique and seasonal beers are reviewed, providing a flavor rarely tasted by the average student. 23 ■ Jukebox the Ghost The upbeat indie band releases its strong sophomore album filled with a mixture of meaningful lyrics and fun instrumentals.
CALENDAR
INTERVIEW by Shelly Shore
So I get a lot of negative feedback for writing about Lindsay Lohan. I’d just like to say, right off the bat, that while I am a huge Mean Girls fan, I’m in no way stalking our favorite ex-ginger. She’s just often the most interesting person to write about when it comes to weekly news. Especially when she does things like running over babies. That’s right. Lindsay Lohan, fresh out of rehab with her newly reinstated license back in her hand, clipped a stroller holding a baby in her Maserati on Wednesday. Two witnesses caught the incident on film, and RadarOnline.com has video of the aftermath. “There was a woman pushing a kid in a stroller, maybe two or three years old,” eyewitness Brayan Jaime told RadarOnline.com. “Lindsay took the red light and hit the stroller. It wasn’t super hard, but she made impact and hit them,” Jaime said. “Lindsay pulled to the right, stopped for two seconds, and then just kept going.” According to Jaime, Lindsay came out of a parking garage quickly, making only a brief pause at the red light instead of a full stop. A second eyewitness told RadarOnline.com that the impact was minimal, so it’s possible Lindsay didn’t realize it happened—nevertheless, he insists contact was made. When asked for comment, Lindsay told RadarOnline.com, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But according to a photographer on the scene, Lindsay told him, “I saw them, but they didn’t move out of the way.” Jamie, who ran after Lindsay to try to get her to stop, said, “She was just driving like crazy once I started following her. She was
A very long day and night ■ JustArts e-mailed with Julie Stein ’11 and Andrew Litwin ’11 to discuss their experience directing the 24-hour musical.
DAVID MCNEW/The Associated Press
ON THE LOOSE: After only about two weeks out of jail, Lindsay Lohan is under fire yet again. trying to lose me, blowing stop signs and stuff. ... She was scared because she knew what she did.” In the two weeks since Lindsay has gotten out of rehab, she has already been stopped by the Los Angeles cops once for blowing through a stop sign, and paparazzi have snapped her frequenting her old party haunts like Chateau Marmont. I hate to state the obvious, but maybe Lindsay needs a fulltime babysitter? It worked pretty well for Britney.
What’s happening in Arts on and off campus
ON CAMPUS EVENTS WBRS concert weekend Soon, WBRS will put on a weekend filled with music. For two nights, Saturday, Sept. 18 and Sunday, Sept. 19, WBRS will have two big concerts featuring some of the best indie music around right now. On Saturday, the concert will open with Brandeis’ own DJ Marcos followed by a lead performance by Sleigh Bells. On Sunday, the musical madness will continue with a concert opened by Christmas Islands and featuring Wavves. Both shows are expected to be packed houses, so make sure to arrive early to get the best seat in the house. The doors open at 9 p.m. both nights, and don’t forget your Brandeis ID. DJ Marcos and Sleigh Bells will perform on Saturday, Sept. 18, and Christmas Islands and Wavves will perform on Sunday, Sept. 19 at Cholmondeley’s.
OFF CAMPUS EVENTS CollegeFest 2010 On Sept. 11 and 12, CollegeFest, one of the biggest back-to-school events in New England, will have a huge celebration. CollegeFest will celebrate 25 years of festivals with lots of free giveaways, stage contests and live performances. Beyond this, there will be tons of samples, including lots of food and drinks, chances to win amazing spring break trips and even an amazing concert with artists including Chiddy Bang and Asher Roth. With over 15,000 students expected to attend this year, there will be many opportunities to meet students from campuses all over Boston and to go home with things from over 100 local and national sponsors. Tickets are avaliable online at the CollegeFest website and from the CollegeFest street team throughout the month of September. They will cost no more than $10. CollegeFest will take place from noon on Saturday until Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.
Chinese Master Paintings at the MFA In case you didn’t know, Brandeis students get in to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for free, meaning that a valid student ID saves you the $20 general admission fee every time. Those with a penchant for Chinese art should especially pay the Boston museum a visit this week, as a new series of Tang dynasty to Northern Song dynasty paintings will be put on display starting Sept. 4. The exhibition, entitled Chinese Master Paintings from the Collection, includes imperial works such as the “Thirteen Emperors” court painting from the Tang dynasty and the exquisite “FiveColored Parakeet,” a composition of painting and calligraphy by the famous Emperor Huizong. Chinese Master Paintings from the Collection will be on exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from Sept. 4, until Feb. 27, 2011. Admission is free with a Brandeis ID.
2010 Boston Improv Festival The second annual Boston Improv Festival will bring over 100 improv, sketch and stand-
ASHER KRELL/Justice File Photo
ENJOYING THE SHOW: Audience members sit in Cholmondeley’s waiting for one of the many excellent shows and coffeehouses that are performed by bands and groups every semester. up acts on three stages, featuring performers from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Amsterdam, Montreal and more. The five-day comedy festival will be hosted at ImprovBoston, located at 40 Prospect St. in Central Square, Cambridge. The 2010 Boston Improv Festival will take place tomorrow through Sunday. Festival lineup and ticket information can be found at www.bostonimprovfest.com. Ticket prices are $10 per show, with package discounts available. There are also comedy workshops offered on Saturday and Sunday.
mieres next Friday, interviews with David Byrne, M.I.A., Os Mutantes, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, Seu Jorge and many others will bring to light why Brazilian music has had such a powerful cultural impact around the globe. Beyond Ipanema (in Portuguese with English subtitles) will screen at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston on Friday at 7 p.m. with an introduction by co-directors Guto Barra and Béco Dranoff. Tickets are $10 for general admission; $8 members and students.
‘Alice vs. Wonderland’ Arianna Huffington at the Brattle Theatre Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editorin-chief of The Huffington Post, discusses the future of American prosperity and her new book, Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream, in a special event presented by the Harvard Book Store. With our country’s political system broken, our economy in shambles, our infrastructure crumbling, and America’s middle class rapidly shrinking, we begin to fear that our children will face a lower standard of living and less opportunities than we did. Huffington speaks on how we need new leadership to turn this situation around. Harvard Book Store Presents Arianna Huffington will be at the Brattle Theatre, located at 40 Brattle St. in Cambridge, on Monday, Sept. 13 at 6:00 p.m. $5 tickets are on sale now at Harvard Book Store and over the phone with a credit card at (617) 661-1515.
‘Beyond Ipanema’ by Guto Barra and Béco Dranoff Brazil’s music has captured audiences worldwide for many years. While Bossa Nova has heavily influenced musicians and producers all over the world, the Tropicália movement has gained attention of alternative-rock fans. As this documentary pre-
A snazzy and psychedelic update of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass hits the American Repertory Theater in two weeks, blending the fantasical tale of Alice with Lady Gaga and the international direction of Hungarian director superstar János Szász (The Seagull, Desire Under the Elms, Mother Courage). Expect a fresh and inventive reimagination of Carroll’s coming-of-age story that features high-octane dances, colorful set pieces and pop-culture-influenced musical numbers. The show’s premiere at Moscow theater school MXAT was met with an enthusiastic reaction from the city’s youth, students and teachers and will likely “take Moscow by storm,” according to the American Repertory Theater website. “The collision between pop culture and these canonical storybook characters will spark the same smile of pleasure as Carroll’s mash-up of pious nursery rhymes,” explains adapter Brendan Shea. “This is why I call Alice vs. Wonderland not an adaptation, but a remix.” Alice vs. Wonderland will premiere Saturday, Sept. 18 at the Loeb Drama Center, running until Oct. 9. $25 advance student tickets are on sale now, available at www.americanrepertorytheater.org/tickets or by calling (617) 547-8300.
JustArts: How did you get involved with the 24-hour musical? Julie Stein: I am very involved in theater around Brandeis—I am the president of Tympanium Euphorium—and I had been a part of two 24-hour musicals before. Andrew, who is a good friend of mine as well as another part of our E-Board, asked me to hop on board with him our senior year, and I was extremely enthusiastic about it. Andrew Litwin: I always knew the project existed and thought it was really cool. Unfortunately I was away for the weekend it went up Freshmen year but I made it back to see it. It looked like so much fun that I promised myself I wouldn’t miss another one. I auditioned and was in the cast Sophomore year (Spamalot) before making the move to the production staff as one of the Musical Directors my Junior year (Legally Blonde) and finally to heading the project and directing this year. JA: Have you participated in the past and if so what has been the difference for you between just participating and directing? JS: I started Brandeis as a midyear, so I missed my freshman year 24-hour. As a sophomore, however, I knew I wanted to participate in the 24-hour because I had heard only amazing things about it. That year was Spamalot-kah, and I had a blast. Directing is incredibly different from participating for a million reasons ... a) I had learned what works and what doesn’t, so it is up to us to create a system that is the most effective and the least stressful for everyone, b) I was awake for the full 24 hrs!, c) I got to help choose the show, cast, etc, d) I have learned the show so well that I can sing it in my sleep. AL: Being in the show is an amazing experience; one that I encourage anyone who likes any type of performance to try at least once. However, that being said, there really is something special about directing a project like this. First off, just like any type of directing, you get to have a hand in the entire show and it’s amazing seeing your vision come to life and the fact that NONE of it existed 24 hours prior to watching it is an incredible feeling. This kind of thing is not easy. We ask A LOT out of everyone who is working on this project and to sit in the audience and watch everyone come on stage and shine, take initiative and put on an amazing show is really overwhelming. JA: How did you decide on what play you chose for this year? JS: We like to do comedies, because they’re so much fun, and there’s a ton of room to play around with them without insulting the show itself. We also look for shows that people will be excited about, that are currently on or recently left Broadway, and that have a large cast where we can get...many people involved. AL: Picking the show is actually a very delicate proposition. We want to pick a show that people know and will be excited about working on and coming to see. The show needs to be able to accommodate large amounts of people (because we don’t cut) and needs to be a show that can take the hits that come along with a 24hour rehearsal period and still keep the comedy going and the energy up. In Shrek we found everything we needed. Everyone knows and likes this story already. Within the show we found 3 big areas where people could be in a chorus but still feel involved. We really wanted to give everyone a chance to shine and have their moment and I think we accomplished that. Also, the music is great and so much fun and we would be able to do it justice even in just 24 hours. JA: Have you always been interested in theatrs? Do you have anything else planned for production on campus? JS: Yes, I’ve always been interested in theater. I’m usually on stage, but I definitely enjoy backstage as well. I’m a senior, and this is my first chance to direct here at Brandeis, and I couldn’t be happier. Tymp is putting on Wild Party this semester, and I also need to start thinking about my senior project, as well as Tymp’s spring musical and Brandeis Cares (a fundraiser we put together to raise money for Brandeis Cares/Equity Fights AIDS). AL: Theater has always been a passion/hobby of mine and I’m really glad I got to continue it in college especially with a project like this. This semester I am also producing the Tymp production of The Wild Party, as well as being involved with the production of a few other projects going up around the school. Overall I just wanted to add that I think this project is one of the most amazing things Brandeis does and I am beyond honored to have been at the head of it for a year. It really keeps getting better and better and that wouldn’t happen without the people here who work on it with the amount of passion that they do. This includes the amazing cast of people who came to audition and the unbelievable crew who were just phenomenal and so great to work with. —Bryan Flatt
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ON CAMPUS MUSIC
New documentary sheds light on Anderson ■ JustArts interviewed Prof.
Allan R. Keiler (MUS) about the renowned genre singer Marian Anderson. By SUJIN SHIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
She was a captivating siren of the Civil Rights movement, a songstress of great renown and talent. Marian Anderson was a pioneer in the world of classical vocal performance, breaking racial boundaries. Known for her famous concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, her life has touched the hearts of many, especially that of Prof. Allan R. Keiler (MUS), who wrote a biography on Anderson titled Marian Anderson: A Singer’s Journey. “I always thought that there were two kinds of biographers,” Keiler said in a phone interview with the Justice. “One is a more professional one who writes lots of biographies because they are interested in the activity. And then there are the other kinds of biographers, and I think of myself as that kind, who is more personally related to a subject. I’ve always had a more personal feeling about Marian Anderson.” Anderson was born into a poor family in South Philadelphia in 1897. Even from the young age of two, people recognized her precocious talent for singing. Boasting a three-octave vocal range as she grew older, Anderson was immediately given many solo and duet opportunities in the first venue for her performances, the Union Baptist Church. In the fledgling years of her music career, she met some difficulty because of her race. She was refused admission to a music school in town because the girl at the desk told her that “they didn’t
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLAN KEILER
MUSICAL INTEREST: Prof. Allan Keiler (MUS) helped to contibute to the new television documentary on singer Marian Anderson. take coloreds.” However, Anderson pressed on with the support of her family. Soon, she became increasingly famous, touring all over the United States and Europe. The culminating point of her career came when she was refused permission to perform at Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution, which compelled her to move her concert to the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial. In fact, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR because of its prejudice. It was an incredibly powerful moment when Anderson sang “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” in her
ringing contralto tones. She was in very high demand throughout her career, even receiving an honorary degree from Brandeis in 1960, though not many remember her incredible vocal powers, which was another reason that Keiler desired to spread the word about Anderson. “I never thought she was accredited enough. She became so famous on the world stage as a kind of icon, as a kind of symbol for so many things in racial history and American history that I think people really lost sight of and were disconnected from how great a
singer she was. That’s what bothered me. You know, when you think about the great singers like Pavarotti or any of the classical singers, they don’t have a bigger career outside of their own field, in other words, they haven’t transcended music in the way she did. Everybody knows about the Lincoln Memorial concert. How many people have ever heard her sing Schubert? And that’s what I wrote to her family; I said I wanted to write her biography because I think that her greatness as a singer has, through the years, become overshadowed. And they [her family]
also agreed with me.” In addition, Keiler has participated as an adviser in the filming of a documentary about Anderson’s life entitled Marian Anderson: A Song of Dignity of Grace. JustArts asked Keiler about what might be different between watching a documentary about her rather than reading about her in a book and he replied, “Well, there is a kind of immediacy. It can reach so many people simultaneously, and a biography doesn’t. And if it is done well, it has a big impact. It has a kind of intensity and immediacy. It’s brief. It captures, in an interesting way, and summarizes the life very vividly, especially since this film has so many extraordinary images … Especially when you hear her singing.”And the power of her voice is truly startling. One can feel the intensity of emotion in her voice in the recordings of her spirituals such as “Deep River” and also in European classics like “Ave Maria.” Though the stylings of Marian Anderson might seem archaic to some, as most of her repertoire consisted of 18thand 19th-century classical songs, her influence can still be felt today. Says Keiler, “What I think that she did do was to encourage black singers that they could have a career on the concert stage in a repertoire that they are not very often associated with. They could sing in music by Brahms, Schumann, Schubert and Debussy and so on as much as any white singer.” With the help of this documentary and Keiler’s tireless work, the life and legacy of Marian Anderson can be fully valued by the modern appreciator of both music and civil rights. The documentary on Marian Anderson’s life, A Song of Dignity and Grace, can be found on Brandeis NOW in full. The biography can be found in Goldfarb Library.
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THE JUSTICE
Shrekh: a musical fairytale
TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice
24-Hour Musical sings its way into the hearts of audiences By AARON BERKE JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“This is the part where you run away,” says Shrek to the villagers in one of the earliest scenes of Shrekh: The (24 Hour) Musical. The villagers then run away, but we certainly don’t. Despite the show’s 2 1/2 hour runtime and a rehearsal period that lasted an unbelievably short 24 hours, the show was an enormous success. But before we get into the details, here’s a brief background of the show’s creation: It started as an idea to create a musical within 24 hours. The 24-hour musical has been a tradition at Brandeis for the past six years, an idea created by Hillel Theater Group and sponsored by Tympanium Euphorium. It’s easy to see how it caught on. It unites directors, writers, actors and production designers alike in a singular event that doesn’t try to pick favorites, but instead brings people together in a massive effort to put something they love in front of an audience. It’s a daunting task, to be sure, with so little time to prepare and so much content to explore in terms of Shrek: The Musical. Some things were sure to go awry, but that’s just part of the fun. The show opens with a song between Shrek and his parents, as he was kicked out to live on his own at the age of seven. Despite some er-
TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice
rors with the microphones and a falling signpost, this scene worked like a charm. The first of many cleverly disguised scene changes had the young Shrek, played by Herbie Rosen ’12, walk behind a door and come out again, suddenly as an adult, played by Jon Widberg ’12. Although this type of change may rudimentarily appear shoddy and haphazard, it’s actually quite funny when one takes into account the speed at which the show was produced. Many scenes later mimic this trend, especially Fiona’s entrance, in which during her song, “I Know It’s Today,” she is played by three different actresses who portray her at different ages but also sing at the same time. I suspect this was done not only to show her aging, but to give more of the actors some moments to shine. The show took advantage of many mistakes, and used them to spontaneously fuel the show. The set design, though basic, worked well enough to create the mood of Far, Far Away, and the limited set pieces were used brilliantly. One such example is when Shrek and Donkey are crossing the bridge to the dragon’s lair; this bridge is made up of three chairs, which the stage hands reorder every time the two characters proceed, to create a bridge effect. It’s such a basic technique, yet the audience loves it. This is one of the best things about the experience: the audience is so engaged and ap-
TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice
preciative, they actually cheer when mistakes are made. My absolute favorite part is when Fiona faces off with Shrek and proclaims, “You’re just an Orc—Ogre!” Classic. Another impressive aspect of the show is its actors, who again, despite the time constraints, give wonderful performances. Widberg plays the titular Shrek with a combination of droll sarcasm and forlorn aspirations. He manages to emulate something of Mike Myers’ performance while still making the character his own. My only issue is with his singing voice, which was sometimes quite raspy and difficult to hear. But I don’t blame the actor for this, as it must be insanely difficult to sing in a throaty Irish accent, and I believe his microphone was having some issues as well. In a show that took 24 hours to produce, this is an extremely minor complaint. Also brilliant is Yoni Bronstein ’13 as Lord Farquaad, who brings a lovably sinister wit to the character, and makes me actually feel somewhat sorry for him when the dragon eats him. Abby Armstrong ’13 is charmingly effective as Fiona, and definitely the best singer out of the bunch. By far, though, the real show stealer is Amy Thompson ’11 as Donkey, who manages to be the spitting image of Eddie Murphy’s computer-generated creation even though she looks absolutely nothing like it— truly an impressive feat. The rest of the cast is
formidably talented, and I give a special shoutout to Jared Greenberg ’12, who plays a truly hilarious Pinocchio. The musical numbers work quite well, and the dances are incredibly choreographed, with only a few minor and easily forgivable errors. I’ve never seen Shrek: The Musical on Broadway, but I can’t imagine they left anything out here, and the story flows wonderfully. I attribute this success to the three directors who worked on the show: Andrew Litwin ’11, Robert Orzalli ’11 and Julie Stein ’11, who all collaborated beautifully together. I had the lucky chance to speak to Litwin before the show, and when I asked him about his favorite aspect of the show‘s creation, he said that “the audience’s reaction, and personally seeing the show for the first time along with everybody else” would be his greatest enjoyment. It is truly incredible that a show that had never before been watched by any of its creative team could be so successful. When I asked a member of the choir, Alli Cohen ’12, how she felt about the process, she referenced the creation of the castle set piece. “Like the song it accompanied, first it was broken into parts. We didn’t know how the overall product was going to look. But by the time we finished, it all came together beautifully.” And so did the show itself.
ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice
ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice
SLEEPLESS NIGHTS: Though they had to ration their sleep over the entire 24-hour period between Saturday at 8 p.m. to Sunday at 8 p.m., the cast of Shrekh put on an amazing show with hilarious costumes.
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OFF CAMPUS MUSIC
Biscuits bassist Brownstein talks tunes
■ JustArts spoke with Marc
Brownstein, the bass player for the “type 2 jam band” The Disco Biscuits, about the band’s musical style and its current tour. By AMY MELSER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The Disco Biscuits have been a prominent headliner in the jamband scene for almost a decade. With mind-altering live shows and a new album that is taking the band in new directions, the musicians have stayed true to their roots while growing as artists. Marc Brownstein, Allen Aucoin, Jon Gutwillig and Aron Magner met at the University of Pennsylvania in, as Brownstein says, the “mid- to late-’90s.” Instead of leaving their mark as a “fraternity band” and pursuing careers related to their academic interests in Anthropology, Electrical Engineering, etc., they evolved into an electronic, improvisational rock band unlike any other. During a phone interview with Brownstein, the band’s bassist, he explains that the Biscuits’ music is “less rock than electronic,” yet it would be a disservice to the history of their music to eradicate rock altogether. In fact, rock is integral to their sound; as Brownstein puts it, “Nothing rocks harder than rock.” Fans of the Biscuits, or “Bisco,” (as some call them) are completely enthralled by the music at live shows. Brownstein says the main goal at shows is to leave fans with
the feeling of “What just happened to me?” Many fans dress up in costumes, most notably a banana suit. Why? Audience members enter a new realm, and as Brownstein puts it, “It is a way to escape reality.” This other-worldly voyage becomes something more than memorable. Thus, fans of the Biscuits follow them on tour, from venue to venue, not to recreate the experience but to find a whole new one. Every Biscuits show is one-of-akind, but still takes fans to an unmatched destination as the music enters their souls. Even the famed Phil Lesh, bass player of the Grateful Dead, knows that what the Biscuits is doing is quite magical. Essentially, he told Brownstein, bass player to bass player, that there are a lot of bands out there, but the majority of them can’t give fans the experience of a Grateful Dead show. However, he told Brownstein that the Biscuits are doing just that. Brownstein recognizes that Lesh’s comments are totally valid because, while it might sound cliché, Brownstein and the other members always “stand at the edge of the cliff” with their music. The Biscuits understand that if they did not take risks with their music, they would never be standing where they are today and reaping the rewards of a huge fan base and the recognition and respect of other very talented musicians. The Biscuits host Camp Bisco, to which fans and major headliners have been flocking for almost a decade. They started out with a crowd of 900 fans in 1999 and, from July 15 to 17 in Mariaville, N.Y., the Biscuits hosted the ninth edition of Camp Bisco and had 15,000 fans
PHOTO COURTESY OF DREW GRANCHELLI
JAMMING ABOUT: The Disco Biscuits are one of America’s most popular jam bands. show up to their biggest event of the year. Brownstein recognizes the festival as “radio of the 2010s.” Instead of getting fans’ attention for three minutes on the radio, the fans are coming to the band and getting three full days of music. Many major headliners came to the 2010 Camp Bisco: LCD Soundsystem, Thievery Corporation, Ween, Girl Talk and Bassnectar, just to name a few. In previous years, they’ve had Snoop Dogg, Nas, Damien Marley and more.
Brownstein and the other band members cater to their fans, especially in times of recession. During the current tour of their latest album, Planet Anthem, they put $10 tickets on sale and sold 1,500 in one day for their upcoming performance at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston Sept. 11. This inimitable album was challenging for the Biscuits to get used to because they wouldn’t describe themselves as “an album band.” (Most of their successes have been
from live performances.) Additionally, this album has crossed the Biscuits over to mainstream and even pop but still remains prominent in the electronic world. Therefore, not only did the band have to adjust, but so did the fans. Luckily, the album has received good reception and commercial achievements. Their music video for “On Time” was No. 1 on MTV and No. 5 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The ability to cross over from live shows to commercial success is something not many bands can do while still keeping a strong following. Not only have the Biscuits done that, but they have generated an even larger fan base. Brownstein has been asked, “How did you become so successful?” and he concludes that there really isn’t a secret. He believes that an aspiring musician must practice as much as he can, but a lot of talent is born. Therefore, he surrounds himself with incredibly talented individuals like Gutwillig, the band’s guitarist. Brownstein destructs and reconstructs Gutwillig’s gifted songwriting and learns from him. The technical term for the Biscuits’ music is “type 2 jamming,” meaning the ability to jam and push the music in a place that does not relate to the song. The successful mastery of this technique has only been accomplished by three bands: The Grateful Dead, Phish and The Disco Biscuits. As a recent addition to the “type 2” scene, The Disco Biscuits have a lot to be proud of. The Disco Biscuits are performing at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston on Saturday.
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THE JUSTICE
FOOD
UNIQUE TASTE
A great date-night location ■ Though the dishes are expensive,
Ten Tables offers a great atmosphere and delicious food for special nights. By WEI-HUAN CHEN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
DOUGLAS MOORE/the Justice
FULL OF FLAVOR: Founders Devil Dancer (right), a beer from Michigan, and Dogfish Head Bitches Brew, from Maryland, both contain full-bodied flavor.
Brewing up delicious beers ■ While Founders Devil Dancer is
more of a heavy summer beer, Dogfish Head Bitches Brew is a dark, limited-edition beer. By DOUGLAS MOORE JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Welcome to what I hope will be the first in a series of weekly articles on craft beer. This is a column on the science and art of one of the world’s oldest drinks. It is not a column on the crazy things you and I have done with this beverage and will someday tell our kids about; it is merely about the flavors and the work that go into every bottle, bomber and pint of beer we consume. I strongly urge you to respect all federal and local laws regarding beer and to please enjoy responsibly. You’ll get the best understanding of the craft if you aren’t completely wasted. To begin this column, which I hope will involve interviews, brewpub restaurant reviews and other fascinating facts about the world of craft beer, I’m going to start with a couple of beers I had while Hurricane Earl came and went. I stocked up on beer expecting the worst, and while the worst didn’t come, I still had a pretty enjoyable evening. I’ll highlight the two beers I had. To review a beer, I utilize all my senses, as drinking doesn’t just encompass the drinking aspect: It is the entire experience. I review a
beer based on its appearance, its smell, its taste and finally its mouthfeel (the consistency of the liquid in the mouth). Founders Devil Dancer: I started with a beer I have been holding for a while now. Founders Brewery, out of Grand Rapids, Mich., produced this limitededition triple India Pale Ale (a lighter-colored beer produced with very large amounts of hops) in the summer months. This beer poured out of the bottle into a snifter a light copper color with an amber hue. A slight amount of head retained on the top for a short period of time. Upon sniffing the beer, the incredible amounts of hops in the beer sang out with a bitter citrus scent on the nose. The 12percent alcohol by volume was also quite apparent as it really takes your nose aback. Upon tasting the beer, I sensed more of the same, a mix of alcohol and hoppiness. This beer is not for the inexperienced or unprepared. That said, it maintains a decent balance of booziness cut by the hops. Flavors of citrus, caramel and bread come through the flavor profile. The mouthful is quite thick with a slight carbonation on the tongue, finishing with a puckering from the hops and burn from the alcohol. Overall, this is a decent beer for the experienced beer aficionado but not the most accessible beer. If you are willing to try something very hoppy and powerful, I recommend giving it a shot next summer when it’s available. 7/10 Dogfish Head Bitches Brew: This beer was released this week by Dog-
fish Head in Reheboth Beach, Md. and has been highly publicized. It is named to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Miles Davis album of the same name, an album that brewery owner Sam Calagione considers a large influence on his own life and business. Bitches Brew is a mixture of 75 percent Imperial Stout (strong dark beer) and 25 percent honey beer. Poured out into a snifter, this beer comes out black and oily. I’ve hardly seen many beers this dark. Upon sniffing, there is a definite sweetness to the drink and a bit of roasted malt also appears in there. In tasting, that sweetness comes out more definitely. There is a mix of chocolate and coffee in the beginning that settles to the sweetness of the honey beer. A slight taste of hoppy bitterness can be tasted in the finish as well. On a mouthfeel level, this beer is very thick and syrupy. For having an alcohol level of 9 percent, the booze is not very apparent. Despite being very heavy and sweet, this beer is quite drinkable. It is nothing groundbreaking or unbelievable, but it tastes good and has a good profile of flavors. It’s an interesting drink that anyone can appreciate. There are still some liter bottles available here and there, so get them while you can. 8/10 That’s it for this week; I hope to have more explanation of beer and more widely known beers in the weeks ahead. I just thought it would be fun to tell you what I had riding out the hurricane that never really was. Keep drinking good beer!
To all the couples out there, I may have found the perfect place for that once-a-semester restaurant splurge. Though the Cambridge restaurant actually has around 14 tables, Ten Tables is as small and exclusive as you would expect from its name. It’s not just that you’ll feel like you have the place to yourself—the dim lights and quiet location also help to guarantee a romantic and sophisticated night. It doesn’t hurt, either, that the food prepared by chef David Punch and crew is some of the best in its $20-to-$30-per-entrée price range. Located at 5 Craigie Circle in Cambridge, it’s about a 15-minute walk away from the hustle and bustle of Harvard Square. That means that you and your date will be uninterrupted by other college students as you pass the calm residential area off of Concord Avenue, It’s a little out of the way, but my dining partner and I soon found the trek to be more than worth it. As we walked down its narrow stairway to the dining area, a display wall proudly shows Ten Tables as winner of Boston Magazine’s “Best of Boston 2009, Romantic, Affordable” award, an accolade we both agreed on as we walked back up the stairs two hours later. Ten Tables shows that fine American dining doesn’t have to be a snobbish experience, even when it combines a wealth of Italian and French cuisines of which, admittedly, I was not an expert. The waiter—dressed in black formalwear—was patient and knowledgeable, especially when I asked him to explain the elements of our antipasti appetizer. Served with cumin croccantini, which is essentially the “crackers” to the various “dips,” highlights of the dish include watermelon cubes drizzled with Saba dressing and a delectable bluefish pate garnished with pine nuts. The antipasti—priced at $13—held its own as a light, diverse meal, and the table bread complimented it well. I highly recommend it. Ten Tables allows plenty of time for diners to chat between dishes, further emphasizing its romantic appeal. While we waited for our entrées, I noticed that the minimal décor was perfect for the place, since diners come to pay attention to each other, not a dazzling piece of artwork hanging on the walls. However, the tables are placed very closely together, so it’s easy to overhear other conversations. I’m absolutely in love with the entrée I had at Ten Tables. The Berkshire pork chop I ordered was softer and juicier than any I’ve ever had before, and it paired perfectly with the Wards Farm creamed corn served under it. Although the pork was unbrined, its texture was impressive, reminding me of good raw salmon: mostly creamy and slightly chewy. The dark, roasted skin had hints of salt, pepper and charcoal that balanced the unseasoned meat in the middle. The pickled mushrooms and baby arugula are spicy and slightly tangy, which match the pork and corn well. The kernels of corn felt more like potatoes than regular corn in my mouth, missing that stringy, get-stuck-in-your-teeth aspect that I tend to dislike. The melted spicy chipotle butter on the bottom of the vegetables is wonderful and never intrudes on the corn’s own buttery taste. The dish comes in a relatively large portion for the $25 price, too. My dining partner was kind enough to offer her Haddock for me to taste. It didn’t impress me nearly as much as the pork, but I enjoyed having hazelnut with fish for the first time. It’s an interesting contrast of textures, and the fruity pomegranate sauce produced an even more notable contrast of flavor. The fish itself was smooth, with hints of fried and lemony aromas. My of-age friend described the 2009 Chenin Blanc as a wonderful pair to the fish, stressing the white wine’s spicy fruit-flavored aromas. At $20, I would only recommend it if you were adamant about having Haddock. Unfortunately, I can’t say much about the desserts at Ten Tables. With our bill coming out to $85, including tip, we decided to satisfy our sweet tooth at Sweet Cupcakes, located at 0 Brattle St., instead. With bread, appetizer and entrées Ten Tables should satisfy even the hungriest of college diners. So if you decide to take the plunge, what else should you know about Ten Tables? Make reservations as early as possible, either by calling the Cambridge location at (617) 576-5444 or by using opentable.com. Dress code is casual, but know that most guests are older and better dressed than the average college student. Most important, enjoy a romantic, memorable evening with delicious food and wonderful service.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
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MUSIC
Jukebox trio releases a “sunny” album ■ Indie-pop trio Jukebox the
Ghost releases its upbeat, goofy and fun-filled sophomore album today. By BRYAN FLATT JUSTICE EDITOR
Jukebox the Ghost’s sophomore album, Everything Under the Sun, begins much like its first album-a few seconds of solo piano instruments followed by the rest of the three-piece band before the distinct voice of lead singer Ben Thornewill jumps into the first verse. The difference between the two, though, becomes crystal clear on the first staccato note of the piano. Not only is the production value and sound quality vastly improved from the first album, Let Live & Let Ghosts, but the overall sound of the band has become tighter, stronger and more confident. From first note to last verse, the album is filled with catchy indie-pop hooks, memorable verses and riffs that can be appreciated on first or fiftieth listen. But who is Jukebox the Ghost? It is a three-piece, musically talented band that creates meaningfully goofy songs about everything from schizophrenia to falling in love to the end of the world. Its music is catchy; the lyrics are quick; and most of all, the musicians are downright fun. The three band members, Thornewill (vocals and piano), Tommy Siegel (vocals and guitar) and Jesse Kristin (drums), met in 2003 at college, as most great indie bands do. Since their initial introduction, their band has changed names from “The Sunday Mail” to their current name-Captain Beefheart and Vladimir Nabakov inspired. Since 2006, they have toured across America while finding time to record two albums, the first released in 2008 and the second released today. They even found time in their busy schedule to make their way to Brandeis to play a show at Cholmondeley’s in 2008-what a treat. Their new album, produced by Peter Katis (Interpol, The National, Tokyo Police Club), contains 11 upbeat tracks that are fun to listen to, dance to and just enjoy. The album begins with the track “Schizophrenia,” a song that has quickly become one of my favorites on the album. As it turns out, I am not the only one who loves the song: David Letterman just brought the band on his show to perform on Sept. 1. What works so well about the track is that it combines upbeat but complex vocals and music with serious undertones. This isn't your 13-year-old next-door neighbor's bubblegum pop but instead a song equal parts catchy and deep. As Thornewill describes the song on his website, “Years ago I learned that often schizophrenics become schizophrenics
PHOTO COURTESY OF ZACH HINKLE
MUSICALLY TALENTED: Jukebox the Ghost’s new album exhibits many songs about a range of topics that are deep but still musically accessible to listeners of all ages. in their early twenties after a traumatic experience. So the song is from the point of a schizophrenic who still has the wherewithal to talk coherently about his illness. Secondly, the song was born of the two piano melodies of the verses that were both technically very difficult to play and which, after I learned them, screamed ‘schizophrenic.’” It is this deepness that makes Jukebox the Ghost so unique-they can make a song about a mental illness so apt but so fun at the same time. The album continues with this trend on the following 10 tracks. The band's first single, “Empire,” is “an extended metaphor of the heart as a castle. A keep is defined as ‘the stronghold of a castle’ thus: ‘My heart, is my keep and you are threatening me. And the truth is that an empire, as is love, is hard to keep peace-
ful.’” As the metaphor progresses throughout the track, so does the music, transitioning from a slow opening lyric to an upbeat chorus and bridge. The song, about love and its ability to infringe on one’s emotions and very core, shows Jukebox the Ghosts’ ability to not only tackle obscure subject matter but also to relate emotional material. Though all the tracks are extremely musically advanced, they are not all totally upbeat fun. Songs like “So Let Us Create” take a much more mellow approach with a soft drumbeat combined with piano and guitar that float through the back vocals. The instrumental bridge of the song sounds classically inspired and uses minimal broken and solid chords to create a beautiful sound that perfectly accompanies the song’s message of creating a new path of love.
From track to track, the songs blend together so creatively-especially on the tracks “The Sun (Interlude)” and “Stars”-that sound so different but blend into each other in a way that even the most musically trained ear couldn't differentiate. “Stars,” in particular, is a very difficult song to sing, especially considering that vocalist Tommy Siegel spent a lot of time during this album’s recording recovering from vocal nodes, a tissue that grows on vocal chords that causes pain, hoarse voice and vocal fatigue. He sings it with skill and without any hint of injury. The song ponders, “What if we were created to gaze at the stars up above,” a lyric that further exhibits the childlike metaphysical questions that their music marvelously incorporates; something that makes them so accessible to music fans of all
genres. From the jitterbug-esque beat of “The Popular Things” to the reflective rock of “Mistletoe,” Under the Sun is filled, track after track, with music that restores some faith in a world filled with auto-tune and computer replacing instruments. Hearing three talented musicians have fun, reflect, be deep and know their styles still so early in their careers reaffirms that there is still a lot of gas in the stove of true musicianship. It’s something even Letterman can get excited about. JustArts has paired up with Sneak Attack Media and Jukebox the Ghost to provide Justice readers with an exclusive contest: To enter to win one of three copies of this album, e-mail your name and address to artseditors@yahoo.com.
FILM
‘Mesrine’ revists authentic crime genre ■ ‘Mesrine’ retells the life
and times of the nowinfamous French criminal. By ALEX DESILVA JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
THIBAULT CAMUS/the Associated Press
ROBBED BLIND: Vincent Cassels holds up his Lumiere award for his role as Mesrine.
Quick: What do you think of when you hear “crime film?” Most of you probably thought of the ’70s-directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma, and Martin Scorsese. Some of you probably thought of Los Angeles in the ’30s and ’40s; noir capers filled with lush, stylized dialogue. But I’m guessing that a lucky few of you thought of De Gaulle's France of the ’50s and ’60s, because it was in that place and time that some of the best crime films in history were made. Movies like Rififi, The Samurai and Breathless exemplified a genre at its pinnacle. It’s retreated into the shadows in recent years, but every once in a while, a film is released that reminds audiences just how great the genre can be. Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 is that film. Before anything, it must be said that Public Enemy No. 1 is actually a sequel to Mesrine: Killer Instinct, released in France alongside Public Enemy, as a
two-part movie, though Public Enemy works fine as a standalone film. Both covered the life of the real French criminal Jacques Mesrine (expertly played by French actor Vincent Cassel), a bank robber who became famous in France in the ’70s, courting the media and making fools of the police through a series of prison escapes. This ended with his death in 1979, when the French police gunned him down as he drove through Paris. Killer Instinct is based off of Mesrine’s autobiography of the same name, which he wrote while in prison. The first film works like an abridged version of Mesrine’s life, covering his early days as an army interrogator in Algeria, his budding criminal career, his failed marriage, his attempts to go straight and finally his flight to Quebec where his arrest and daring escape put him on the path to fame. Public Enemy follows Mesrine through the ’70s, from his return to France to his death at the end of the decade. Aside from the title character, the two movies have very little in common. The only carryover that has any real bearing to the plot is Mesrine’s family, and they’re only onscreen for a few minutes. All you really need to know is that his wife left him after he returned to crime, and Mesrine left his
children with his parents when he went into hiding in Quebec. That’s it. Director Jean Francois Richet drives the point home that this is all about Mesrine, something Mesrine himself also wanted people to know. This gives Cassel the heavy burden of carrying nearly the entire movie by himself, a responsibility that he performs marvelously. He plays a Mesrine driven by impulse and a lust for publicity, a showman as much as a thug. He makes daring prison escapes that enthrall the nation and styles himself as a revolutionary and an “honorable bandit,” something he himself comes to believe as he falls in with the left-wing militias. Still, Mesrine’s posturing doesn't hide the fact that he’s a thief at heart, a fact that he’d much rather ignore. Unlike its subject, Public Enemy has no outward pretense; it doesn't carry any philosophical message. It’s the director’s take on what happened, a chronicle of Mesrine’s rise and fall. The lack of depth doesn’t make it a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, but those looking for a heady meditation on what led Mesrine to crime will be disappointed. But if you’re looking for a tense, fast-paced crime thriller and can stomach a good amount of violence, you’ll come away satisfied.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
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THE JUSTICE
TOP of the
ARTS ON VIEW
TRIVIA TIME 1. What period of years is described by the term “duodecennial”? 2. What is the name of Homer Simpson’s dog? 3. What is the scientific name for a turtle’s shell? 4. What is the name of the Greek goddess of vengeance? 5. In what country is the airline company Aer Lingus based? 6. What is the largest island in the Caribbean? 7. What was the name of Superman’s pet monkey? 8. What is a codicil? 9. What was the name of the main character (played by Mel Gibson) in Braveheart? 10. What does the abbreviation P.S. stand for?
CHARTS Top 10s for the week ending Sept. 5 BOX OFFICE 1. The American 2. Takers 3. Machete 4. The Last Exorcism 5. Going the Distance 6. The Expendables 7. The Other Guys 8. Eat Pray Love 9. Inception 10. Nanny McPhee Returns
WBRS
RISHIKA ASSOMULL/the Justice
POLITICAL COMMENTARY: This pen drawing by Rishika Assomull ’13 was inspired by Tisna Sanjaya, an Indonesian political artist, and his view on the reign of the Indonesian dictator President Suharto, who ruled from March 1967 until his resignation in May 1998.
1. 12 years 2. Santa’s Little Helper 3. Carapace 4. Nemesis 5. Ireland 6. Cuba 7. Beppo 8. Addition to a will 9. William Wallace 10. Postscript ANSWERS
CROSSWORD
SHOWTIMES 9/7 - 9/9 Going the Distance Tues-Thurs 2:50, 5:10, 8:20 Mesrine: Killer Instinct Tues-Thurs: 2:20 Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 Tues-Thurs: 5:00, 7:40 The Other Guys Tues-Thurs: 2:40, 5:20, 8:10 The Switch Tues-Thurs: 2:00 Inception Tues-Thurs: 4:20, 7:30 The American Tues-Thurs: 2:30, 5:10, 8:00
ACROSS 1. Bake sale org. 4. List-ending abbr. 7. Animal 12. Sleep phenom 13. Bill’s partner 14. White-collared thrush (Var.) 15. Sphere 16. Quasimodo, notably 18. Tramcar contents 19. Sequence 20. MacDonald’s place 22. Ages and ages 23. Hardy cabbage 27. Help 29. Penn pal 31. Be a goldbrick 34. Material for blue shoes 35. Addicted 37. Likely 38. Longings 39. Sinbad's bird 41. Fly fast 45. Spanish appetizers 47. Weep 48. Car style 52. Bill 53. Open-mouthed 54. Golfer’s concern 55. Greek vowel 56. Sir’s counterpart 57. Horror film with four sequels 58. Sen. Kennedy DOWN 1. Evidence 2. Earth 3. Cautionary color 4. Reverberate 5. Went sightseeing 6. Individually owned apartment 7. Physicist Niels 8. Abrade 9. Today 10. Sleuth 11. Antlered animal 17. Minimal change 21. Report card data 23. Hardly dexterous one 24. Brewery product
COLLEGE RADIO 1. Broken Bells – Broken Bells 2. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach 3. Spoon – Transference 4. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Genuine Negro Jig 5. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor 6. Yeasayer – Odd Blood 7. Liars – Sister World 8. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks 9. Beach House – Teen Dream 10. Jimi Hendrix – Valleys Of Neptune
BILLBOARD 1. Kary Perry – Teenage Dream 2. Fantasia – Back to Me 3. Eminem – Recovery 4. Usher – Versus 5. Little Big Town – The Reason Why 6. Kem – Intimacy: Album III 7. Justin Bieber – My World 2.0 8. Randy Rogers Band – Burning the Day 9. Ray Lamontagne And The Pariah Dogs – God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise 10. The Devil Wears Prada – Zombie (EP) 25. Started 26. Before 28. Mamie’s man 30. Kreskin's claim 31. Bashful 32. Weeding tool 33. Charged bit 36. Colorless 37. Source of gum arabic 40. October birthstones 42. Square dance group 43. Preach, maybe 44. “Oops” 45. Not us 46. Distort 48. Overactive one? 49. Khan title 50. Slight amount 51. Bkpr.
Album information provided by Billboard Magazine. Box office information provided by Yahoo! Movies. Radio charts provided by CMJ.
STAFF PLAYLIST
“Work Day” By JILLIAN WAGNER JUSTICE EDITOR
Solution to last issue’s crossword.
King Crossword Copyright 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.
Eat Pray Love Tues-Thurs: 2:10, 5:00, 7:50
STRANGE BUT TRUE ■ It was 19th-century author Samuel Butler who made the following sage observation: “Morality is the custom of one’s country and the current feeling of one’s peers. Cannibalism is moral in a cannibal country.” ■ When the city of New York was concerned about leaks in its main water-supply system, it found a novel approach to the problem. Six experienced deep-sea divers were hired to live in a pressurized tank within the water-supply tunnel for a month while they investigated the leaks. ■ Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Popsicle was invented by an 11-year-old boy.
The Embassy is located at 18 Pine Street in Waltham
1. Arcade Fire – “Ready to Start” 2. Gorillaz – “Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach” 3. Oberhofer – “I Coud Go” 4. Tokyo Police Club – “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” 5. Sleigh Bells – “Kids” 6. Best Coast – “Boyfriend” 7. No Age – “Glitter” 8. Ra Ra Riot – “The Orchard” 9. Wavves – “Post Acid” 10. The Thermals – “Only For You”
■ If you would like to get into modeling and live the glamorous life, you might want to reconsider: Researchers at Dow Jones MarketWatch have found that the average model makes a mere $11 to $12 per hour. ■ Statistics show that for every person born in the United States, there are 15 puppies and 45 kittens born.
■ In 1950, the average executive earned about 30 times as much as the average worker. Today’s executives earn 300 to 500 times as much. ■ Evidently, wild monkeys are causing a bit of trouble for railroads in India. It seems that the monkeys board trains and run amok, causing no small amount of consternation to the passengers. To combat the problem, police in the city of Delhi hired a black-faced langur monkey to ride the trains and frighten off the wild monkeys. There’s no word on what wages were offered. ■ The most common surnames in the United States are, in order, Smith, Johnson, Williams and Jones. ■ Those who study such things say that in just one of your fingertips there are approximately 3,000 touch receptors. Thought for the Day: “A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done.” —Fred Allen
The following playlist is a portion of the collection of songs that helped me pass the time during my commute to work this summer. I considered listing eight to 10 songs from Hans Zimmer’s Inception soundtrack, but decided that would not be an effective playlist. Instead, I tried to select songs that represent the varied music styles and genres in which I am interested, including some music that is relatively new to me as well as some all-time favorites. THE LIST 1. “Avalanche” – David Cook 2. “Fractured (Everything I Said Was True)” – Taproot 3. “Dream is Collapsing” – Hans Zimmer 4. “Last One Standing” – Hot Chelle Rae 5. “Without You” – Breaking Benjamin 6. “Unbreak” – Ryan Star 7. “Time” – Hans Zimmer 8. “Paradigm” – We Are The Fallen 9. “Heroes” – David Cook 10. “You Say” – Elliott Yamin