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THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1878 VOLUME 128, NO. 63

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2007

Sam Fox’s donations come under scrutiny BY BEN SALES SENIOR STAFF REPORTER

MCT DIRECT

Sam Fox introduces President George W. Bush to a group of supporters at Hunter Engineering Co. in St. Louis on Friday, May 14, 2004. The President has nominated Fox for the ambassadorship to Belgium.

Sam Fox, for whom Washington University’s School of Design and Visual Arts is named, has come under U.S. Senatorial scrutiny for questionable donations to Swift Boat Veterans, a Republican party special interest group. Fox works with the Harbour Group, an investment organization based in St. Louis, and is a major philanthropist in the area. In 2004, two years before the dedication of his namesake school, Fox donated $50,000 dollars to the Swift Boat Veterans (SBV). The group proceeded to run a TV advertisement in which it questioned then-Presidential candidate Senator John Kerry’s record in the Vietnam War. The commercial’s allegations were later proved to be false.

President Bush recently appointed Fox to be ambassador to Belgium, and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Senator Kerry himself, questioned Fox about his donation to SBV. Fox denied knowledge of the advertisement upon his donation, and said that there is no link between his philanthropies of the University and the Republican party. “There is no connection between my donations to Washington University and my donations on behalf of the Republican Party,” he said. “I give to Washington University because I am an alumnus and feel deep gratitude for what it did for me and deep respect for the role it plays in society. I give to Republicans because I believe they generally offer America better government.” Stacey Goodwin, president of

ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR As students leave campus for Spring Break, several prominent faculty members and eight University deans will be traveling to Bangkok, Thailand, for a meeting of the University’s International Advisory Council for Asia (IACA). “We will spend part of our time trying to get a better understanding of what’s happening in the academic, social, and political communities in Asia and part of our time working on [international] initiatives,” said Edward Lawlor, dean of the School of Social Work who will be attending the meeting. This meeting represents an effort to build new connections with Chulalongkorn Univer-

sity, Washington University’s newest partner in Thailand and to raise the University’s international visibility. “The leadership of Chulalongkorn will meet with our group and we’ll try to help each other to understand the other group,” said Dean David Blasingame, executive vice chancellor for alumni and development. “We’ll try to understand Chulalongkorn University and explain Washington University to them.” At the meeting, Chancellor Wrighton will meet with Chulalongkorn’s president, and University faculty will make joint presentations with faculty from Chulalongkorn University. “We’ve found these meetings to be very helpful to University leadership and understanding Asia,” said

MCT CAMPUS

Visitors tour the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, which was established in 1782. Chancellor Wrighton and a consortium of deans and faculty are currently travelling in Thailand.

Have a great spring break! Student Life wishes readers a restful spring break. We are taking a break too—this is the last issue before break. Publication resumes Wednesday, March 21, 2007.

Blasingame. “It’s been a very productive set of activities in that regard, we’ve partnered with a great set of Universities through the McDonnell Institute. Additionally, Chancellor Wrighton will make a presentation to the advisors on the progress the University has made in terms of internationalization, speciﬁcally in regards to past efforts of and future plans for the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, a product of the IACA meetings. “We’re going to be more focused building some programs and initiatives with our McDonnell partners,” said Lawlor. During their time in Thailand, the University delegation will also meet with the American ambassador to Thailand and prominent University alumni in the country; Tarisa Watanagase, one such alumnus, is currently the Governor of the Bank of Thailand. The IACA is a group of more than 40 prominent University partners, alumni, and friends of the University who work together to advise the University as it builds a network of connections within Asia. The council meets approximately once every 18 months. The council was formed in 1995 with the intention of developing the University’s international relationships, improving student recruitment, and building the University’s name recognition. The IACA meeting comes as part of continued efforts by the University to build stronger ties with international institutions. “There is an intangible part of these meetings, which is the relationships which have been built up over long periods of time. There is no substitute for the face-to-face discussions which take place at these meetings,” said Lawlor. Additionally, this May, the University will host an International Symposium on Energy and the Environment; the conference will bring together the University’s partners from around the world in addition to prominent individuals within the country for a discussion of global issues.

been supportive of the school’s leadership in its ﬁrst years. “[Fox] has been very generous and supportive of my role here,” he said. “He has made a commitment to Washington University to start the Sam Fox school and building.” But Meredith Sigler, president of the University College Democrats, said that she is disappointed by Fox’s actions, and that Fox’s apology to Senator Kerry was less than sincere. “He is welcome to his own opinions, but obviously we disagree with him,” said Sigler, a junior. “It was a halfhearted apology, and not really that believable.” Davis also said that Fox’s involvement with SBV reﬂects poorly on the University.

See FOX, page 3

THROWING OUT THE COMPETITION

Chancellor, deans spend spring break in Bangkok BY SAM GUZIK

the Washington University College Republicans, does not believe that Fox’s donation to SBV should alter his placement in the government. “I do not think it should affect his ambassadorship,” said Goodwin. “He did not have any control over what message the Swift Boat Veterans were going to send.” Carmon Colangelo, dean of the Sam Fox School, said that Fox’s donation to SBV does not relate at all to his funding of the school, and that Fox has been a positive force on the University artistic community. I am not going to make that connection,” said Colangelo. “He is a great supporter of Washington University, of higher education, and of the arts in St. Louis. That is what I know of.” Colangelo added that Fox has

SCOTT BRESSLER | STUDENT LIFE

Brian Williams, sophomore pitches against Greenville College in the second game of a doubleheader. The team won both games. First game was 1-0, scoring a run from a balk in the bottom of the last inning (7th), and the second game was 6-2.

Barnes Jewish lease deal approved BY ELIZABETH LEWIS NEWS MANAGER Following months of debate, Barnes-Jewish gained approval from the city to lease 9.4 acres of Forest Park land on Friday. The deal was made with provisions that Barnes-Jewish will pay about $2 million a year for the land, which is called Hudlin Park. This $2 million will be matched by Forest Park Forever, a private park booster group, which has agreed to add $1.8 million. This addition would bring in about $4 million for the protection of Forest Park.

Class of 2007 rates Russert Do Wash. U. seniors want to “Meet the Press”? In the letters to the editor, readers respond to the University’s commencement speaker announcement. Forum, Page 6

June Fowler, the vice-president of corporate and public communications for the hospital, is pleased with the approval. “It has been a long process, one that has had a lot of opportunity for public engagement,” she said. Fowler said the decision is also positive because it gives the hospital the opportunity to start planning for the future, something that is especially important because the greatest needs for beds and other expansion will be in 2020 in response to aging Baby Boomers. In addition, Fowler said that the expan-

sion will beneﬁt patients who do not live in central St. Louis where the hospital is located and will make it easier for them to receive services. “We have been very successful at having folks from the west, north, and south to commute to the hospital, but as the population ages, we need to expand. Then, patients do not have to commute,” she said. When building begins, Fowler anticipates another patient tower, diagnostic and treatment rooms, among other buildings. Actual building, though, will

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Senior News Editor / Mandy Silver / news@studlife.com

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

STUDENT LIFE One Brookings Drive #1039 #42 Women’s Building Saint Louis, MO 63130-4899 News: (314) 935-5995 Advertising: (314) 935-6713 Fax: (314) 935-5938 e-mail: editor@studlife.com www.studlife.com Copyright 2007 Editor in Chief: Sarah Kliff Associate Editor: Liz Neukirch Managing Editors: Justin Davidson, David Tabor Senior News Editor: Mandy Silver Senior Forum Editor: Daniel Milstein Senior Cadenza Editor: Ivanna Yang Senior Scene Editor: Erin Fults Senior Sports Editor: Andrei Berman Senior Photo Editor: David Brody Senior Graphics Editor: Rachel Harris News Editors: Troy Rumans, Laura Geggel, Josh Hantz, Shweta Murthi News Manager: Elizabeth Lewis Assignments Editor: Sam Guzik Forum Editors: Tess Croner, Nathan Everly, Chelsea Murphy, Jill Strominger Cadenza Editors: Elizabeth Ochoa, David Kaminksy, Brian Stitt Scene Editors: Sarah Klein, Felicia Baskin Sports Editor: Scott Kaufman-Ross Photo Editors: Alwyn Loh, Lionel Sobehart, Eitan Hochster, Jenny Shao Online Editor: Scott Bressler Design Chief: Laura McLean Production Chief: Anna Dinndorf Copy Chiefs: Willie Mendelson, Indu Chandrasekhar Copy Editors: Troy Rumans, Jessica Katzenstein Designers: Ellen Lo, Jamie Reed, Chris Maury, Kim Yeh, Dennis Sweeney, Courtney LeGates General Manager: Andrew O’Dell Advertising Manager: Sara Judd Copyright 2007 Washington University Student Media, Inc. (WUSMI). Student Life is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper serving the Washington University community. First copy of each publication is free; all additional copies are 50 cents. Subscriptions may be purchased for $80.00 by calling (314) 935-6713. Student Life is a publication of WUSMI and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the Washington University administration, faculty or students. All Student Life articles, photos and graphics are the property of WUSMI and may not be reproduced or published without the express written consent of the General Manager. Pictures and graphics printed in Student Life are available for purchase; e-mail editor@studlife.com for more information. Student Life reserves the right to edit all submissions for style, grammar, length and accuracy. The intent of submissions will not be altered. Student Life reserves the right not to publish all submissions. If you’d like to place an ad, please contact the Advertising Department at (314) 935-6713. If you wish to report an error or request a clarification, e-mail editor@studlife.com.

NATIONAL

Ann Coulter scorned for anti-gay slur

Pizza Hut reading program under attack

Representatives of both political parties, including John McCain and Edward Kennedy, are attacking conservative commentator Ann Coulter for calling presidential candidate John Edwards a “faggot” on Friday. Edwards posted the video on his campaign’s Web site and is asking readers to help raise $100,000 to keep his presidential run “charging ahead” against bigotry. Coulter made the comment during her address to the 34th annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Committee in Washington, D.C. The Committee followed the comment with applause.

Child-development experts have started attacking Pizza Hut’s reading program, Book It, which rewards young readers with free pizzas. Begun in 1985, the program targets 50,000 schools across the country and has given away more than 200 million pizzas, establishing itself within the political and educational community. Critics from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood say the incentive supports poor eating habits and encourages teachers to become corporate advocates. They also say the program makes kids want to read for the wrong reasons and forces parents to reward their children with pizza. Book It’s supporters argue that it genuinely increases children’s interest in reading and that neither the program, nor the schools, are the ones causing obesity.

Publishers allow online book browsing Publishing giants Random House and HarperCollins are now letting consumers look through their books online through a new service called Insight. Random House is letting consumers take speciﬁc material from its works for use on social networking and retail sites. HarperCollins is also letting people insert pages of books onto networking sites. While this is a big step for the publishing industry, companies including Amazon have had similar services since 2003 and Google since 2005. The publishers are following the trend of young readers’ increasing use of the Internet.

Recording industry cracks down on college students The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has increased efforts to stop college students from downloading pirated music while offering them alternatives to settling disputes in court. It mailed letters to 13 universities warning them of possible lawsuits against their students and also asked them to inform speciﬁc students that they were being sued. The recording industry says sales have dropped by more than 23 percent over the past six years, with much of the damage coming from college students’ online ﬁle sharing. Web tracking company Big Champagne says that users illegally swap more than 1 billion songs each month.

UNIVERSITY Adjunct professor part of Jesus’ lost tomb documentary Frank K. Flinn, adjunct professor of religious studies, is part of a new Discovery Channel Series called The Lost Tomb of Jesus, which aired last Monday. Flinn, a forensic theology consultant, is an expert on religion and law and how the two interact, and gives his own insight to the matter. The documentary focuses on the 1980 examination of tombs and ossuaries, or “bone boxes,” in the Talpiyot district of Jerusalem by Israel archaeologists. In 2002, another ossuary with the inscription “James, son of Joseph, the brother of Jesus,” appeared on the market, sparking more debate and inquiry. Many devout Christians say the discovery is a hoax, while other scholars argue that the odds of this discovery not relating to the Jesus of the Gospels are 1/600.

LOCAL Galleria discusses new security measures to deal with unruly behavior The St. Louis Galleria is considering stricter measures after police were needed to break up a mob of teenagers at the mall on Saturday night. They are discussing many changes, one of which is the possibility of a curfew for teenagers. The St. Louis Mills Mall, for example, requires teenagers under the age of 17 to be accompanied by someone 21 or older after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The incident that spurred this event occurred at 8 p.m., when as many as 100 youths began cursing and taunting police after the ofﬁcers used pepper spray to arrest a man who had been cursing and yelling. Three teens were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, and some smashed the windows of four parked vehicles.

POLICE BEAT Friday, Feb. 23 1:48 p.m. SUSPICIOUS PERSON—HITZEMAN DORM—Report of 3 suspicious persons in front of Hitzeman Dorm. Officers made contact with subjects and verified they were on campus for job applications. One subject was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Disposition: Cleared. 2:49 p.m. FIRE ALARM—UMRATH DORM—A pull station activated in the hallway near room 108. The fire department responded. Burnt popcorn was discovered in the trash can in the ground floor kitchenette. Disposition: Cleared. 10:46 p.m. WRITTEN HARASSMENT—LIGGETT DORM—Complainant having problems

with a subject from an old relationship. Both subjects agreed to have no further contact with each other and both requested no further police action. Disposition: Cleared.

Friday, March 2 12:06 a.m. TRESPASSING— RIDGLEY HALL—Subject arrested for trespassing and conveyed to St. Louis County Jail. Disposition: Cleared by arrest.

Saturday, Feb. 24 Saturday, March 3 6:58 a.m. AUTO ACCIDENT— KEMPER LOADING DOCK— Semi truck had knocked a blue light down and caused damage to surrounding property. Disposition: Cleared. 7:50 p.m. LOST ARTICLE—POSSIBLY STOLEN—SIGMA ALPHA MU—Complainant reports his wallet missing from his room after a large gathering in the house. Time of occurrence: from Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. to Feb. 24 at 1 a.m. Disposition: Pending.

‘Coming Out Around the World’ analyzes global LGBT issues

4:40 p.m. PROPERTY DAMAGE—ANHEUSER BUSCH HALL OF LAW—Three subjects damaged the complainant’s motorcycle by knocking it over. Disposition: Pending. Sunday, March 4 10:30 a.m. LARCENY—FORSYTH/HOYT PAVED LOT—Subjects unknown broke a window on complainant’s vehicle to steal miscellaneous items locat-

ed therein. Value $130.00. Time of occurrence: between March 2 at 5:30 p.m. and March 4 at 10:29 a.m. Disposition: Pending. 1:52 p.m. INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS—PARKING LOT #4—Victim was showing a potential buyer a vehicle. While test driving the vehicle, the “buyer” stole same. Theft report ﬁled with St. Louis City Police. Disposition: Pending. 2:07 p.m. LARCENY-THEFT— G A RG OY L E — Com pl a i n a nt reported the theft of 8 microphones from the Gargoyle. Time of occurrence: between Nov. 15 and Feb. 27. Value $1,390.00. Disposition: Pending.

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COURTESY OF JOHN SCAGLIOTTI

John Scagliotti, the director of “Dangerous Lives: Coming Out in the Developing World,” will speak at tonight’s town hall meeting. BY SCOTT FABRICANT CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The International and Area Studies Honorary Society is hosting “Coming Out Around The World,” tonight’s town hall discussion about LGBT issues around the world. The meeting will feature a panel of experts from across the country. “The town hall is an exploration of LGBT issues from international perspectives. There is so much going on right now globally in regards to LGBT rights and identity and movements that people in the Global North just aren’t aware of. Sigma Iota Rho [the international studies honorary society] felt this was the right moment to bring this to the St. Louis community because, not only is it an interesting topic, but people need to be aware of what’s going on in the world,” said Sigma Iota Rho president Micah King. The idea for the event came when King was studying abroad in Cameroon, and witnessed mistreatment of local gays and lesbians firsthand. “I met a girl from a high school in Dschang who said two of her classmates were a lesbian couple arrested on charges of homosexuality and released two weeks later on the condition that within two years of being released they had to become pregnant to prove their heterosexuality. That was my introduction to homosexuality in the developing world and the persecution that people there have to live with every day,” said King. The panel of experts includes Julie Dorf, founding executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission; Winifred Poster, visiting professor in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; John Scagliotti, Emmy Awardwinning director of “Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World” and Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “We’re all going to be coming at this from different perspectives, but for me, I want people to emerge with more of an understanding of some of the challenges that LGBT movements are facing all around the world as they try to face intolerance,” said Long. “I’m going to be talking about the media and the lack of it on issues. I come as a media person who’s covered the issues of gay and lesbian people for the last 30 years. I see the parallels in this country’s struggles to struggles around the world, and why media itself is a political issue,” said Scagliotti. “People are still being arrested in Cameroon and Africa and all over the world, and in the Middle East, they’re being hung. You can be hung for being gay. The realities are there; it’s just a question of coverage and organizational support. I get information out to the general public about what’s going on. We all have certain roles.” Sigma Iota Rho screened Scagliotti’s film last Wednesday as a lead-up to today’s event. “People were very moved by the movie. After it was over, people just sat in their seats and collected themselves. It was depressing at times but

See COMING OUT, page 4

Senior News Editor / Mandy Silver / news@studlife.com

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

Assembly series focuses on eating disorders BY JOSH HANTZ NEWS EDITOR Photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield is presenting her work about problems in American youth culture today at the Assembly Series. She has specifically chronicled the rise in eating disorders, now affecting an estimated 20 percent of the population. American Photo named her one of the 25 most influential photographers currently working, and one of the top three female photographers. Her first feature length film, “Thin,” aired on HBO last November after debuting at the Sundance Film Festival. The film profiles women at the Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Fla., a treatment center for eating disorders. In the documentary, she uses photos and live footage to narrate the stories of four women with eating disorders. She has three other publications as well. One chronicles “Thin,” one is an exhibition called “Girl Culture” and the third is her book, “Fast Forward: Growing Up in the Shadow of Hollywood.” Some of Greenfield’s most famous collections are on display in places like the Art Institute of Chicago and the French Ministry of Culture. She has also won several awards for photos run in The New York Times, TIME, The New Yorker and ELLE. Assistant Professor of Psy-

chology Thomas Rodebaugh discussed why eating disorders have become so prevalent in Western culture. “Research suggests that it’s something with the environment—cultural factors and things like advertising and images people are presented with. It’s something more than just genetics.” He added why they can be hard to treat. “It doesn’t help to have a lot of unrealistic images in the media,” he said. “Everyone is exposed to these things but not everyone develops the disorder. It would be helpful if we were more realistic about what is expected from people, but it’s hard to enforce that kind of thing.” Washington University photojournalism professor Wendi Fitzgerald uses Greenﬁeld’s work in her class and has noticed its impact on her students. “When I show her work, students really respond to it, especially women students,” said Fitzgerald. “They seem to really like it and go back to it. She is one that really sticks with them.” Fitzgerald also admires Greenﬁeld’s research and preparation, describing it as very planned out and thorough. “She presents a broad spectrum,” she said. “It isn’t one-sided. She gets her point across but also is very thorough and deep. She’s a real trendsetter.” Her work inspired one student

COURTESY OF LAUREN GREENFIELD

Shelly Guillory, 26, in Salt Lake City, Utah. It has been six months since she left the Renfrew Center where she was undergoing treatment for her eating disorder. Since discharge, she has lost 15 pounds and is now 89 pounds. to do similar work at a mall outlet that dresses up girls for fun. Greenﬁeld is speaking at 11 a.m. in Graham Chapel. Sponsored by the student group Reﬂections, which promotes awareness and prevention of eating disorders, the talk is free and open to the public.

FOX v FROM PAGE 1 “Democrats were disappointed that one of [the University’s] donors would donate to a group that did this to a candidate,” she said. “We do not agree with his decision to donate to this organization and we deﬁnitely do not agree with this group’s decision to attack Kerry’s war record.” Goodwin sees negative advertising as a necessary part of the political process. “It’s a native aspect,” she said of smear campaigns. “It is something that both sides do. If your opponent is running attack ads, you have to respond to them. It is hard to run a positive campaign.”

Goodwin added that such advertisements have good effects as well, and that the SBV commercial is not reason enough to discourage negative campaigning. “Negative advertising is effective,” she said. “I do not see it going away anytime soon. It helps bring stuff to the [foreground] that the public would not know about otherwise. You cannot just restrict negative advertising because of one ad that was not true.” Although Davis agrees that negative advertising is unavoidable, she said that she wants to see less of it.

“It is an inevitable aspect of politics,” she said. “It is not fair on either side. It inhibits an honest and peaceful debate between the candidates, because it causes candidates to focus on irrelevant issues that will deter them from what they want to get out there.” Despite his donation, Fox seconded Davis’ comments, and promoted legislation to restrict negative ads. “There is too much negativity in the political process,” said Davis. “One way to reduce it would be to reduce the amount of money ﬂowing into the process. I would welcome legislative reform in this area.”

STUDENT LIFE | NEWS

4 STUDENT LIFE | NEWS

Senior News Editor / Mandy Silver / news@studlife.com

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

Recent alums create new cow-branding system BY TROY RUMANS NEWS EDITOR Mark Pydynowski and Ramos Mays hope to change the world, one cow at a time. After graduating in 2004, the two Washington University Alumni founded Somark Innovations to bring the idea of biological radio frequency identiďŹ cation (RFID) to the market. The identiďŹ cation system is based on a biocompatible ink tattoo that can be remotely detected, creating a kind of ďŹ ngerprint for cattle. The technology could revolutionize livestock identiďŹ cation, as these inks are virtually impossible to be tampered with or lost. Current RFID tags, on the contrary, are commonly lost due to inclement weather. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most fun milestone was closing our ďŹ rst equity round of ďŹ nancing. We have achieved a proof of the technology, meaning that we completed successful animal tests,â&#x20AC;? said Pydynowski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve built an R&D team of over 20 engineersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of a virtual team. We have people in Massachusetts, Georgia, Utah and California.â&#x20AC;? Pydynowski and Mays are entrepreneurs, in every sense of the word. The two came up with the idea in the fall semester of their senior year, and have been

going strong since. And they still know they can do more. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have exceeded our own expectations and that of our investors, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve beaten our timeline, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been under budget on everything, but it still feels like we should somehow be achieving more,â&#x20AC;? said Pydynowski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We feel like we should have already beaten the Youtube acquisition price.â&#x20AC;? Pydynowski is hopeful that they will soon realize actual gains from their business, but is unsure as to when. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of it depends upon exactly what model and market we go after ďŹ rst. Our focus has been and always will be cattle identiďŹ cation; however, there are some applications for the technology that may allow us to recognize revenue for cattle,â&#x20AC;? said Pydynowski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our timeline depends on these things â&#x20AC;Ś For me, I want it to be done yesterday.â&#x20AC;? Pydynowski said that the use of RFID technology could be explored by the military to reduce friendly ďŹ re through friend or foe recognition or to assist rescue teams in ďŹ nding injured soldiers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have done zero development for any sort of human identiďŹ cation tracking,â&#x20AC;? said Pydynowski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always be-

COMING OUT v FROM PAGE 2 also uplifting. I had people come up to me and say to me that it was one of the most moving films theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever seen,â&#x20AC;? said King. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The movie] is about people fighting to survive and make space for themselves to be gay or lesbian. There are some victories and some difficult times. While it can be sad at times, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a film full of love and resistance and [resilience],â&#x20AC;? added Scagliotti. The event will also feature an early preview of the Yojikarta Principals, a comprehensive statement of LGBT human rights. The final draft will be presented to the U.N. in Geneva later this month. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the things that really needs to be done is establish very clearly that gay, lesbian and transgender rights are part of the fabric of universal human rights. When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted in 1948, no one talked about sexual or gen-

der orientation. We hope to bring together experts in international law to write a set of principals on how international law addresses sexual orientation and gender identity. The principal is simple even if the language is legalistic: LBGT rights are human rights,â&#x20AC;? said Long. While those involved in the panel discussion are optimistic about the future, they believe the key is to be aware of the world around them and the atrocities that may be going on without being noticed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very easy to be insular and concerned about domestic politics, but we also need to recognize that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an international struggle for LGBT rights and for the right to exist and be honest about who you are,â&#x20AC;? said King. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People are being murdered and imprisoned for their sexual identity. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our responsibility as human beings to be informed about what is going on in our world.â&#x20AC;?

lieved that the technology has a potential for such but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very scary proposition and the only real value we saw [in this application] was in saving soldierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives.â&#x20AC;? Pydynowski also had some advice to give entrepreneurs on campus. The most important thing, he noted, was to get started with an idea as soon as possible and to network. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember making the calls to my parents fall semester of senior year and telling them thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a chance we may be putting a pause on school to work on this every waking moment,â&#x20AC;? said Pydynowski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If someone is still in school and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing with an idea, [they should] ďŹ nd a mentor that has been a successful entrepreneur or is very inďŹ&#x201A;uential in the entrepreneurial community.â&#x20AC;? Pydynowki said that students need to gain experience outside the academic world to realize their ideas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trying to teach someone to be an entrepreneur inside of academia is extra tough. I would question whether or not you could actually do it,â&#x20AC;? said Pydynowski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are some skills and knowledge that can be taught inside academia. [One should] ďŹ gure out what those skills are while doing as much

COURTESY OF SOMARK INNOVATIONS

Somark Innovations founders and Wash. U. alumni Ramos M. Mays (left) and Mark C. Pydynowski. outside of academia as possible.â&#x20AC;? Budding entrepreneurs should also make sure to work with the right people when they are starting their business. Pydynowski and Mays noted that a notable mistake they made dur-

ing the development of Somark Innovations was their decision to choose a law ďŹ rm that had little experience with startup companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We may have worked with a ďŹ rm or two where their typical approach was of an established

company,â&#x20AC;? said Pydynowski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we had made some changes, and started working with other ďŹ rms where the majority of clients were startups ... the difference was like night and day.â&#x20AC;?

BARNES v FROM PAGE 1 not start for another seven to eight years. This fact is disturbing to William Landau, a professor of neurology in the Washington University School of Medicine, who believes that Barnes-Jewish stole parkland before a charter amendment could be elected on April 3 that would give voters the right to vote on any change in the status of public parks in St. Louis. Thus, decisions of this nature would be subject to the direct vote of citizens in St. Louis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Citizens have the primary authority to decide about the status of parkland,â&#x20AC;? said Landau. Landau said that the signing of the lease deal was rushed so that it could be signed into law before April 3, and he said that the hospital could have waited, especially because they have no immediate plans to build. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[It was] sneaky and dishonest to press the issue before April 3. It was immoral,â&#x20AC;? he said. Comptroller Darlene Green was partially responsible for the approval of the lease, which she initially opposed. Last week at a meeting for the Board of Aldermen, she decided to give her support while also proposing a creation of two advisory panels that will be responsible for making recommendations on the future of leased land and of Forest Park in general. She also asked a pair of aldermen to create an ordinance to help protect greenspace in the city. Landau supports the idea of the advisory panels and he hopes that these amendments are passed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There should be an advisory panel, but I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t vote because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t live in the city,â&#x20AC;? he said. But he still believes the city made a mistake in approving the lease. â&#x20AC;&#x153;SacriďŹ cing parkland is an irreversible crime. Barnes-Jewish has much space, including antique buildings, that could be replaced without imposing on parkland. Look at the empty place on Euclid or where the [old] nursing school needs to be torn down. [There are] other buildings that are 80 or 90-years-old that

LIONEL SOBEHART | STUDENT LIFE

Barnes-Jewish Hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lease for 9.4 acres of land in Forest Park was finally approved by the city of St. Louis on Friday. BJH is planning to begin construction of additional patient care facilities on the site in seven or eight years. could be replaced. It is cheaper to steal land from the park than to make a better architectural plan,â&#x20AC;? he said. Fowler, though, still believes the approval to be a success.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have had a number of meetings with Citizens to Protect Forest Park [a group opposing the lease]. Even though we disagreed, we certainly respect their principles and commitment. We

disagree on the best way to protect Forest Park. [Barnes-Jewish] feels that this is an excellent way to protect Forest Park by providing a source of long-term funds for maintenance,â&#x20AC;? she said.

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6 STUDENT LIFE | FORUM

Senior Forum Editor / Daniel Milstein / forum@studlife.com

FORUM

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

Our daily Forum editors: Monday: Chelsea Murphy cemurphy@art.wustl.edu

To ensure that we have time to fully evaluate your submissions, guest columns should be e-mailed to the next issue’s editor or forwarded to forum@studlife.com by no later than 5 p.m. two days before publication. Late pieces will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We welcome your submissions and thank you for your consideration.

STAFF EDITORIAL

The real problem with Washington University’s commencement speaker selection

Don’t let shop.WUSTL become the new Spark

he Spark!calendar is a failure. A good idea in theory, the fact that it is basically unknown and unutilized by the student body renders it useless. Likewise, the new shop.WUSTL Web site is another good idea, and Student Union needs to make sure it does not suffer the same fate as Spark. Currently, shop.WUSTL is primarily being used for senior week, but in the future it is planned to be used as a portal for all student groups to sell their merchandise. As a result of one student going to the Web site to see the wares that his or her group is selling, he or she will then be able, either intentionally or inadvertently, to see

what other groups are selling, and if so inclined, buy that merchandise as well. This would be very beneficial to those groups as they would then make more money than they would have otherwise from only tabling. There is one thing needed for this advantage to come to fruition though: students have to actually go to the Web site in the first place. That has been the main problem belying Spark. It should be a very valuable tool where students can easily find out what is happening on campus and what various student groups are planning. However, groups only post their events on Spark when they want to paint the underpass, as is required by SU.

Other than that, students rarely, if ever, use it, resulting in Spark being worthless to the student body. Hopefully, shop.WUSTL will not fall into the same trap. The initial success of shop. WUSTL has been mainly due to the fact that it has been mandatory for seniors to use in order to get tickets to senior week events. The senior class trip to a Cardinals game has even sold out, largely because seniors were able to purchase tickets from wherever they were instead of having to converge on a location that may be out of their reach. If the Web site is properly utilized, other student groups beside the senior class council can reap these beneﬁts. Many upperclassmen who live

off campus rarely pass through Mallinckrodt and Wohl Center, and thus never pass by student groups tabling in those locations. Shop.WUSTL allows these students to still purchase merchandise that they do not get see when avoiding groups that are tabling, and those groups to then get more money from this fundraising. There is very little risk, and the potential for a high reward involved with a Web site like shop.WUSTL. It does not cost a lot of money for Student Union, but could in the future become essential for student groups to have. SU, however, must be careful and prevent shop.WUSTL from becoming the new Spark.

ecently, Student Life ran an editorial (“Let’s not ‘Meet the Press:’ demanding more than Russert for commencement,”March 5, 2007) criticizing the choice of political journalist Tim Russert as the Commencement speaker. The reason for this was simple: Washington University has been making a habit of inviting “uninspiring pundits” and “uninspiring politicians” to give the keynote graduation address. Whether this criticism is accurate is certainly open for debate, but the editorial was correct in noting that it might be helpful for the University to branch out and select different types of speakers. If it does Nathan this, however, then it needs to be careful about deciding who to select. Diversity can provide a refreshing change of pace, but it can also backﬁ re if the speaker has a similar affection for using the standard bromides (e.g. Tim Russert’s “people with backgrounds like yours and mine can make a difference”) that are so commonly articulated among politicians and pundits. A good commencement speaker has to have a compelling narrative that relates to students and draws them in to a powerful message. Here are a couple of examples which ﬂesh out what this really means.

EDITORIAL CARTOON

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Russert: a snooze-inducing speaker Dear Editor: Commencement is supposedly one of the most important days of my life, and I will probably sleep through it. Seriously, it is astounding how one such as Tim Russert, who “[does] not appear to have much name recognition among current seniors” gets chosen as speaker (“Tim Russert to address Class of 2007,” March 5, 2007). You would think if this announcement met only with tepid “generally positive” sentiments by those few “seniors who did recognize him,” red ﬂags should have been raised. Senior Julia Weissman said, “Considering the political environment right now, [Russert’s] probably a good thing,” while senior Robert Mackey seconds, “He’s a good speaker to...address current political issues.” Yeah...no. Every day we are bombarded with the abysmal state of this country’s politics; it is impossible to go 10 minutes without hearing of new scandals, platforms and legisla-

tive ﬁghts. Given the constancy of it all, don’t we deserve a break? Personally, I am sick to death of it. Why do we need another analyst to tell us how upset we should feel, or how we have the power to change things? You know, we seniors are not stupid, we already know politics are going to hell in a handbasket. Commencement should be a time for celebration, where the focus is on us, not the political climate. What happened to the variety, the engaging addressees one used to see at this institution? If this is our day, why are we not given a stronger voice? Seriously, 10 to one, if left to the class of 2007, we would have booked Stephen Colbert faster than you can say “truthiness”. -Jennifer Gormley Class of 2007 Dear Editor: I would like to commend the Student Life staff in their editorial “Let’s not ‘Meet the Press’: Demanding more

Wednesday: Nathan Everly Friday: Tess Croner neverly@wustl.edu tacroner@wustl.edu

than Russert for commencement” (March 5, 2007). As a graduating senior of the class of 2007, I expect more from Wash. U., whose academic ranking and publicity have been consistently rising over the most recent years, to attract a more notable speaker. Last year, I attended my sister’s graduation from George Washington University and their commencement speakers included: George W. Bush Sr., Barbara Bush and Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom and the CBS Corporation. Regardless of political position, a university with less academic visibility, not to mention rank, was able to attract more high-proﬁ le speakers than Wash. U. I would like to join Student Life, and I’m sure other graduating seniors, in demanding that Wash. U. enhance the 2007 Commencement address, something our entire community, including the parents, deserve after four years of education! - Adrienna Huffman

Class of 20

Russert a great choice for grads Dear Editor: I was disappointed to read the Student Life editorial criticizing the choice of this year’s Commencement Speaker, Tim Russert (“Let’s not ‘Meet the Press:’ demanding more than Russert for commencement,” March 5, 2007). What surprised me most was that I could discover in the editorial no rationale for the unhappiness over the decision beyond consultation and the notion that too many political ﬁgures had been chosen in recent years. While I agree that it is certainly advisable and appropriate to incorporate student opinion into the process of choosing a speaker, it seems to me that Russert is a wonderful choice, and an entirely appropriate one. We are a divided na-

See LETTERS, page 5

Frank Warren, Founder of PostSecret PostSecret (www.postsecret.com) is a Web site that has existed for just over two years now, yet it has already had a profound impact on many Americans. Its premise is fairly simple. PostSecret exists to encourage people to anonymously mail in 4-inch by 6-inch postcards which contain very personal secrets. These postcards can be decorated in any fashion, and there are no limits on the kinds of secrets that people can send in. Warren explains on the Web site that the secret itself can be literally anything; it can be “a regret, hope, funny experience, unseen kindness, fantasy, belief, fear, betrayal, erotic desire, feeling, confession, or childhood humiliation.” Select postcards are displayed on the Web site for public viewing, and looking through them is honestly one of the most engrossing phenomenons that you’ll ever experience. The secrets reveal an entire gamut of emotions that range from suicidal brooding to joyful bliss. Each postcard encapsulates the life of an average person who, for whatever reason, decided to anonymously share his or her most vulnerable thoughts and feelings with everyone. That kind of glimpse into the human psyche is rare and perhaps enlightening, and Frank Warren has been there for every second of it. Various media interviews indicate that running PostSecret has

given him some very unique insights about life in general and human nature in particular. He would be an unconventional speaker to be sure, but his story would be a refreshing one. Mark Hanis, Executive Director of the Genocide Intervention Network The New Republic magazine did a proﬁ le piece on Mark Hanis last year, and the tagline of the article mentioned “how a bunch of college kids did more than their government to stop the Darfur genocide.” Indeed, Hanis is now a recent graduate of Swarthmore College, and he is also the executive director of an organization dedicated to stopping genocide in DarEverly the fur. He founded the Genocide Intervention Network while he was still an undergraduate. The organization quickly earned praise for raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in a relatively short time frame. But rather than spend the money on awareness campaigns, Hanis decided that the focus should be on improving Darfur’s paltry security situation. To put things in perspective, the Coalition for International Justice estimates that over 400,000 people have already been killed, and many of the casualties could have been avoided were it not for a shortage of peacekeeping troops in the region. At one point, the Genocide Intervention Network considered spending money to hire mercenary guards from private security ﬁ rms before eventually settling on a plan to train escorts to protect Darfurian women in refugee camps. Hanis is an interesting choice because he is a recent college graduate with limited resources who nonetheless managed to implement substantive actions in the campaign to end the Darfurian genocide. It should be noted that the preceding examples shouldn’t necessarily be considered suggestions for future commencement speakers. For one thing, I’m not even sure whether Frank Warren and Mark Hanis have the desire or the public speaking skills necessary to give a good address. But they do help point out something interesting. The conventional wisdom regarding the Commencement address has always been that Wash. U. needs to attract famous speakers. And this just isn’t the case. Warren and Hanis have certainly accomplished a great deal, and they are well-known in certain circles, but they aren’t that well-known. They didn’t accomplish anything through star power or privilege. They did it through ingenuity and hard work. In fact, this is probably why their stories are so compelling. Nathan is a junior in Arts & Sciences and a Forum editor. He can be reached via email at forum@studlife.com.

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WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

STUDENT LIFE | FORUM

The limits of debating issues W

hat is the Washington University political climate? What’s the ideal Wash. U. climate? And, most importantly, how do we get from here to there? It is certainly difficult to determine what our role, as students, ought to be within the political process. In a time where political correctness is essential to anyone’s credibility and where any real open challenge to authority invites severe repercussions, determining how we work to change things is nothing but difficult. Still, it’s time to start trying to fi gure out how we bridge the gap between having an opinion about something to fi ghting for a change. Daniel Milstein argued (“On ‘Find the Illegal Immigrant,’ Feb. 26, 2007) that Wash. U. campus political organizations should follow in the footsteps of actions taken by groups like New

and conducive to the atmoYork University’s College Resphere here at Washington publicans. This group hosted University.” a campus game of “Find the Honestly, I couldn’t care Illegal Immigrant,” which less how the Colgenerated lots of lege Democrats are criticism and pubfunctioning and what licity. Though it was “issue-driven, visible offensive, it spurred initiatives” they will campus debate take on “to increase and got students campus debate.” My interested in the lack of concern stems issue. In response not from a desire to to this suggestion, the group or Meredith Sigler Jill Strominger undercut deny its importance. wrote in her letter, I assume the Col“‘Find the Illegal lege Democrats are taking Immigrant’ a poor form of stock of the student body protest” (March 1, 2007) that and doing what they can to the College Democrats have reach students in ways they organized two large events believe will generate a stuthis semester—a trip to hear dent response. But, in order Sen. Barack Obama and an for groups like the College environmental panel. Sigler Democrats to determine how argues that these types of to reach students, they must events are essential to the ﬁ rst make an assessment group’s goals of preparing about campus beliefs. Their students for future participaactions depend on what we, tion within the political systhe students, believe our tem and that events like the roles can and should be in one at New York University political struggles for social are not similarly “acceptable

justice. It’s here that the problem lies. It is likely that Sigler is correct in her belief that doing things like listening to environmental panels

“We cannot be content to debate on campus and come up with ideas that stay within the bounds of this campus.” are more suited to the Wash. U. environment. It isn’t necessarily groups like the College Democrats or College Republicans that need to change— the success and direction of these groups is dependent on the beliefs and attitudes of Wash. U. students. It’s us, the student body, that need to change. We need to debate on campus, we need to listen to the

leaders of our day, and we should attend environmental panels. But, as some of the few people in our society who are privileged enough to have access to these panels and to our professors and to the type of education that we are lucky to receive at Wash. U., we have an obligation to do more than listen. We cannot be content to debate on campus and come up with ideas that stay within the bounds of this campus. The virtue of something like “Find the Illegal Immigrant” is that it is a mechanism for sending a message to the broader society. Any sort of initiative that has the potential for improving society is going to require activism and it’s going to require risk. And it is neither easy nor a task that all of us with our various commitments and passion can commit ourselves to undertaking. What we can do, however, is change the campus

climate. We can be students who are willing and eager to get involved in events that require risk and events that require action. We can offer our support to the campaigns of campus groups through a simple desire to care about what’s going on and ﬁ nd out what different groups are trying to accomplish. We can provide a climate that allows campus groups to successfully undertake projects that actually reach out and affect the community. Because if Wash. U. isn’t going to be a place that actively engages issues in a way that broadcasts our opinion to the larger public, how are we going to employ our privileged educations for the greater good? We have a privilege and an obligation and we can make a difference. Jill is a sophomore in Arts & Sciences and a Forum editor. She can be reached via email at forum@studlife.com.

Too smart for our own good BY CHRISTIAN SHERDEN STAFF COLUMNIST Is it possible to reach a state of over-education that leaves you socially crippled in everyday life? Everyone I know at Washington University is defi nitely smarter than average because it takes a great mind to be able to understand the topics that we deal with in every class. Education at the University level is a study in abstraction. Whether you take economics, math, art, political science, biology, fi lm, chemistry or English literature (the hardest by far) you study abstracted forms of simple fundamental concepts. For example, Universitylevel math changes the simple manipulation of numbers like addition and multiplication into differential equations and integrals and even higher math than that lets you understand that one plus one does not necessarily equal two. Now this is all wonderful and complicated and only really smart people can understand all of it. But when I am at the grocery store, I can remember how to take the derivative of an equation, yet I cannot for the life of me figure out the tax percentage or sometimes the easiest addition of product prices for an estimation of the total. Often I have arguments with cashiers because I think they have charged me too much and then I realize I added incorrectly and leave in an embarrassed hurry. I am incapable of applying the most basic processes of mathematics to real life because I have not been taught multiplication

tables since the third grade. I remember best the subjects I have learned for the last eight years, which are all abstract versions of real-life problems. Another example from real life where my education impeded my performance has to do with craigslist.org. I took forever trying to post a wanted add for a specific type of chin-up bar because, being an educated writer, I had to stop and think, “Who is my audience? What words say exactly what I mean? What sort of diction is required in order to impart my true feelings about the subject ‘wanted chin-up bar’?” I end up writing something that looked like “Hello, I have searched both coasts, and everything in between, for an item seemingly so rare that all refuse to disclose its whereabouts. It is a chinning bar that does not have brackets to screw into walls; made in the old fashion with rubber stoppers enabling its interchangeability between various doorframes. I long to possess this exceptional item and will bestow upon its courier the sum of five dollars American.” I reread my blurb and realize that I sound incredibly pompous and stupid. A more useful post would look like “wanted – chin up bar. does not screw into walls.” I can pontificate on the Marxist-modeled power struggles between the sexes in Charlotte Brontë’s Villette for 15 pages, but when I get my paper back, it is marked with all sorts of simple grammar errors. I can discuss in lecture with fellow students the importance of identity formation

in consumption choices of clothing, but I can barely dress myself in the morning. I can argue about game theory for an hour-long class but casual conversation in hallways, coffee shops and bars is jerky and awkward. The problem is that we are forced to think outside the box in every one of our assignments, an activity that uses immense amounts of brainpower, and we forget entirely why the box was there in the ﬁ rst place. The box is the symbolic (ironically another form of abstraction…so is irony) limitation of the understanding of the general populace. When you can no longer think inside that box in an everyday pragmatic sense, you are disabled because you cannot properly function in a society structured for the general populace. You can lose the ability to communicate clearly with the average individual. A proposition: Let’s all go back to third grade. Why not relearn our fundamentals in a one-semester class taken any time during your college career that teaches you everything you learned when you were 10 years old? Just ﬂy Mrs. Johnston into St. Louis so that she can teach her subjects: multiplication tables for math, grammar/spelling for proper English, sharing for the socially awkward and a pinch of nap time for good measure and then we are on our way to living normal lives again. Christian is a junior in Arts & Sciences. He can be reached via e-mail at ctsherde@artsci.wustl.edu. CHRISTINE GARVEY | STUDENT LIFE

LETTERS v FROM PAGE 4

Out of Iraq, hands off Iran BY HOWARD BRICK OP-ED SUBMISSION

ast fall’s election showed Americans are fed up with the prosecution of the U.S. war effort in Iraq, but still we have seen no action to reverse the disastrous decisions made four years ago by our government. Now is the time for the public to speak up and call for an end to policies that have cost over 3,000 American lives and untold numbers of Iraqi lives, as well as many billions of dollars that could be spent instead to meet so many humane and constructive needs at home and abroad. There is no time to lose in building a vigorous opposition to the Bush administration’s ambitions to perpetuate and perhaps even widen this war. The Washington University Peace Coalition afﬁ rms these four points:

1. End the U.S. war in Iraq now. The Bush administration has responded to the catastrophe it created in Iraq by sending more troops to “secure” Baghdad. This choice for escalation in the face of failure shows a refusal to recognize the facts: The U.S. occupation has stirred the

resentment of Iraqis on all sides of the religious and ethnic divisions troubling that country, and it contributes nothing to resolve the problems Iraqis face in determining their future. As one senior Iraqi politician has put it, “The truth is all Iraqis, without exception, want an early departure of the foreign troops.” We are warned that a quick U.S. withdrawal will result in a disaster of rampant sectarian blood-letting, yet most Iraqis want no part in a divisive internecine struggle. The Shia deﬁ ne themselves as Iraqi, no less than the Sunni. There is little evidence to suggest that neighboring countries have an interest in spurring chaos in Iraq, and indeed they oppose the division of the country (a fact recognized by the Iraqi Kurds). Absent the irritant of occupation, Iraqis have a chance to undertake the hard work of reconstruction, with the help of international aid and American reparations. Begin the withdrawal now. 2. Bring the troops home now. None of us seeks to endanger the lives of Americans in the U.S. military. The best way to support the troops is to bring them home and out of harm’s way. More

and more military families at home are reaching this conclusion, while many of our soldiers there recognize the futility of the various U.S. “plans” to rectify the damage already done. It is not war opponents but the administration itself that continues

“Begin the withdrawal now.” to put American soldiers at risk by deploying them without the security of either adequate protective armor or any realizable program of success. While providing the means for a safe, orderly and rapid withdrawal, Congress should halt funding for the war effort. Closing all U.S. military bases in Iraq will free up vast sums of money that can be donated to an international aid campaign that will support desperately needed Iraqi reconstruction of its health services and social and economic infrastructure. 3. Resist the propaganda offensive currently being waged against Iran. From the notorious “axis of evil” speech to the uproar over Iranian nuclear develop-

ment and now to unproven allegations of Iranian weapon supplies in Iraq, the administration has persisted in mounting threats against Iraq’s neighbor. Recalling the false claims about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, we should be wary of such scare tactics. U.S. government accusations about Iranian meddling in Iraq seem to us brazen attempts to ﬁ nd a scapegoat for the Iraqi cataclysm brought on by the misguided political and military policies of the U.S. itself. Rather than fall for another war-hysteria promoted by the current administration, Americans should educate themselves about the complexities of Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Middle East as a whole. Whatever objections one can raise about government repression in Iran, it is clear that many Iranians themselves are actively working towards an open, participatory and transparent political system. Above all, as the administration deploys aircraft carriers near Iran in a threatening posture, we must stay the hand of the ofﬁcials who speak in our name. 4. Prevent a U.S. attack on Iran. Recognizing the damage

already done by the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Americans must speak up against the administration’s threat to widen the current war. The U.S. must keep its hands off Iran. In the early months of 2003, millions of people demonstrated against the looming threat of the U.S. attacking Iraq. While that remarkable effort to give voice to worldwide public opinion failed to halt the administration’s dogged purpose, we have a much better chance now to prevent yet another disastrous intervention. It is essential that we remain vigilant in resisting further war. On the basis of these four points, the Washington University Peace Coalition seeks to educate, inform, and rally opinion in our community—the students, staff, and faculty of Wash. U.—to join others in our city, the country and the world in calling for an end to the U.S. war in Iraq, the withdrawal of U.S. forces, and no further military intervention in the region. Howard is a professor in the Department of History and a member of the Washington University Peace Coalition. He can be reached via e-mail at hbrick@wustl.edu.

tion in the midst of a long, costly, bloody (and arguably unnecessary) war; this being the case, it would seem irresponsible not to have a Commencement Speaker who was incapable of discussing this adversarial (and yes, political) climate intelligently, and Russert’s journalistic integrity and ethical fair-mindedness make him an inspired choice. Beyond his credentials, he has been personally implicated in the ﬂow of events, having been called as a witness in the “Scooter” Libby trial. Finally, as someone who contacted Mr. Russert about speaking with students in Edison Theatre immediately following the 1992 Presidential Debate at Washington University, and having listened to him lead the post-debate discussion superbly, I can assure you he is not only excellently informed, but a polished and superb speaker, with a relaxed sense of humor as well. Those students fortunate enough to attend this year’s Commencement will certainly not be saying “Bingo” during his speech! - Henry I. Schvey, Chair Performing Arts Department

8 STUDENT LIFE | SPORTS

Senior Sports Editor / Andrei Berman / sports@studlife.com

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

SPORTS Everything you need to know about Stevens Point BY ANDREI BERMAN SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR Short on story ideas with Spring Break just days away, but also curious to ﬁ nd out about the Washington University basketball team’s Sweet 16 opponent, I set out to learn a little bit about the satellite Wisconsin state school that the Bears will face on Friday evening. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point harbors something slightly resembling mythic status within the small world of Division III hoops. The Pointers have taken two of the last three national championships, and this year’s squad currently holds the top spot in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. They’re noted for getting especially strong fan support as well. The Pointers have also been the subject of criticism in some D3 basketball circles, with Jim Hayford, the coach of Wash. U.’s second round opponent, Whitworth College, recently all but declaring that the central Wisconsin school and the league in which it competes should not belong to the D3

level. Before coming to any conclusions, I ﬁgured it’d be best if I consulted with the experts. So, I set out to see what the town and the school was all about. After unsuccessfully trying to reach seemingly everyone at the University’s athletic complex, I eventually got a hold of the chair of the UWSP History department, Susan Brewer. A sweet lady, she unfortunately had a class to teach and said she probably wasn’t the best person to consult with respect to athletic-related inquiries, even historical ones. Finally, I tracked down a veteran sports reporter from the Stevens Point Journal. Scott Williams was the writer’s name, and he proved to be quite the resource. A laid-back native of the Badger state, Williams thoroughly answered all of my queries and was sure to debunk some of the romanticized lore that surrounds the Pointers program. Excerpts of our conversation appear below. Andrei Berman: Tell us a little about Stevens Point, the school and the town. Where is

anie and Stevie Pointer. They’ve been around for a while. A.B.: Why are Division III athletics so big in Wisconsin? S.W.: It’s one of the cheaper ways of going to college and a lot of the good athletes in the state who don’t get Division I or Division II rides wind up going to the schools because it’s cheap compared to a private school. A.B.: People talk about some of the athletes in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) as if they could compete at any level. Are the players sometimes overlooked by higher divisions due to geography or are they just not as good as people make them sound? S.W.: Division I schools don’t feel they’re worthy. They’re good players but not great players. They’re very well coached at the high school level. The high school level is bigger in the southeast part of the state. That’s where basketball is king. A.B.: How big of a deal is UWSP basketball? S.W.: It’s huge. They draw huge crowds, some of the topdrawing crowds in the country

it located and how might fans get there? Scott Williams: It’s a very strong natural resources school. The outdoors are very big up here. The town is located right smack-dab in the middle of the state. The population is about 50,000 total, including [nearby] Polver. It’s pretty laidback. It’s a good place to raise kids. It’s got a good school system. Milwaukee and Green Bay are about two hours away. Madison is about an hour and a half. A.B.: How big a role does that 8,000-student University play with respect to the culture of the town? Does the school call the shots? S.W.: No, the school doesn’t have that big of an impact on the community. There’s a big insurance company and several other big businesses. Farming is also really big. Potato farming is the biggest. There’s a Del Monte vegetable plant in town. We also have our own brewery—Point Brewery. A.B.: What’s a pointer? S.W.: It’s technically an English pointer, as in the dog. That’s the mascot. Actually there are two mascots—Steph-

for Division III. They have season ticket holders, a booster club, back court club. And not just for the men; the women also get support. A.B.: How much interest has this game generated? Are they expecting big crowds? S.W.: They sold out the tickets today in about four hours. The gym holds about 2,5002,700 depending on what they do about the ﬁ re code. A.B.: What do you know about Wash. U. as a school or team? S.W.: I had heard of the school because the [Stevens Point] women’s team played them on the way to the national championship once at our place and once at their place. All I knew was that it was in Missouri, but I didn’t know where. A.B.: It’s in St. Louis. How do you respond to criticism that the Wisconsin league shouldn’t be in D3? S.W.: These kids all pay their own ways to the schools. I guess people would be pretty confused around here for why people would think that. A.B.: How removed from UW-Madison are the WIAC

schools? Do fans still root for the Badgers? S.W.: Oh, yeah. The Badgers are huge up here, way more than Marquette, or UW-Milwaukee, or UW-Green Bay or any of the other Division I schools. This is defi nitely Badger country. A.B.: How does this Stevens Point team compare to the championship teams of 2004 and 2005? S.W.: It’s a different team. It’s not as big a team and it’s a little more balanced. Any five guys can score at any time. From number one through eight or nine, all can score. All can shoot the ‘3.’ Several of them can post people up. They’re quite different teams. They only have one senior that plays a lot and one junior that plays a lot and the rest of the team is sophomores and freshman. A.B.: Are they any restaurants you’d recommend Bears fans travel to if they want to grab a drink or a bite to eat before the game? S.W.: Final Score or Grafittis would be the places to go. Those are the main sports bars.

MOVIE REVIEW

‘Zodiac’ impresses, but fails to excel BY CECILIA RAZAK CADENZA REPORTER The Zodiac killer plagued the San Francisco Bay Area for 10 months, but “Zodiac,” the new crime thriller from director David Fincher, hardly plagues at all. A ruminative thriller, it is a study of the impact of an elusive criminal on the people trying to catch him. Much of the film, which is heavy in muted greens and faded yellows, is a fairly well-rounded, starkly startling piece of cinema. However, by the tail end of the second hour those colors start to weigh heavier on the eye, and the film drags a bit. An anticlimactic third act is often a problem for scrupulously factual films about killers who were never caught. Watching this real-life killer wreak havoc on all those involved with him— cops, reporters, victims and the entire city—isn’t quite like watching every other real-life killer wreak similar havoc. Many films have been made about the subject, and about this very killer, including “Dirty Harry,” a portion of which the film cleverly shows in overt acknowledgement. “Zodiac” does set itself apart

in a number of fairly notable ways. Fincher brings an onand-off voyeuristic quality, setting the camera a number of times on a moving object while the world seems to turn around it. He evinces the same stylistic clarity, if not the same soiled-aroundthe-edges atmosphere, that made “Se7en” a cult favorite, especially in the unsettling murder scenes. Most of these scenes are excessively violent, however finely crafted, and their impact is more unsettling than necessary. “Zodiac’s” cast is a veritable who’s who of white guys in ’70s-style suits. Jake Gyllenhaal is a slouched, quiet and completely believable Robert Graysmith, the cartoonist for the San Francisco chronicle who becomes obsessed with, and literally writes the book on, the Zodiac killer. The rest of the cast, which includes Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Brian Cox, Anthony Edwards and Dermot Mulroney, are all quite good, especially Downey Jr., who is wobbly drunk for a good portion of his screen time, heavy-lidded and endearing. Unfortunately, despite the great ability of director, cinematographer (Harris

Savides, who’s got an eye) and cast, the film manages to fall just short of its high ambitions, thanks to the lengthy dénouement. Spotted with a number of truly suspenseful scenes, “Zodiac” has its moments, and quite a lot of them, but with its audience limited to Zodiac and true-crime fanatics, it is doubtful it will make any kind of killing at the box office.

Zodiac Rating: ★★★✬✩ Director: David Fincher Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards Now playing: Creve Coeur 12 COURTESY OF WARNER BROTHERS AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES

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WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA

MOVIE REVIEWS

‘Moan’ more ‘300:’ not just another war movie than a ‘Skank on a Chain’ BY DANIEL P. HAEUSSER CADENZA REPORTER A unique film titled “Black Snake Moan” by Craig Brewer (director of “Hustle & Flow”) opened this past weekend, staring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake. Before the film’s release, Internet chatter ran from topics involving Jackson’s repeated projects involving “snakes,” Ricci’s sex scenes, Timberlake’s acting ability and the apparent absurdity of the film’s premise. The premise of the film is this: Rae (Ricci), a sexually abused young woman, undergoes traumatic flashbacks of abuse, causing her to writhe about with an inner burning that only sex will satisfy. Lazarus (Jackson) is a Christian farmer whose wife just left him for another man, whose own inner torment is released through Blues music. When Rae’s boyfriend (Timberlake) leaves her for military service, she looks for sexual replacement wherever she can find it. One morning, Lazarus discovers a beaten and bloody Rae on the street outside his home. He witnesses a sudden outbreak of her conv ulsions and moaning. At first fearing her possessed, and then realizing she is simply feverish from respiratory infection, Lazarus nurses her back to health. To prevent her from hurting herself while in a delirious state of recovery, he chains her to his radiator. However, even once she regains coherence he refuses to unchain her, explaining that she needs to stop running wild and destroying herself in abusive relationships. He intends to use some “tough love” to set her right again. In “About Writing,” Samuel R. Delany, a writer, critic and professor at Temple University explains that “‘plot’ is an illusion… [It] is an effect that other written elements produce in concert.” I believe this becomes particularly relevant for richly complex narratives that do not neatly fit into a particular category or archetype. “Black Snake Moan” is a good example of such a narrative. The standard synopsis of the events and premise of this film are inadequate to describe its purpose or effect. Going merely on the above premise, audiences have expected another B film like “Snakes on a Plane,” or another nudity-filled exploitation picture.

Instead, people that haven’t been turned off by the premise, and saw the film, seem utterly surprised, unsure how to interpret or take it. Is it supposed to be funny? Is it disturbing? Is it exploitation? Is it serious? The film is paradoxically all these things. The credits appear in a style highly reminiscent of ’70s American cinema, and the film continues with that vibe, mixing elements of the ’70s exploitation genre with those of more serious works. The dialogue seems hokey at times, and yet in other moments is profound. “Black Snake Moan” isn’t really about a white girl tied up in chains by a black man. Indeed, Rae spends only a small portion of the film tied to a chain. Additionally, matters of race have little to do with the film, despite first appearances. Race is commented upon briefly, but all the characters are viewed beyond race—they are simply human. Ultimately, the film is deeply spiritual; it is about practicing faith, hope and love. The three main characters in the film all have serious and destructive personal problems. Alone, they are unable to deal with them. But through a combination of “tough love” and gentle caring, they help one another transcend the personal agony within. The chain around Rae is ultimately metaphorical, linking her to the faith of Lazarus and the support he gives. Despite the disturbing premise of the film and its moments displaying human depravity, “Black Snake Moan” is uplifting and shows hope in the lives of people who appeared irredeemably screwed up. I can’t say exactly how you will take this film if you see it. But I do think it should be viewed seriously. It is a unique narrative that invites reflection on the personal torments we all face, and what can be done about them.

MCT DIRECT

Leonidas, played by Gerard Butler (right), and the Spartans stand ready to halt the advance of the Persian army in “300.” BY BRIAN STITT MOVIE EDITOR There are few stories more unabashedly brutal than Frank Miller’s graphic novel “300” which tells, in bloody comic book form, the true story of the Battle of Thermopylae. In 480 B.C., 300 Spartan soldiers, the great warriors of their time, stood in battle at the “Hot Gates” against a multitudinous force of Persians under the rule of King Xerxes. The fact that many other Greeks stood and fought with them is unimportant in the annals of bad-assery. Men, especially, can superﬁcially embrace the cultural ideals that glorify honor and victory in battle above all else and repeat phrases like “Come back carrying your shield or on it.” It is through historical epics like this that man can connect

with the more violent side of his nature and assert dominance over the world. This story is, in all its forms, a message of Greek humanism, a testament to man’s ability to perfect all arts, especially that of war. Miller’s version of the tale focuses on Leonidas (Gerard Butler), King of Sparta and general of its armies. The ﬁlm uses him as an emblem of Sparta, a physically perfect warrior and charismatic leader who cares for the children of his state as he does his own son. When he refuses to submit to Xerxes, King of Persia, Leonidas takes 300 soldiers to ﬁght an illegal war at Thermopylae, a narrow rock formation near the sea and the only place in Greece where Leonidas has a chance of fending off the numerous Persian armies. Meanwhile his wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey),

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must convince the Spartans still at home to join their king in battle. Director Zach Snyder has taken the graphic novel and filmed it much in the same way Robert Rodriguez adapted Miller’s “Sin City” for the big screen. He has taken live actors and filmed them against a green screen, filling in the backgrounds in post-production. But where “Sin City” succeeded by remaining religiously faithful to the source material and served as a fun companion piece, “300” actually uses Miller’s inspiration to create a movie that is much greater than the original. Despite the computer-generated images, the film stays grounded in a classical aesthetic filling the screen with perfectly formed male bodies covered only by lush red cloaks as if the theater’s screen were an over-

sized Renaissance painting. Yet the most stunning visual aspect of the film, the one that leaves the theater with the audience, is its unyielding modernity. No film has ever shined like this film does, and Snyder is sure to spawn dozens of imitators. Each frame surges with an unidentifiable urgency and animalistic power provided by the digital “wash” which gives “300” its

See 300, page 11 300 Rating: ★★★★✬ Director: Zack Snyder Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West Release date: March 9, 2007 Showing at: Esquire 7

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WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

Rerelease sparks same emotions as original BY DANIEL P. HAEUSSER CADENZA REPORTER Until Friday, the Tivoli Theater is showing a digitally restored 35-mm print of Jean Renoir’s 1939 masterpiece, “La Règle du Jeu” (“The Rules of the Game”), released by Janus Films. Now considered essential viewing as one of the greatest films made, the French public of its day reacted to its release with hostility, forcing large edits and outright bans on its public display. The arrival of the Nazis resulted in mass destruction of the film, including the original negative. By fortune, fragments of the film were recovered in the years following the war, allowing Renoir to oversee a near-complete reconstruction of his film (only one minor scene is lost). Watching the film today, one may wonder why the film was so derided originally. The simple answer is that the characters are a critical mirror of the contem-

porary French society, showing people as hypocritical, callous and self-indulgent. The story begins with André Jurieux, an aviator that has just completed a trans-Atlantic ﬂight dedicated to his love, Christine, an Austrian who is married to Parisian aristocrat Robert de la Cheyniest, who in turn is trying to end an affair with his mistress Geneviève de Marras. Christine is not present to welcome Jurieux home upon his triumphant landing—it just would not be proper. Deeply hurt by this, Jurieux asks Octave, a mutual friend who knows Christine from childhood, to arrange a chance for Jurieux to see Christine again. Octave secures Jurieux an invitation to an elite hunting party at de la Cheyniest’s country chateau. The secrets and deceptions among, and between, the upper-class guests and lower-class servants of the chateau become clear as the party and narrative progress from farcical to trag-

edy. Throughout this all is the underlying theme of the film’s title: the “rules” of polite society, where impropriety is known, but publicly ignored, and the most heartless and selfish of acts are transcended by a moral relativism into honorable deeds. The brilliance of the film is found in Renoir’s ensemble direction and cinematographic framing. The style is hugely influential, particularly for the late Robert Altman, who all but remade “The Rules of the Game” with “Gosford Park.” Casting the depressing themes of hypocrisy and betrayal within a comedy of manners or farce, the film is astonishingly fluid, light and even whimsical. Serious tones or moments are very few, with the slapstick more in focus. This makes the serious undertones of the film easy to miss without paying close attention to visual clues and what words remain unsaid in conversations. Renoir frames shots in

complex ways, with significant action occurring in layers throughout the background of framed characters. The dialogue is similarly complex, with layers of truths and outright lies so intermixed that even the characters have difficulty keeping straight what they really believe or feel. Films that are dominated by gratuitous special effects are not the only movies worth seeing “on the big screen.” “The Rules of the Game” is a historically significant, entertaining and complex film that deserves viewer-ship as well. It works on a simple level of slapstick comedy and a more complex level of social critique that is still relevant to the rules of the game played today.

The Rules of the Game Rating: ★★★★★ Director: Jean Renoir Starring: Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély

STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA

ALBUM REVIEW

Bryan Ferry: ‘Dylanesque’ BY ANDREW SENTER CADENZA REPORTER Bryan Ferry’s new album “Dylanesque” is an electric and enjoyable collection of Bob Dylan tunes. Propelled by Ferry’s seductive voice and a fantastic backing band, “Dylanesque” offers distinctive interpretations of the Dylan cannon. Throughout the album Ferry tweaks with the musical underpinning of Dylan’s songs, but mostly remains faithful to their vibrancy and wit. Even though some of the songs are a bit generic, the majority of the album is inventive and rewarding. The record opens with a sparse version of “Tom Thumbs Blues.” The lean accompaniment adds a muscular dimension to the song. However,

the highlight of the song is towards the end where a soaring harmonica is complimented by background singers chanting, “Whoop, Whoop.” Next is Ferry’s distinct interpretation of “Simple Twist of Fate.” What is originally a sweet and subtle song is transformed into a pulsating rocker. Ferry sings this song with conviction while the backing band provides stellar support. “Make You Feel My Love” slows the album down, leaving Ferry accompanied only by piano. Ferry deliberately states the lyrics in a way that is both haunting and beautiful. Ferry’s ability to add new dimensions to Dylan’s songs continues throughout the album. “All I Want to Do” is converted into a joyous Americana chestnut. “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” bristles with energy. “Positively 4th Street” is transformed into a slow and melodic tune. When Ferry sings, “You’d rather see me paralyzed/ Why don’t you come out and say it,” he adds a dimension of sadness that is absent in Dylan’s version. One of the highlights of “Dylanesque” is Ferry’s distinct voice. Sweetly seductive and a little raspy, it is able to forcefully interpret Dylan’s songs. The magnetic backing band provides Ferry with superb support throughout the album. This is highlighted in “All Along the Watchtower,” which turns into a guitar tour de force. Even though it is lacking the ﬁerceness of its most famous incarnation, it still showcases the backing band’s talent. Unfortunately, not all of the songs are completely successful. Ferry’s “Knocking on Heaven Door” is a somewhat generic cover that says nothing new or distinct about the oftencovered song. “The Times They Are-A Changin,” is sped up and loses some of its subtleness and irony in the process. “The Gates of Eden” is nice, but that is all. It lacks some of the vibrancy and originality evident throughout the majority of the album. Bryan Ferry’s “Dylanesque” offers a variety of inventive interpretations of Bob Dylan’s songs. Even though some of the songs are a tad generic, the album is mostly inventive and vibrant.

Bryan Ferry Dylanesque Rating: ★★★★✩ Tracks to download: “Tom Thumb Blues,” “Simple Twist of Faith,” “All I Want to Do” For fans of: Bob Dylan, Roxy Music

300 v FROM PAGE 9 distinctive look. Zach Snyder heightens the surging quality of the images with constant changes of tempo, both in the story and frame rate. His use of slow motion borders on the ridiculous and would feel gimmicky if used only in the battle scenes, highlighting frames from the comic for fanboys and allowing a bloodthirsty public to drink in the severed limbs, thrusting spears and spurting gore. But Snyder uses slow motion throughout, even in slower scenes, which do not rely so heavily on special effects and precise choreography. It is as if he is failing in an attempt to freeze the motion and the actors, to emulate the stillness of the graphic novel without being tied to it. The characters and their actions are too visually and physically powerful to be reigned in by a camera, too legendary to be fully captured on film. Kings roar, spears topple elephants, giants and monsters fight alongside men It is Snyder’s choice to push all of the aspects of a simple story over the top that saves “300” from stumbling into camp comedy. Miller’s is a theatrical history not the academic kind, and Snyder uses operatic tone to match. Emotions are pure, distinctions between good and evil painted in black and white. The internal conflict all happens outside in the real world for the audience to consume and appreciate. While the message of this film is more pro-honor than a testament to man’s mastery over the art of war, “300” is a visual accomplishment without peer and one of the few recent movies to achieve old-Hollywood style bombast while not abandoning forward momentum.

12 STUDENT LIFE | CADENZA

Senior Cadenza Editor / Ivanna Yang / cadenza@studlife.com

CADEN Z A

WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 28, 2007

n. a technically brilliant, sometimes improvised solo passage toward the close of a concerto, an exceptionally brilliant part of an artistic work

arts & entertainment

Electronic music: Disco’s angry stepchild makes a comeback BY ERIC LEE CADENZA REPORTER

MCT DIRECT

Peaches on stage at the ‘Bring’em Home Now!’ Concert marking the third anniversary of the Iraq War at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, NY, on March 20, 2006.

Electronic artist Peaches’ now famous ode to her own fun bags is well known on this campus for its subtleness: “Suckin’ on my titties like you wanted me, callin’ me, all the time,” she coos. Her genre of choice is electronica; compared to her over-the-top statement, her stage show seems rather minimal. Most sets include her poised simply with her weapon of choice, a simple synthesizer from which spews forth minimalist beats and percussion, all the better to support but not obscure her simple message of sucking and titties. That her name derives from 1970s disco act Peaches & Herb is telling indeed. The genre of electronic music, a derivative from the thick drum machines and bright lights of the disco era, has broadened to include trance, techno and house. Since hiphop and electronic music contain many of the same thematic elements (lack of instruments, prominent beat, and short, repeated hooks), many have resorted to the speed of the record (beats per minute) to differentiate between these related genres. 60 to 90 beats per minute means hip hop, 120 is characteristic of house, 135 lands you in techno territory. The art of the sample and the emergent craft of the remix are continuing where disco’s now

A look at electronic: LCD Soundsystem and Air CADENZA REPORTER Two of the most successful electronic acts have dropped high profile efforts, as Canadian producer James Murphy, more famously known as LCD Soundsystem, and French upstart duo Air have respectively released “Sound of Silver” and “Pocket Symphony.” While these two albums are under the general rooftop of the electronic category, they have two very different goals in mind. LCD Soundsystem wants kids to dance, but Air wants them to sip tea. Murphy has done some interesting things in recent years. He released “45:33,” designed to be the perfect length for the perfect workout (seems a little long…around 30 minutes and 33 seconds too long). Working with Nike, he strategically placed segments of the song to “reward and push at good intervals of a run.” The contender for the title of biggest electronic artist, Murphy shows some considerable muscle on his latest effort. Proving that political commentary is not limited to rock and the Dixie Chicks, “North

new faces who aspire to be recognized as more than background beats for a Lexus commercial. Their talent is indisputable. In fact, every beat, pulse and idiosyncrasy from the vocals to the synthesizers comes from their own skill as producers and innovation as artists. Most can hold no one accountable but themselves; with no band or structural constraints, their product is the essence of their vision. The touch of electronic music has always been visible on rock bands. Think about the cascading backgrounds on the Killers’ “Somebody Told Me,” most of Motion City Soundtrack’s work and David Bowie in general. Synthetic notes and riffs add a modern edge to any record and have served to gradually erase strict genre lines in recent production. Neither as revolutionary as hip-hop nor as accessible as rock, electronic music has to fight to retain its place in the musical lexicon as more than simply a strange, drug-induced microcosm. Electronic musicians have secured three categories at the Grammy awards, become the most popular form of music in Europe, produced several high profile artists and producers and caused a fat kid to convulse on film and display it online. It is clearly capable of some big things, most of which are probably still to come.

Electronic Music Hall of Fame

ALBUM REVIEW

BY ERIC LEE

decaying corpse left off. Created entirely by the matrix of modern technology and without any true instrumentation, this is music that would be recognizable to neither our elders nor Bo Diddly. Electronic music remains on the fringe of today’s sonic landscape, with no notable platinum breadwinners or community to support the genre. Turntableism and hip-hop have experienced a surge in the past five years; it is impossible to go to a club or frat and not hear the latest record from Yung Joc. With the notable exception of a choice few records, spinning techno or electronic at a normal party is normally unacceptable. “Sandstorm,” by Finnish DJ Darude became the most popular instrumental record of all time and was the best selling 12-inch vinyl of 2000. In case you don’t remember, “Sandstorm” was that one song you heard at prom with the five staccato notes and no words that made the future computer science majors squeal with sweaty delight. “Dragostea din tei,” better known by its street name, “Numa Numa…a Fat Kid is on YouTube Dancing to Me,” has also experienced smash success worldwide and hence has been allowed to be played occasionally on Friday nights. However, with a healthy dose of praise from the critics and dedicated fan base of ravers and house party enthusiasts, electronic music has a wave of fresh

American Scum” generously lists with proper satire the faults of American culture, while “New York I Love You” takes a sly glance at this city of inhabitance. Limited in its focus, Murphy seems to be talking to like-minded individuals who are beginning to lose their healthy adolescent glow. “Sound of Silver” itself is a reference to the vigor of youth, “Makes you feel like a teenager; a real life, emotional teenager” he chants on the title track. “Silver” will most definitely resonate with a core audience, but for all its gloss and intelligence, its effects will be lost on most. It is a dance record that seems rather inept at making people dance, but remains altogether listenable. Relaxed and atmospheric, “Pocket Symphony” sounds remarkably like 40 minutes of elevator music. Renowned producers as they are, Air have created a mute landscape that uses exotic instruments and sounds to compensate for the fact that only two of the tracks feature vocals. Unassuming nearly to a fault, impeccable production and several standout

tracks save “Symphony” from being used as a coaster for my roommate’s Natty Light. “Somewhere Between Sleeping and Walking” not only aptly describes the album’s entire mood, but makes me think that a disc full of similar songs would be rather brilliant. Instead, what is presented is a piano driven album full of weak balladry and repetitive, brushedon prettiness.

Daft Punk Successful French pair, generally regarded as the most successful electronic artists of all time. Their works include the inescapable “Around the World,” Grammy-winning “One More Time” and “Technologic.”

The Vengaboys Perpetuating the conception that foreigners heart electronica, this Swedish foursome (in reality two boys and two girls) brought us the lovable tracks “We Like to Party” and “Boom Boom Boom Boom (In My Room).”

M.I.A. Straight out of Calcutta, M.I.A.’s rotating list of topics includes her father, a suspected terrorist; an underage whore and her own sexual exploits. Her debut “Arular” tantalized critics and audiences alike with its a genre-bending sound and guerrilla ethos.

Fatboy Slim LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver Rating: ★★★✬✩ Tracks to download: “North American Scum”

Progenitor of infinite like-minded big beat dance tracks. Thanks to radio friendly songs like “Praise You,” he has remained the most successful electronic Top 40 artists. Notable successes include “The Rockafeller Skank” and “Weapon of Choice.”

The Chemical Brothers Extremely successful and versatile English duo known for explosive live sets and touring with the likes of Oasis and the Flaming Lips.

Air Pocket Symphony Rating: ★★✬✩✩ Tracks to download: “Somewhere Between Walking and Sleeping”

RJD2 Although his latest, “The Third Hand,” is a stripped down, acoustic version, D2 remains the original electronic turntablist.

Sextronica

Hosted weekly by the two baddest bitches in the class of 2010, Lucy “DJ Masturbilia” Moore and Dalle “DJ Toponamia” Molle spin the best of new electronic music while still having time to wax poetic about the virtues of latex condoms. Tune in to KWUR Saturday nights at 1 a.m.!

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 7, 2007

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FOR RENT DOG SITTER: MUST love 2big friendly dogs and want o exercise taking long walks. Stay at my house (Richmond Heights) be a non-smoker, $50/day. Call 314-422-6015 if interested. MAD SCIENCE INSTRUCTORS: Enthusiastic instructors needed to teach part-time (after school, 1 to 5 days per week), fun, hands-on science programs in elementary schools. Must have transportation. $25.00 - $27.50 per 1 hour class. Call 31-4 991-8000. NOW HIRING! FULL and part-time nannies. Previous childcare experience required. Will work with schedule. Send resume or inquiries to info@mynannynetwork.com. PLAY SPORTS! HAVE FUN! SAVE MONEY! Maine camp needs fun loving counselors to teach all land, adventure & water sports. Great Summer! Call 888-844-8080, apply: campcedar.com

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765 WESTWOOD, 3 Bedroom/1.5 Bath Clayton Townhouse, Renovated in 2003, Close to Shuttle, Central Air, Hardwood Floors, Eat-in Kitchen, Dishwasher, Disposal, Garage Parking. Philip H. Barron Realty, 314-725-1899, www.barronrealty.com. CLAYTON, U. CITY LOOP, CWE and Dogtown. Beautiful studios, 1, 2 bedrooms. Quiet buildings. $425-$750. Call 725-5757. CLOSE TO CAMPUS available June 1. Complete renovation with fenced backyard and washer/dryer provided. $1,400/mo. 6833 Bartmer Ave. For more information reply to cwseyer@seyerind.com or call 314-3224936. 3 BEDROOM APARTMENT, 1 block from campus on Forsyth, AC, hardwood floors- sublet after graduation until Aug. 15th. $1500/month plus utilities. amginsbu@artsci.wustl.edu.

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Sudoku

By Michael Mepham Level: 1

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.

Solution to Monday’s puzzle

3/7/07

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